It's official, Arshdeep Bains of the Vancouver Canucks is officially the 4th Punjabi player in NHL history.
The 23 year old native of Surrey, BC will suit up for his hometown Canucks tonight as they take on the Colorado Avalanche in Denver, Colorado. Bains joins Robin Bawa, Manny Malhotra and Jujhar Khaira as the only ethnically Punjab players to skate during an NHL game. Interestingly enough, Bawa, Malhotra and Bains have all suited up for the Canucks, while Bawa, Malhotra and Khaira are all BC born and raised. Both Bains and Khaira are born and raised in Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver that has the largest population of Indo-Canadians in Canada.
To say that this is a big deal to Bains, his family and to all Indo-Canadian hockey fans is an understatement.
“Just an overall special day,” Bains told reporters in Denver ahead of tonight’s game against the Avalanche.
“Throughout my whole life, kind of just putting my foot in the door at every level I get to. It’s no different here,” Bains said about his path to the pros. “It’s been a heck of a journey so far. I’m pretty excited to see where it goes.”
Bains is undrafted and signed a contract with the Canucks following a stellar career with the WHL's Red Deer Rebels. He led the WHL in scoring with a remarkable 43 goals and 112 points in 68 games in 2021-22 and then had a solid first season with the AHL's Abbotsford Canucks in 2022-23. This season though, he's taken his game to another level. The left winger leads the team with 30 points in 42 games and was named the AHL All-Star Game MVP earlier this month.
“That’s every kid’s dream to play for their hometown team. It’s nothing short of that. I think I’ll be ready to go if that time comes,” said Bains. “It’s really special.”
Tonight, the time comes for Bains and his family.
His father will be in attendance at Denver's Ball Arena, where you know he'll be cheering on his boy the entire time. Looks go, Arshdeep! Do your community proud!
