What a week it鈥檚 been for Surrey鈥檚 Arshdeep Bains, who played his first few games with the Vancouver Canucks and became just the fourth player with Punjabi roots to skate in the National Hockey League.
A rookie forward, , played again in Seattle two nights later, then helped the Canucks to a comeback 3-2 win over rival Boston Bruins in Vancouver on Saturday.
At Rogers Arena, dozens of family members and friends watched Bains play on home ice for the first time, with a team he cheered for as a kid growing up in Surrey, where he still lives with family.
Heading into another home game Tuesday (Feb. 27) against Pittsburgh Penguins, Bains hasn鈥檛 yet scored a point in the NHL. But he鈥檚 earned the trust of head coach Rick Tocchet and also teammates, meaning he just might stay with the league-leading Canucks for the rest of the season.
鈥淚鈥檓 a big fan, I like him a lot,鈥� . 鈥淚 think there鈥檚 another level, and that鈥檚 when playing in the NHL. He鈥檚 earned a spot right now, you know 鈥� I don鈥檛 know how long it鈥檚 going to be. Maybe it鈥檚 the rest of the year, but he鈥檚 earned a spot.
鈥淚 know guys enjoy playing with him,鈥� the coach continued. 鈥淚鈥檝e had a couple of players come up to me individually and say, 鈥楬ey, don鈥檛 be afraid to throw him on my line.鈥� So I think that鈥檚 the ultimate compliment for that kid.鈥�
鈥淚t was a dream come true for the family, for the community, and for all of us here in B.C.鈥�
鈥� Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks)
Kuldip Bains speaks with Kate Pettersen () on watching his son, Arshdeep, make his NHL debut during the Mentors鈥� Trip! |
Bains made his NHL debut with proud father Kuldip at the game in Colorado, on the team鈥檚 鈥渕entors trip.鈥� In Seattle, more family members watched him in action.
鈥淚t was a dream come true for the family, for the community, for all of us here in B.C.,鈥� Kuldip Bains told the Canucks鈥� rinkside reporter, Kate Pettersen.
鈥淗is demeanor is hard work, and right from the beginning he鈥檚 always working hard, to the fullest,鈥� Bains鈥� father added.
Two weeks ago Bains was called up by the Canucks from their AHL affiliate, Abbotsford Canucks, where he鈥檚 starred in recent months and in the first week of February.
Arshdeep Bains writes 鈥淏ibi鈥� & 鈥淏aba鈥� on every one of his hockey sticks paying respect to his grandma & his late grandpa.
鈥� Randip Janda (@RandipJanda)
A special night for the Surrey kid making his home debut at Rogers Arena tonight.
Bains, 23, was undrafted in both the WHL junior league and the NHL, and , in March 2022. He played junior with Red Deer Rebels and captured the WHL鈥檚 Bobby Clarke Trophy as top scorer in 2021-22 with 112 points in 68 games.
With the Canucks he鈥檚 wearing jersey #80, and on his hockey sticks writes 鈥淏ibi鈥� and 鈥淏aba鈥� to pay respect to his grandmother and late grandfather. Before stepping to the ice, he touches the ground (rink floor) in a blessing of Mother Earth, a tradition among Sikh Punjabis.
鈥淏ains is a big deal for the Punjabi community, but also Surrey, and it鈥檚 such a great story,鈥� confirmed Harpreet Pandher, a broadcaster with Hockey Night in Canada Punjabi Edition.
鈥淗e gets signed by his favourite childhood team, the Canucks. Getting signed, that doesn鈥檛 mean you鈥檙e going to play in the NHL, but the season he鈥檚 had, making the AHL all-star team and being the MVP, it was kind of a no-brainer that he deserved a shot at the NHL.
鈥淕oing back to his junior days,鈥� Pandher added, 鈥渃oaches have mentioned that Arshdeep is very coachable, a good learner. Every level he鈥檚 been at, he鈥檚 worked hard and he made the adjustments needed to get to the next step.鈥�
As the fourth Punjabi-roots player in the NHL, Bains follows in the footsteps of Robin Bawa in the 1990s, Manny Malhotra a decade later, and fellow Surreyite Jujhar Khaira in recent years.
Due to pre-scheduling, Bains鈥� home-ice debut with the Canucks was not broadcast live on Hockey Night in Canada鈥檚 Punjabi edition, which showed the Toronto-Colorado game instead.
While that was a live-TV miss for the local Punjabi community, the Bains story is huge in Surrey.
鈥淗opefully he can get a point here, maybe a goal, that will be the next thing for him,鈥� Pandher said. 鈥淚 remember seeing Robin Bawa playing, someone with brown skin out there, and just getting goosebumps watching that. It鈥檚 the same feeling I had this week with Arshdeep, it鈥檚 great. How few Punjabis have played (in the NHL), it鈥檚 surprising to me, but it shows just how tough it is to play in the league.鈥�
鈥� RELATED STORY, from June 2023: .
Despite the early accolades, Bains said he isn鈥檛 entirely satisfied with his play in the NHL so far, just a few games in.
鈥淚t was so special,鈥� he said of Saturday鈥檚 home-ice win, , 鈥渁nd if I was being honest I was probably a bit more nervous tonight than the first two games. It was awesome, and I had a lot of family and friends here. We were able to beat Boston at home, so it was awesome.鈥�
