'He's paid his dues': Surrey's Arshdeep Bains takes the long route to achieve NHL dream
There's a reason why Arshdeep Bains touched the ground before taking the ice in the ceremonial solo rookie warm-up.
"It's in our culture," said Harbs Bains, Arshdeep's former minor league coach and close family friend.
"It's a sign of respect. You respect the ground that you're on and you respect the people that are there with you."
On Tuesday night in Denver, Bains became the fourth Punjabi hockey player to make the NHL.
"It was really special," said Bains to reporters after the game, referring to the feeling of taking the ice to warm-up.
"I almost kind of forgot to hit the pucks on the ice when I went out there, so that's how kind of, you know, I was just in awe of being out there so it was really special."
Bains' route to the NHL is anything but conventional. The 23-year-old was never drafted in either the NHL or WHL.
"He's paid his dues," said Harbs Bains. "What he does when no one's watching is the key piece."
As a teen, Bains eventually cracked the lineup of the WHL's Red Deer Rebels. By his fifth and final season with the club, Bains had grinded his way into becoming one of the league's top scorers.
His stellar play earned him a contract with the Vancouver Canucks, where he was sent to the franchise's farm team in Abbotsford.
In his second season in Abbotsford, Bains became a league standout, earning a trip to the AHL all-star game, where he won MVP honours. It wasn't long after that the NHL-leading Vancouver Canucks, in need of players due to injury, made the call.
"It's endearing to people because it's more realistic," said Harbs Bains. "He wasn't a first-round draft pick. He didn't get accolades all the way through. He did it the old-fashioned way – elbow grease."
In his debut, Bains played just over 13 minutes and finished with a few scoring chances in a 3-1 loss to the Avalanche. And while it was business for Bains, his former coach believes his impact will leave a lasting impression for South Asian hockey players and anyone who has been told they aren't good enough.
"They see themselves in him, and that's the nice part," Harbs Bains said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From essential goods to common stocking stuffers, Trudeau offering Canadians temporary tax relief
Canadians will soon receive a temporary tax break on several items, along with a one-time $250 rebate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
'It didn't sound good': Mother shares what her sons went through with walking pneumonia
A mother shares with CTVNews.ca her family's health scare as medical experts say cases of the disease and other respiratory illnesses have surged, filling up emergency departments nationwide.
BREAKING Matt Gaetz drops bid for Trump attorney general in face of U.S. Senate opposition
Hardline Republican Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration as U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's attorney general, in the face of opposition from the Senate Republicans whose support he would have needed to win the job.
Mother charged after infant dies in midtown Toronto: police
The mother of an infant who died after being found at an apartment building in midtown Toronto on Wednesday has been charged with failing to provide the necessaries of life.
Here's a list of items that will be GST/HST-free over the holidays
Canadians won’t have to pay GST on a selection of items this holiday season, the prime minister vowed on Thursday.
Manitoba RCMP issue Canada-wide warrant for Ontario semi-driver charged in deadly crash
Manitoba RCMP have issued a Canada-wide arrest warrant for the semi-driver involved in a crash that killed an eight-year-old girl and her mother.
2 arrested during Greenpeace protest outside Stornoway residence in Ottawa
Two people have been arrested following a protest outside Stornoway, the official residence of Canada's leader of the Opposition.
Arrest warrant issued for suspect charged in Toronto airport gold heist
Peel police say a bench warrant has been issued for the arrest of one of the suspects charged in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
'This is cold': P.E.I. mother upset over decision to remove late daughter's photos from school memorial wall
A high school on Prince Edward Island is removing pictures of its late students from a memorial wall – a decision that has upset one mother whose daughter attended the school.