'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
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
Blind Sask. boy heading to international braille competition hopes to increase accessibility for visually impaired
A Saskatchewan boy who qualified for an international braille competition in Los Angeles next month hopes he can inspire change in his home province.
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.