Manny Malhotra
Mississauga 43° 35' 22.64" N, 79° 38' 39.80" W Sports and Athletics Hockey Sports Person
Emmanuel Noveen Malhotra (born, May 18, 1980) is an Indo-Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain with the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has additionally played in the NHL for the Dallas Stars, Columbus Blue Jackets, San Jose Sharks and New York Rangers. Malhotra is known as a two-way forward and for his faceoff proficiency. Malhotra was drafted in the first round as the seventh overall pick of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Rangers. He joined the NHL after a two-year career in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Guelph Storm, with whom he served as captain in his final year. Winning a J. Ross Robertson Cup championship and subsequently appearing in the 1998 Memorial Cup with the Storm, Malhotra also earned a Bobby Smith Trophy, George Parsons Trophy and Memorial Cup All-Star honours as a junior.
He played with the Rangers from 1998 to 2002. During this time he was assigned on numerous occasions to the team's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, with whom he won a Calder Cup championship in 2000. At the 2001–02 trade deadline, he was dealt to the Stars and spent parts of three seasons with the club. Beginning in 2003–04, Malhotra began to see increased offensive production, marked by his acquisition off waivers by the Blue Jackets. After four seasons in Columbus, he signed a one-year contract with the Sharks in September 2009. He recorded a career-high in goals with San Jose, before joining the Canucks on a three-year deal. In his first season with Vancouver, Malhotra suffered a major injury to his left eye, requiring several surgeries. Despite having lost a significant amount of his vision, he returned the same year to compete in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. He struggled to play with the injury until Canucks management placed him on the injured reserve for the remainder of the 2012-13 season in February 2013.
Internationally, Malhotra has represented Canada in under-18 competition, two World Junior Championships and one World Championship. Serving as the team captain at the 2000 World Junior Championships, Malhotra led Canada to a bronze medal.