Manny Malhotra Emmanuel Noveen Malhotra ( born May 18 , 1980 ) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre From Mississauga , Ontario , Canada currently playing for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) , serving as an alternate captain . During his NHL career he has additionally played for the Dallas Stars , Columbus Blue Jackets , San Jose Sharks and New York Rangers . He 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 . Internationally , Malhotra has represented Canada in under - 18 competition , two World Junior Championships and one World Championship . Serving as team captain at the 2000 World Junior Championships , Malhotra led Canada to a bronze medal . Playing career . Guelph Storm . After playing minor hockey with the Mississauga Reps of the Metro Toronto Hockey League ( MTHL ) , After being selected in the 1st round ( 17th overall ) of the 1996 OHL Priority Selection , Malhotra played two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League ( OHL ) with the Guelph Storm , beginning in 1996 – 97 . He scored 16 goals and 44 points over 61 games in his rookie season . In the 1997 playoffs , he added 14 points in 18 games as Guelph lost in the semifinals to the Ottawa 67 ' s . The following season , he improved to 16 goals and 51 points over 57 games . He served as team captain while being assigned the primary role of shutting down opposing team ' s top forwards . Guelph advanced to the OHL Finals , where they defeated Ottawa in five games to capture the J . Ross Robertson Cup . Malhotra had 13 points in 12 games in the championship - winning playoff season . Earning a berth into the 1998 Memorial Cup , Guelph made it to the final , where they lost to the Portland Winter Hawks 4 – 3 in overtime . Malhotra ranked third in tournament scoring with a goal and seven points over five games . He was named to the Memorial Cup All - Star Team and was awarded the George Parsons Trophy as the tournament ' s most sportsmanlike player . New York Rangers . In the off - season , Malhotra was drafted by the New York Rangers in the first round , seventh overall , of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft . The Rangers scouted him as a strong , physical player with good hockey sense and character , comparing him to Adam Graves . He was surprised to have been selected by the Rangers , as they were one of the only teams to have not interviewed or met with him prior to the draft . He anticipated being drafted by the Calgary Flames at sixth overall , as the team ' s general manager had previously drafted him into the OHL as general manager of the Storm . With the 1998 – 99 approaching , Malhotra had not yet signed an NHL contract with the Rangers by October . League rules stipulated that if he did not sign by October 8 , 1998 , he would be required to return to junior for the entire campaign . The night before the deadline , Malhotra and the Rangers agreed to a three - year deal worth the rookie - maximum of $ 975 , 000 with performance - based incentives that could have increased his salary to $ 2 million . Making the immediate jump from junior to the NHL at the age of 18 , he became the second player of Indian heritage to play in the NHL , after Robin Bawa . Malhotra recorded eight goals and 16 points over 73 games as a rookie . During the season , the Rangers were interested in acquiring Vancouver Canucks forward Pavel Bure . It was reported that Canucks general manager Brian Burke had requested Malhotra to be involved in a trade that would have sent him along with Niklas Sundstrom , Dan Cloutier and the Rangers ' first - round pick in the 1999 draft in exchange for Bure . However , Rangers general manager Neil Smith refused to include Malhotra and the deal never materialized . The following season , he struggled to earn a regular spot on the Rangers ' roster and was often a healthy scratch . Rangers head coach John Muckler publicly declared before the beginning of the Malhotra ' s second NHL campaign that he would be nothing more than a career third - liner . Malhotra ' s potential was often at the centre of an ongoing dispute between Muckler and Smith . Malhotra suffered an ankle injury in November that sidelined him for four games . Upon his recovery , his play was judged by team management to have suffered and he began to be benched . Meanwhile , the Canadian national junior team wanted the Rangers to loan him to them for the 2000 World Junior Championships . On December 12 , 1999 , general manager Neil Smith obliged and assigned Malhotra for the international tournament . He was then sent for a two - week conditioning assignment with the Rangers ' American Hockey League ( AHL ) affiliate , the Hartford Wolf Pack . On March 14 , 2000 , he was sent back down to the OHL on March 14 , 2000 , in order to retain his eligibility for later AHL assignment in the season . Malhotra had dressed for only four games in the two months between his return from the World Junior Championships in early - January and his junior re - assignment . He was pointless in the 27 games total he played with the Rangers that season . Returning to Guelph , he played in five regular season and six playoff games . Upon his junior club ' s first - round playoff elimination , he was re - assigned to the Wolf Pack where he recorded a goal and six points over 12 games to finish the regular season . He then added three points in 23 post - season contests , helping the Wolf Pack to the franchise ' s first Calder Cup championship . Malhotra returned to the Wolf Pack the following season after failing to make the Rangers ' roster out of training camp . With New York deep at the centre position , his AHL assignment was predicated on him learning to play wing . He received numerous call - ups to New York and finished the 2000 – 01 campaign with 11 points over 28 games in the AHL and 12 points over 50 games in the NHL . The season also marked a management change as Glen Sather took over as general manager , marking the departure of Smith , who had drafted Malhotra and regarded him as untradeable during his tenure . Fifty - six games into his 2001 – 02 season with the Rangers , Sather dealt Malhotra to the Dallas Stars at the trade deadline , along with winger Barrett Heisten , in exchange for forwards Martin Rucinsky and Roman Lyashenko . Although he had established himself as an effective forechecker and defensive forward , Malhotra did not materialize into the offensive player the Rangers hoped he would be . Post - New York . Malhotra welcomed the trade to Dallas as an opportunity for more playing time , as he was sparsely used with the Rangers . However , he saw limited success with the Stars . Following his trade , he recorded one point , a goal , in 16 games to finish the 2001 – 02 season . He was re - signed by Dallas to a two - year contract on June 27 , 2002 . In 2002 – 03 , he recorded 10 points over 59 games . He appeared in his first Stanley Cup playoffs as the Stars qualified for the 2003 post - season as the top seed in the Western Conference . They were eliminated in the second round by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim . After going pointless in nine games early the following season , the Stars waived Malhotra on November 19 , 2003 . Two days later , he was picked up by the Columbus Blue Jackets . Malhotra improved with the Blue Jackets , notching 12 goals and 25 points over 56 games following the trade . He missed the final six games of the regular season with a bruised ankle . His ice time rose from an average of nine minutes a game with Dallas the previous season to 14 minutes in Columbus . Due to the NHL lockout , Malhotra spent the 2004 – 05 season overseas in Europe . He initially signed with HDD Olimpija Ljubljana of Slovenia on October 8 , 2004 , and recorded 27 points over 26 games ( including both Slovenian league and inter - league play ) . On December 12 , he signed with HV71 Jönköping of the Swedish Elite League . He notched seven points in 20 games with the club . Returning to Columbus as NHL resumed play the following season , Malhotra spent 2005 – 06 centering Columbus ' third line . Despite missing 24 games due to injury with back spasms in November and a shoulder injury in January , he improved his points total for the second straight NHL season with 10 goals and 21 assists . The Blue Jackets re - signed him in the off - season to a three - year contract on June 20 , 2006 . In the first year of his new contract , he tallied nine goals and 25 points over a full 82 - game season . Malhotra missed 11 games with a recurring knee injury in December 2007 . Late in the 2007 – 08 season , on March 17 , 2008 , he recorded a career - high three points in one game ( two goals and an assist ) in a 4 – 3 win against the Detroit Red Wings . He finished the campaign with 11 goals and 29 points . Early in the 2008 – 09 season , Malhotra missed five games with a lower - body injury . He recorded a career - high 24 assists and 35 points over 77 games during the campaign . As Columbus was plagued with numerous injuries over the course of the season , Malhotra was used on various lines while also in a shutdown role , playing against top opposing forwards . His contract was not renewed by the Blue Jackets in the 2009 off - season and he became an unrestricted free agent . After failing to sign with an NHL team , Malhotra accepted an invitation to the San Jose Sharks ' training camp on September 17 , 2009 . Five days later , he signed a one - year , $ 700 , 000 deal with the team . He went on to recorded a career - high 14 goals and plus - 17 rating , along with 19 assists for 33 points , in his only season with the Sharks . He centred the team ' s third line and earned time playing wing on the powerplay . The Sharks did not re - sign him , however , and he became an unrestricted free agent for the second consecutive summer on July 1 , 2010 . Looking back on his time in San Jose , Malhotra called it the " most enjoyable season [ he ' s ] had as a pro , " being able to play for a winning team and have a long playoff run for the first time in his NHL career . Vancouver Canucks . On his first day of free agency on July 1 , 2010 , Malhotra signed a three - year , $ 7 . 5 million deal with the Vancouver Canucks that included a no - trade clause . Malhotra was named an alternate captain during away games for the Canucks before the season began . He scored his first goal as a Canuck on October 17 , during a 5 – 1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes . Malhotra settled into to the Canucks ' lineup as the team ' s third - line centre , often playing with wingers Raffi Torres and Jannik Hansen , while playing significant time on the penalty kill and matching up against opposing team ' s best forwads . His success as a defensive specialist earned him early consideration for the Selke Trophy as the league ' s best two - way forward . On the NHL ' s website , he was chosen as the front - runner for the award at the mid - way point of the campaign . He was also credited with allowing the team to use Ryan Kesler in a more offensive role ( Kesler was the team ' s previous shutdown centre ) ; as a result , the second - line centre recorded career - highs in goals and points . Near the end of the season , Malhotra was struck in the eye by a puck during a game against the Colorado Avalanche on March 16 , 2011 . He immediately left the ice and underwent eye surgery the following day . It was announced on March 21 , 2011 that Malhotra would not be returning to the lineup for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs , without further comment on Malhotra ' s condition . Eight days later , he underwent a second successful surgery on his eye . Limited to 72 games , Malhotra recorded his third consecutive 30 - point season with 11 goals and 19 assists , while playing on the Canucks ' third line with Raffi Torres and Jannik Hansen . His 61 . 7 % faceoff percentage ranked second in the league behind David Steckel . Malhotra made an appearance during a pre - game ceremony at Rogers Arena , co - accepting the Presidents ' Trophy with captain Henrik Sedin on behalf of the Canucks team for recording the best regular season record for the 2010 – 11 season . Despite original statements from the team that he would not return for the playoffs , Malhotra began working his way up from light practices with the team in May 2011 . By the end of the month , he was cleared by doctors to play in the Stanley Cup Finals . Though he remained out of the lineup for Game 1 , he returned for the following contest and played the rest of the series as the team ' s fourth - line centre ( late - season acquisition Maxim Lapierre filled in for Malhotra on the third line ) . Playing against the Boston Bruins , the Finals went to a seventh game , which the Canucks lost . Malhotra ' s regular season performance earned him six first - place votes out of 125 for the Selke Trophy . He ranked fifth in balloting , as teammate Ryan Kesler won the distinction at the year - end Awards Ceremony . International career . In the summer of 1997 , Malhotra captained Canada ' s under - 18 team to a championship at the 3 Nations Cup in the Czech Republic . Canada finished as tournament champions , going undefeated over six games against the Czech Republic and Slovakia in the three - country competition . The following year , Malhotra was named to the Canadian national under - 20 team for the 1998 World Junior Championships , held in Finland . He was the second - youngest player on the team , behind Vincent Lecavalier . Malhotra was pointless in seven games as Canada was defeated in the quarterfinal by Russia 2 – 1 . The following year , he was not available for the tournament as he was playing in the NHL with the Rangers . In 2000 , however , he was loaned to Team Canada by the Rangers ' organization , as he was still eligible as a junior . Serving as team captain , he notched two assists over seven games in the tournament , held in Sweden . Canada earned the bronze medal , defeating the United States 4 – 3 in a shootout . Malhotra debuted with Canada ' s men ' s team at the 2002 World Championships in Sweden . He recorded no points in seven games as Canada was eliminated in the quarterfinal by Slovakia . Personal life . Malhotra was born and raised in Mississauga , Ontario , and graduated from John Fraser Secondary School . He started playing organized hockey at the age of seven . His father , Shadi , is a research chemist for Xerox . His mother , Lise , is a French Canadian and was a stay - at - home mom . Malhotra has three siblings , two brothers and a sister . Due to his mother ' s French background , he spoke both French and English at home . Malhotra ' s parents both hold doctorate degrees from the Université Laval in Quebec City – his father ' s in polymer chemistry and his mother ' s in biochemistry – and prioritized education for Malhotra . During his junior career , Malhotra was awarded the Bobby Smith Trophy as the OHL ' s scholastic player of the year in 1998 . He has referred to it as the award he is most proud of in his hockey career . . In his initial years with the Rangers , the organization arranged for him to live with former player Doug Sulliman and his family . In September 2007 , Malhotra married Joann Nash , sister of National Basketball Association ( NBA ) star Steve Nash and former Vancouver Whitecaps FC midfielder Martin Nash . Malhotra and Joann had their first child in the summer of 2008 , a boy named Caleb .