What Canucks' Malhotra said about being the first South Asian head coach in NHL history
Manny Malhotra was destined to become an NHL head coach.
Back in 2020, his former Vancouver Canucks teammate, Dan Hamhuis, shared that Malhotra would act like a coach during practices.
Malhotra then found himself behind an NHL bench (ironically, with the Canucks), shortly after retiring in 2015. At the time, he became the first coach of South Asian descent in NHL history.
Unsurprisingly, he became the first South Asian head coach in NHL history after being promoted by the Canucks on Monday.
“When I think about it, I understand the implications and how special it is,” Malhotra said during his introductory press conference on Thursday.
“My first thought and my foremost thought is that I just want to be the best coach that I can be…not the best coach of South Asian descent. That continues to be my mindset.”
Malhotra has been a trailblazer in hockey after becoming just the second NHLer of South Asian descent back in 1998. Since then, the South Asian community has been more prominent in the hockey world, highlighted by players like Arshdeep Bains and Jujhar Khaira.
After Malhotra was hired by the Abbotsford Canucks in 2024, he brought Harry Mahesh onto his coaching staff, doubling the number of South Asian coaches in the AHL. Harry’s brother, Gary Mahesh, is also a coach for the PIJHL’s Langley Trappers.
Widening the scope, there’s also Sunny Mehta, who was recently named general manager of the New Jersey Devils. Mehta’s parents immigrated from India before he was born in the New Jersey area. And locally, Chanreet Bassi became the first South Asian player to be drafted into the PWHL when she was selected by the Vancouver Goldeneyes last December.
“When I step back and look at the big picture, and you put it into context, I see the importance, and I understand the importance of that for the South Asian community,” Malhotra said. It is a big deal.”
“I’ve had incredible support from them out in Abbotsford. Constantly, people say how proud they were to see somebody of my background getting to the heights that I was at.”
Malhotra’s father, Shadi, was born in Lahore in 1940, before the partition that split India and Pakistan. Shadi eventually immigrated to North America and worked at Laval University, where he met Malhotra’s mother, Lise. The couple eventually moved to Mississauga, where Manny was born.
At birth, he was given the Hindu name Noveen, which roughly translates to young, fresh, rejuvenated.
While the Canucks hope he can help rejuvenate the floundering franchise, it’s clear that Malhotra has already crafted a lasting legacy for South Asians working in hockey.
“I realize how special it is for the community, and I will try to uphold and have a certain standard to the way I conduct myself,” Malhotra told Hockey Night in Punjabi’s Randip Janda. “One that would make them proud.”