Emmanuel Noveen "Manny" Malhotra (born May 18, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who is currently an assistant coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is a former assistant coach of the Vancouver Canucks. He last played with the Lake Erie Monsters in the American Hockey League (AHL) on a try-out basis. During his 18-year career, he played as a centre for the Montreal Canadiens, Carolina Hurricanes, Vancouver Canucks, San Jose Sharks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars and the New York Rangers. Malhotra was known as a two-way forward and for his faceoff proficiency, in which he won over 56% of faceoffs he took in the NHL.
Malhotra held the distinction of being the last active player to have been a teammate of Wayne Gretzky.
Playing career
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, where 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 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 team captain at the 2000 World Junior Championships, Malhotra led Canada to a bronze medal.
Guelph Storm
Malhotra played in the 1994 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Mississauga Reps minor ice hockey team. After his time in the Metro Toronto Hockey League (MTHL), Malhotra was selected in the first 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 semi-finals 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, Al Coates, had previously drafted him into the OHL as general manager of the Storm.