Manny Malhotra back in Vancouver Canucks line-up and receives a warm welcome from team and fans
Manny Malhotra, Vancouver Canucks’ key defenseman, finally returned in the teams’ line-up to play against Boston Bruins in Game 2 of the 2011 National Hockey League (NHL) Stanley Cup Finals after days of rumours and speculations about his return.
Malhotra returned after a severe eye injury due to which he was sent out of play during the regular season as an airborne puck struck him in the left eye, requiring him to undergo a surgery.
There were also chances of him becoming permanently blind which could have been the side-effects but luckily this was not the case.
The 31-year-old from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, was drafted in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft as the seventh overall in the first round. He finished off the season, playing 72 games in which he registered 11 goals and 19 assists for a total of 30 points.
Malhotra, better known as a faceoff expert, is a valuable defenseman for Canucks in killing its penalties which gives an added man advantage to the opposition.
His abilities have led Canucks to become the best team with regard to penalty kills and taking advantage of power-play opportunities.
His return was not only exciting for the Vancouver crowd but for himself as well.
"For me it will obviously be a very touching moment", Malhotra said before Game 2 as his status was still undecided. "It's obviously an incredible position to be in. Everybody on the ice tonight has dreamed about this at some point or another in their careers
or growing up. I realize the significance of the moment".
Manny wore a full shield mask and received a warm welcome from fans, in and out of the arena, before and after the second game of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Slogans of “Manny, Manny” could be heard throughout the game as he played his first playoff game this postseason.
His return to the line-up marked Dan Hamhuis’s exit but Manny played only eight minutes in the fourth line of play.
If Malhotra continues to show signs of recovery and playing does not influence that, than Canucks will certainly receive a huge boost from his dominating performance.
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