Saturday night was special for Arshdeep Bains, who scored his first NHL goal for Vancouver Canucks on home ice.
Rogers Arena was rocking after the Surrey-raised Bains pounded home a rebound midway through the second period of a 4-3 win over the Sidney Crosby-led Pittsburgh Penguins.
Bains, 23, earned first-star accolades for what turned out to be a game-winning goal for the Canucks.
In a post-game interview, Bains said the Sedin twins told him they had a feeling he'd score his first regular-season goal that night.
"I've been hearing that from a couple guys, and they're all pretty happy for me," he told reporters. "It almost felt like it was meant to be."
Bains later gave the special puck and goal-scoring stick to his parents.
With the Canucks leading 3-2, Daniel Sprong fired a shot that rebounded off a pad of Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic. Bains skated hard to net and shot the puck in for his first NHL goal, which followed a pair of preseason tallies for the 23-year-old rookie.
Fans and observers were quick to congratulate Bains on social media, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
"A hometown hero in the making," Trudeau subtweeted on X. "Congrats on your first NHL goal, Arshdeep!"
Heading into action Monday (Oct. 28) in another home game against Carolina Hurricanes, Bains has one goal in 12 games with the Canucks. He signed with Vancouver as a free agent in March 2022.
Bains' goal was his biggest yet in a hockey career where he has battled hard to become a Canucks regular, after his high-scoring junior days with Red Deer Rebels.
Just the fourth player with Punjabi roots to skate in the NHL, Bains made his NHL debut in Denver last February, played again in Seattle two nights later, then helped the Canucks to a comeback 3-2 win over rival Boston Bruins in Vancouver, in his first game at Rogers Arena.
On Saturday night, the Canucks-Penguins game was called in Punjabi as part of Hockey Night in Canada coverage — a special moment for Bains and his many Indo-Canadian fans.
