Manny Malhotra2

One of the youngest players ever drafted into the league, Malhotra is also the only Indian player ever to strap on skates in the NHL. Manny’s NHL career has a lot of folks from the Indian sub-continent watching a sport they’d never thought much about before. "For many Indians, Malhotra is more than just a player with a lot of hockey potential – he is a symbol," The Sporting News wrote during his rookie season. "His presence in the league shatters stereo-types of Indians as.. only interested in becoming doctors and engineers."

Manny doesn’t play that angle up too much – "Once you get on the ice, it doesn’t matter what colour you are, its how you play," he says – but, he admits, "It is pretty exciting for me to be that link for people who never would have watched the game before. That’s a good feeling, opening the minds of people to try things and do things they normally would not."

Now living with former Ranger Doug Sulliman in Westchester County, where he is a surrogate big brother to the Sulliman’s four daughters, Malhotra still exhibits a small-town boy’s awe when he talks about New York City. ‘There is so much to do in New York, you never get bored. I love to walk around Times Square and people-watch." He also hangs out in the Fashion District, but confesses to still getting lost "when I get down in that Macy’s and 33^rd Street area."

If you are looking to spot Manny on the streets of New York, check out the music shops that offer hot hip-hop, rap and R&B CD mixes. Among his favourites: Dr. Dre, Funkmaster Flex, Mos Def, and Jurassic 5. (Here’s a secret: he kinda doesn’t mind Beethoven, Mozart, and the Three Tenors, either.) You might also find him in movie theatres, where he is a sucker for "kung fu flicks – the old ones off the street with the bad dubbing and the Shao Lin monks."

After chatting with New York Rangers centre Manny Malhotra, I only wish I had a 20- year old sister who needed a date. This 6’2", 210-lb, 20-year-old bachelor is hot on the ice.

Ice -Hockey Explained!

Ice hockey is the fastest game on earth.

It is played on a surface of ice called a Rink. The rink is usually 200’ long and 85’ wide. The corners are rounded and the rink is surrounded by a wooden or fibreglass wall or fence known as ‘boards’, which are between 40" and 48" high.
The goal posts and nets are set 11’ from each end of the rink.
It is played with hockey sticks and a puck. The sticks are made of wood and are 60" in length and about 12 ½" from the heel to the end of the blade. The blade is 2" - 3" in width. The goalkeeper’s stick has a slightly wider blade and a wider shaft.
The 'ball' is called a puck. The puck is a flat disc made of vulcanised rubber, is 1" thick , 3" in diameter, and weighs between 5 ½ - 6 ounces. The home team is responsible for providing pucks, which are kept frozen.
The hockey skates worn by players (but not the ones worn by the goalkeepers) are equipped with a safety heel.
All players wear a protective helmet and gloves and the goalkeeper also wears leg-guards
There are six players in a team - a goalkeeper and five skaters.
The goalkeeper is the last line of defence - his job is to prevent the puck from entering his net.
The goalkeeper is the only player who plays the entire game - other players change about once a minute - to maintain the fast pace of the game.
Most hockey games are played in three 20-minute periods separated by two 18-minute intermissions.
If a game ends in a tie after three periods of play, the teams play a 5-minute sudden-death overtime.
If there is unfair play, the referee calls a penalty and the offending player is sent off the ice for 2 minutes. This is also known as Power Play for the team that is not penalized. Nearly 25% of goals are scored during the power play.
The players move around the rink at speeds of 30 miles an hour or more.
The puck reaches speeds of 100 miles per hour or more.
There are collisions between players - killing is not allowed.
The objective of the game in brief is - Get the puck into the opponent's goal - that's it!

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(Referred to NHL Website)