The Vancouver Canucks put an end to the rumours and have officially named Manny Malhotra the organization’s 23rd head coach on Monday night.

Further to Frank Seravalli’s reporting and their letter to season-ticket holders, the Canucks issued a press release to make the announcement official. General manager Ryan Johnson gave a glowing review of the hire in the press release:

“Manny and I have been in the battle together before, so I know firsthand what a good teacher, leader, and quality person he is,” said Johnson. “Connection, consistency and putting in place the proper foundation will be key for our group moving forward. Manny is a great coach who has the right skillset and mentality to help players develop and get better each day. We both believe that pressure is a privilege, and learning to become a good pro takes patience, dedication, and a ‘be better than yesterday’ mindset. He loves the game and getting to know what makes his players tick and I am very confident Manny will help us ice a competitive and hard-working team that our fans will be proud of moving forward.”

Malhotra began his coaching career in the Canucks organization, serving as the Development coach for the 2016-17 season. He was then promoted to assistant coach in Vancouver for the following three seasons before jumping out East to join the Toronto Maple Leafs bench in the same role. Once Jeremy Colliton left for an NHL job with the New Jersey Devils, Johnson, as Abbotsford GM, brought Malhotra back to the Canucks organization as the new head coach.

In his first year in Abbotsford, Malhotra led the Canucks to their best record in franchise history, finishing second place in the Pacific Division with a 44-24-2-2 record. Abbotsford went on to win the Calder Cup after series victories against the Tucson Roadrunners, Coachella Valley Firebirds, Colorado Eagles, Texas Stars, and Charlotte Checkers.

After numerous top contributors from that Calder Cup-winning team graduated to various NHL teams throughout the league, Abbotsford had its worst season, finishing with a 28-37-4-3 record. Despite the fall in the standings, the culture in Abbotsford never wavered under Malhotra. As Johnson said, he and Malhotra have been through the battle together.

Back in his playing days, Malhotra was drafted seventh overall in the 1998 NHL Draft by the New York Rangers. After spending the first 11 years of his NHL career split between the Rangers, Dallas Stars, Columbus Blue Jackets and San Jose Sharks, Malhotra found his way to Vancouver. He played a pivotal third-line defensive centre role for the Canucks, and was on the 2011 team – with now GM Johnson and Co-President of Hockey Operations Daniel and Henrik Sedin – that was within one game of winning the Stanley Cup.

That new regime couldn’t do it as players, but they are hoping to do so now as the bench boss and front office executives.