Robin Bawa

Robin Bawa
Born	(1966-03-26) March 26, 1966 (age 58) Duncan, British Columbia, Canada
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	214 lb (97 kg; 15 st 4 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shot	Right
Played for	Washington Capitals Vancouver Canucks San Jose Sharks Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
NHL draft	Undrafted
Playing career	1987–1999

Robin N. Bawa (born March 26, 1966) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who spent parts of four seasons in the National Hockey League between 1989 and 1994.

Playing career

Bawa spent five productive seasons of junior hockey in the WHL with the Kamloops Blazers, but was passed over in the NHL Entry Draft. Finally, after a 57-goal performance in the 1986–87 season, Bawa earned a pro contract from the Washington Capitals.

Bawa turned pro the following season, spending the year in the IHL with the Fort Wayne Komets. While Bawa had been primarily a skill player in junior, he began to fight more often in pro hockey and developed into an enforcer. ^[1] He averaged over 200 penalty minutes in his first three years in Washington's system, finally earning a five-game callup to the Capitals in 1989–90, during which he scored his first NHL goal, against Alain Chevrier and the Chicago Blackhawks.

Bawa played one more season in the Capitals' system, posting 381 penalty minutes in Fort Wayne but not seeing any more NHL action, before being dealt to the Vancouver Canucks in 1991. He played two games for the Canucks in 1991–92, and set a career high with 27 goals in the IHL. He also dressed up for one game in the 1992 Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Canucks, his only playoff appearance in the NHL.

Early in the 1992–93 season, Bawa was dealt to the San Jose Sharks, where he had his most prolonged NHL stint. He spent most of the rest of the season in the NHL, scoring 5 goals in 42 games and posting 47 penalty minutes.

Bawa was exposed in the 1993 NHL Expansion Draft and claimed by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. He played 12 more NHL games in 1993–94, registering his only career assist.

Following his release from the Ducks, Bawa continued to toil in the IHL for five more seasons, three of those back in Fort Wayne, before a concussion ended his career near the end of the 1998–99 season. He finished his IHL career with 147 goals and 175 assists in 565 career games along with 1,869 penalty minutes.^{[ citation needed ]}

Bawa is the first person of Indian descent to play in the NHL, ^[2] where he achieved six goals and one assist in 61 games, while collecting 60 penalty minutes.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1982–83	Kamloops Junior Oilers	WHL		66	10	24	34	17		7	1	2	3	0
1983–84	Kamloops Junior Oilers	WHL		64	16	28	44	40		13	4	2	6	4
1984–85	New Westminster Bruins	WHL		26	4	6	10	20		—	—	—	—	—
1984–85	Kamloops Blazers	WHL		26	2	13	15	25		15	4	9	13	14
1985–86	Kamloops Blazers	WHL		63	29	43	72	78		16	5	13	18	4
1986–87	Kamloops Blazers	WHL		62	57	56	113	91		13	6	7	13	22
1987–88	Fort Wayne Komets	IHL		55	12	27	39	239		6	1	3	4	24
1988–89	Baltimore Skipjacks	AHL		75	23	24	47	205		—	—	—	—	—
1989–90	Washington Capitals	NHL		5	1	0	1	6		—	—	—	—	—
1989–90	Baltimore Skipjacks	AHL		61	7	18	25	189		11	1	2	3	49
1990–91	Fort Wayne Komets	IHL		72	21	26	47	381		18	4	4	8	87
1991–92	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		2	0	0	0	0		1	0	0	0	0
1991–92	Milwaukee Admirals	IHL		70	27	14	41	238		5	2	2	4	8
1992–93	San Jose Sharks	NHL		42	5	0	5	47		—	—	—	—	—
1992–93	Hamilton Canucks	AHL		23	3	4	7	58		—	—	—	—	—
1992–93	Kansas City Blades	IHL		5	2	0	2	20		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	NHL		12	0	1	1	7		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	San Diego Gulls	IHL		25	6	15	21	54		6	0	0	0	52
1994–95	Kalamazoo Wings	IHL		71	22	12	34	184		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	Milwaukee Admirals	IHL		4	1	1	2	19		15	1	5	6	48
1995–96	San Francisco Spiders	IHL		77	23	25	48	234		4	0	2	2	4
1996–97	Fort Wayne Komets	IHL		54	10	23	33	181		—	—	—	—	—
1997–98	Fort Wayne Komets	IHL		58	12	15	27	125		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Fort Wayne Komets	IHL		74	11	17	28	194		—	—	—	—	—
IHL totals				565	147	175	322	1869		54	8	16	24	223
AHL totals				159	33	46	79	452		11	1	2	3	49
NHL totals				61	6	1	7	60		1	0	0	0	0

Awards and achievements

• WHL West First All-Star Team (1986–87)
• BC Sports Hall of Fame (2020)

See also

• List of Indian NHL players

References

1. "Robin Bawa: From the Pond to the Big League – 2020 Inductee Spotlight". BC Sports Hall of Fame . 2020-02-29.
2. "Q&A: Robin Bawa on the journey that made him the first South Asian NHLer". Sportsnet . 2021-06-01.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database
• Article profiling hockey players of South Asian origin including Robin Bawa - By Neil Acharya