Gurkirpal Bains attended Vancouver Canucks main camp this year, to catch up with Surrey hockey sensation Prab Rai to find out what makes him tick.

Gurkirpal Bains: I met your parents upstairs; they seem like nice people...
Prab Rai: Yeah my family, they support me, they always come out... my little cousins always come out... they are big Canucks fans... actually my Aunt is a huge Canucks fan (laughs)

GB:  How has it been? Its not a typical Indian thing to be... a hockey player
PR: Yeah, no, when I started playing hockey, I was always the only brown kid... I just kind of  fell into it. My parents let me play everything.  I played soccer, basketball, baseball. I played everything but at one point, it just became too much... going from one sport to another.  Dad kind of said, you know, you have to make a choice either you play baseball/soccer... and actually I’d even play hockey in the spring and stuff because I enjoyed it... and I just went from there.  As I got older, it was just like oh you might have a future with the WHL draft... got into the WHL... then the NHL draft came around... just took it day by day really. Even now coming to practice... my parents, I remember my Mom had to wake me up for early morning practices, take me before school... they always did it, they never let me miss one. You know what, my Dad, he would work all night and he would come home and take us to practices. You know he was dead tired and you could tell but he would never let us miss practice. Even if he was tired he would do whatever it took. I saw that when I was younger and it helped me push myself to make something out of hockey. Obviously I really appreciate that now, and its nice to see my parents come out on their own time, and they don’t have to worry about taking me.

GB: At what point did you decide you were going to go pro with this?
PR: I had to make a decision to play baseball or hockey in the spring time... and actually I was a good baseball player too. The problem with me was, I didn’t like standing around too much, I always wanted to be on ice or running around. When I was little I was always just wired, wanting to play sports... I found with hockey, I could just do it, I could skate around, I could go chase the puck and do whatever. With baseball it wasn’t the same thing... you have wait for the pitches, and I would play outfielder because I was a fast runner... So I started play hockey more often with the elite teams, the spring teams, and rep hockey... stuff like that. Then when I played in the WHL, I’m like ok I can make a living out of this. When I made the under 17’s Team Canada, that’s when I decided I have an opportunity to do something with it... that’s when I started taking everything seriously.

GB: How was the conversation with your parents when you told them you were going to play hockey for a living... was it a conversation that you had to have or was it more of an understanding?
PR: I had to make a decision to play in the WHL or play junior hockey at home... and obviously moving away from home, in the East Indian community it’s rare especially at a young age.  It’s hard on the parents too... especially me being the first kid in my family to move away from home.  The first time I moved away from home I was 13 years old, and I’ve been away from home every year since.  It was a decision I had to make, I could have been a junior at home but I knew the WHL was a better level and I would gain a lot of experience living away from home. I learned to take care of myself... you have to make sure to stay out of trouble... with school, take care of all of that.  That’s when I sat down with my parents... my parents were like if your going to do this, you have to make sure you do it properly and they were there the whole time. They helped me if I made mistakes and obviously just supported me.

GB: Who was your favorite player growing up?
PR: Pavel Bure

GB: Your favorite team?
PR: The Canucks

GB: Are you saying that because they are the team that drafted you?
PR: (laughs) No, just cause Pavel Bure played for the Canucks

GB: Any player, past or present, that you’d like to meet?
PR: Pavel Bure... I just wonder what he thinks... if he could play longer... and I’d love to see if he played longer, how much of an impact he would have. I’d like to meet [Alexander] Ovechkin, just because he seems like he loves to play and loves life.

GB: Today you were on the ice with Pavol Demitra and Mathieu Schneider... Schneider is more then double your age... have they given you any advice? Have any of players for that matter?
PR: You know what... everyone is super nice. When you walk into the rink, everyone says hello... they get to know you, stuff like that.  If you have questions, they are open to answering them. They act like your part of the team, like your one of the boys, which is really nice, and it makes you feel more comfortable. As a young guy, you have a lot of nerves playing against those guys, so it’s nice to see, when you walk in you feel welcome.

GB: Any pre-game superstitions?
PR: No actually, (laughs) I’m not superstitions at all... I just sit there and kind of relax... watch some TV before the game... I just go with the flow. I don’t like to have superstitions just because what if something goes wrong... I don’t think it has anything to do with your game play.

GB:  You said it yourself, not a lot of Indo-Canadians play at this level... How has the community been?
PR: I watched one of my cousins play hockey, and there’s a lot of people playing now... I think its good, you know... it’s a good way to keep yourself out of trouble. Its not just a sport... it’s a lifestyle... you have to take care of your body, it helps you mature, your education... it’s a great way to live.

Prab will be returning to his junior club, the Seattle Thunderbirds, for the upcoming season. You will be able to catch him in action, as Seattle will visit both Vancouver and Chilliwack numerous times over the course of the season.