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Ajay Baines

By Pete Michaud
He is small by pro hockey standards. He was undrafted coming out of Juniors. He is of East Indian descent. He is a diabetic. Those descriptions rarely fit the profile of a typical AHL player, much less an NHL prospect. Those features, however, all describe the Norfolk Admirals' most unheralded player this season, Ajay Baines.

After making the club as an unsigned free agent a season ago, the dependable centerman now finds himself lauded as a team MVP candidate. Ajay Baines is making a career out of beating the odds.

A 3rd-year pro from Kamloops, British Columbia, Ajay Baines is quietly having another solid season in Norfolk's blue and gold. He's tallied nearly 40 goals and 80 points over the past two seasons while toiling in the shadows of "name" prospects.

"He works hard," says Admirals team captain Nolan Baumgartner. "He's smart. He gets the most out of his talent. He's the ultimate team guy."

It's no coincidence Baines' game was peaking just as the Admirals went on a recent winning streak that carried them back to the top of the Southern Division. "But my goal is to do more for the club in the playoffs," says Baines, who was recently named the #1 Star for three games in a row.

Baines began his pro career in 1999. A year later, he found himself in camp with Norfolk, winning a rare free agent roster spot.

"He's the kind of guy who just needed a chance someplace," explains Norfolk head coach Trent Yawney.

Could Baines once again buck the odds if given the chance at the next level? "I'm not thinking about the NHL," confides Baines. "I'm just trying to get better, and I think I've been able to make some progress, thanks to Trent."

A stall in an NHL locker room might seem a longshot for Baines, but there are those who were surprised when Baines, undrafted after his days with the Kamloops Blazers (WHL), became a star in the ECHL. Even more were surprised when he made an AHL roster. Even more were surprised when he finished second on the Norfolk roster in goals last season.

Unlike many of his counterparts, Baines didn't grow up at the end of a long line of Canadian hockey lovers. His parents originally came from India, moving to Vancouver before Ajay's birth.

"Soccer was the sport in my family. My grandfather was a member of India's national team," recalls Baines, who helped his team win the British Columbia provincial soccer title when he was 16. "Soccer is my first love, but I gave it up to focus on hockey. Besides, it's so easy to get hurt in soccer."

Those are interesting words from a player who won't hesitate to slide in front of a 90-mile-per-hour slapshot. "He's fearless," says former N.Y. Rangers defenseman and current Norfolk blueliner Rumun Ndur. "That makes him one of the best shot blockers I've ever seen."

Blocking shots is only part of what Baines' a complete player. Among the club's forwards, he is perhaps the team's finest defender and penalty killer, a solid face-off man and an above-average skater and passer.

"He may not be great at any one facet of the game, but he's good at almost every thing, and he plays an extremely smart game" explains Blackhawks' scout Al MacIsaac. "That's why he rates so consistently high almost every time I see him."

Despite his success, Baines is anything but the norm. A quick glance along the Admirals' bench before a game confirms that. Sticks, pucks and water bottles sit alongside Oreo cookies and candy bars. The latter are for Baines, who is a diabetic.

"Handling a pro athlete who's also a diabetic is something new for me," notes Norfolk trainer Stu Bender. "Ajay takes great care of himself, but his teammates also sometimes come to the rescue." Baines' teammates occasionally push a Coke or a cookie his way when they sense his blood sugar is low.

They also won't hesitate to employ their own unique sense of humor at Baines' expense. When Baines has trouble with a routine drill during practice, many of his teammates yell "Get him a Coke. Get him a Snickers bar!"

"I don't mind the jokes," Baines explains. "It tells me the guys don't think of a my diabetes as anything unusual." While Baines doesn't make a point to talk about his diabetes, he won't hesitate to discuss it if it might help a youngster realize that such things should be seen as mere detours, not roadblocks, en route to fulfilling one's dreams. Baines hopes his example might serve as an inspiration to an ill youngster. His charitable work earned him the Admirals' "Man of the Year" award last season.

Ajay Baines doesn't have an overpowering shot. He's not the biggest, or the strongest, or the fastest. Somehow, however, he keeps hanging in there with the guys that are, and beating them more times than not. The odds are against Ajay Baines ever playing in the National Hockey League. Then again, the odds were also against him even getting where he is today. Ajay Baines is the perfect longshot, and one the opponents of the Norfolk Admirals are learning not to bet against.