CLEVELAND, Ohio - Lake Erie Monsters center Manny Malhotra's bio reads like none other in hockey history, as the second NHL player of Indian descent, the son of two Ph.D.'s and the brother-in-law of Steve Nash (NBA) and Martin Nash (MISL).

But something else sets him apart in Cleveland.

When he arrived early Thursday morning after an all-night flight from Vancouver, he immediately became the second-most experienced professional athlete in Cleveland.

Malhotra played 15 seasons and 991 regular-season games in the NHL.

Only Richard Jefferson of the Cavaliers has played that many seasons among current Cleveland pros, and only Jefferson has played in more regular-season games (1,026 in the NBA). See the chart below for the list of the most experienced players on the Browns, Cavs, Indians and Monsters.

Just when it was beginning to appear his career was over, Malhotra signed a 25-game professional tryout contract with the Monsters, who are the top minor-league affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Monsters added him because they were running short on personnel and coach Jared Bednar wanted a veteran with character to help his many talented younger players. Malhotra is hoping to prove to any willing NHL team he still can play. He has 116 career goals and 295 points. He led the league in faceoff percentage in 2011.

Until his Lake Erie debut in a loss Thursday, Malhotra, 35, hadn't played since last spring with the Montreal Canadiens. He spent six months waiting for the phone to ring while skating with a college team near his home in Vancouver. He recently called Blue Jackets President John Davidson, who consulted with Monsters General Manager Bill Zito, and Malhotra signed Wednesday.

Malhotra called it a "win-win for both sides.''

"I can bring some veteran play into the room and try to help out the young guys, and it's also an opportunity to showcase myself and still prove I can play,'' he said.

Malhotra said the waiting was difficult.

"It had been a very quiet summer,'' he said. "It has been a real mental battle. Waiting for opportunities, waiting for calls, making my own calls - it does weigh heavily on you.''

Bednar believes strongly the right veteran players are crucial to developing young talent and welcomed Malhotra.

"It's going to be real good for our group,'' Bednar said. "He's played in almost 1,000 NHL games. He's been through all the situations. That's invaluable to our younger kids, especially our centermen. He's another extension of our coaching staff.''

The New York Rangers' first-round pick (seventh overall, 1998) never quite lived up to the early hype, but Malhotra has had a solid career as a two-way player. His career didn't get traction until he was released by Dallas and signed in 2003 by Columbus, where he averaged 29 points in five seasons.

That led to a one-year, $700,000 contract with San Jose in 2009, and a three-year, $7.5 million deal with Vancouver in 2010.

But while enjoying his best season in March 2011, he was was hit in the left eye by a puck. Two surgeries quickly followed and the injury reportedly cost him much of his vision in the eye. He missed the remainder of Vancouver's run to the Stanley Cup Finals and played in 2011-12, but in a limited role. Early in his third season with Vancouver, the Canucks placed him on injured reserve, saying it wasn't safe for him to play in the NHL.

Asked the level of his vision Thursday after his Monsters debut, Malhotra replied, "Good enough.''

Carolina signed him to a tryout contract with its AHL affiliate in Charlotte in 2013. He was promoted and played 69 games with the NHL Hurricanes, who made him an alternate captain. The Canadiens had him last year and he played 58 games, but they chose not to re-sign him.

Malhotra said he constantly has fallen back on his love of the game to keep his career going. Raised near Toronto in a family that emphasized education first, hockey never felt like work for him.

His parents, Shadi and Lise, both have their doctorates in chemistry. Shadi Malhotra earned more than 100 patents as a research chemist with Xerox and is retired. Shadi Malhotra was born and raised in Punjab, India, making Manny the second NHL player of Indian descent after Robin Bawa in 1987. Lise was a stay-at-home mom, and a big hockey fan.

"As a kid, I was allowed to fall in love with the game,'' Malhotra said. "It never was something my parents forced me to do. It wasn't something we talked about in the house all the time. It was purely the enjoyment of going to the rink and having fun with my buddies.

"That passion and desire has fueled me along the way. I'm trying to get back to where everybody wants to be.''

Malhotra's wife, Joann (Nash) is the sister of former NBA All-Star Steve Nash and Vancouver Whitecaps FC midfielder Martin Nash.

"(Steve and Martin) are very similar to my parents, in that they don't overly care about sports,'' Malhotra said. "They care more about us as people.''

Most experienced Cleveland professional athletes*

Cleveland Cavaliers

Richard Jefferson 15 seasons, 1,026 games (NBA)

LeBron James, 13 seasons, 928 games (NBA)

Lake Erie Monsters

Manny Malhotra, 16 seasons, 991 games (NHL)

Cleveland Indians

Carlos Santana 6 seasons, 804 games (MLB)

Cleveland Browns

Andy Lee, 12 seasons, 187 games (NFL)

Randy Starks, 12 seasons 181 games (NFL)

Karlos Dansby 12 seasons, 175 games (NFL)

* - Regular-season games in NBA, NHL, MLB, NFL through Dec. 4, 2015.