A Punjabi-language hockey broadcast that connected generations of South Asian Canadians to the NHL has been cancelled after 18 years.<\/p>\n
Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition will not return when the NHL season gets underway this fall, according to an announcement posted Friday by the OMNI TV production.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor 18 years, this show brought our community closer to the game we love,\u201d the production said in its social media statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt shared the stories of South Asian players and families and created a space that was truly unique in Canadian sports. We are incredibly proud of what we built together.\u201d<\/p>\n
The cancellation is likely to be felt particularly strongly in Brampton, home to one of Canada\u2019s largest Sikh and South Asian communities and a city where hockey has become increasingly intertwined with the community\u2019s cultural identity.<\/p>\n
For nearly two decades, the Punjabi edition offered something that traditional English-language hockey broadcasts could not \u2014 NHL coverage, interviews and stories delivered in Punjabi and presented through a distinctly South Asian lens.<\/p>\n
The Saturday-night program featured NHL games and coverage from around the league, while also highlighting the growing presence of South Asian players, families and fans in Canadian hockey.<\/p>\n
The show was historically produced and anchored from a Vancouver studio, but its audience stretched across the country, including the large Punjabi-speaking population in the Greater Toronto Area.<\/p>\n
Last season, Randip Janda hosted the broadcast, with Gurp Sian providing colour commentary. Harpreet Pandher served as an analyst, while Mantar Bhandal handled play-by-play and analysis. Taqdeer Thindal also provided analysis and colour commentary, while Avjot Sodhi worked as a feature commentator and producer.<\/p>\n
The decision to end the broadcast was attributed to audience levels.<\/p>\n
A Sportsnet spokesperson told The Canadian Press that the decision to end the Punjabi-language NHL broadcasts was made because \u201caudience levels aren\u2019t strong enough to sustain the production long-term.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know these broadcasts have meant a lot to many Punjabi-speaking hockey fans,\u201d the spokesperson said, adding that the company was grateful to the on-air team, production staff and viewers who supported the show over the years.<\/p>\n
For viewers, however, the program represented more than simply another way to watch an NHL game.<\/p>\n
Its arrival nearly two decades ago gave Punjabi-speaking hockey fans an opportunity to hear the sport discussed in their own language while seeing South Asian players, families and hockey communities reflected in the coverage.<\/p>\n
The cancellation comes during a period of significant change for Canadian hockey broadcasting.<\/p>\n
In June, it was announced that Hockey Night in Canada would no longer air on CBC this fall after the expiration of a sub-licensing agreement between the public broadcaster and Rogers Communications, which owns the NHL\u2019s Canadian broadcast rights.<\/p>\n
The Punjabi edition\u2019s final season now also marks the end of an 18-year chapter for a broadcast that helped bring hockey to a new generation of Punjabi-speaking Canadians.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo our viewers: THANK YOU!\u201d the show\u2019s social media statement said. \u201cYour love, support, and unwavering loyalty meant everything to us.\u201d<\/p>\n
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