For many Canadians, "hockey is in our blood, it is part of who we are. For generations every Saturday night we watch 'Hockey Night In Canada'. But not all Canadians speak English or French." says George Stroumboulopoulus of CBC’s The Hour. So last year, during the Stanley Cup Finals 'Hockey Night in Canada decided to broadcast games in Punjabi. Why Punjabi? Stroumboulopoulus states, "Because Punjabi is the 4th most spoken language in Canada. East Indians have lived here for more than a century. They helped settle and build Vancouver, they fought for Canada in both World Wars and they love sports. Of course, cricket is huge in India, but so are field hockey and a game called Kabaddi. So, it makes sense that Canadians of East Indian heritage would be into hockey."

It has been determined that Kelly Ruddie met with CBC and suggested that hockey be broadcast in Punjabi – he knew field hockey is an institution in India and understood this passion parlays in the form of ice and ball hockey. Stroumboulopoulus points out, "when the population of Punjabis in India find out about ice hockey in Punjabi here in Canada, there is no telling where this will lead. Presently, these broadcasts are already transforming how Punjabi families are interacting – they are reconnecting on a level never seen before because of the connection the language presents itself."

This season, 'Hockey Night In Canada' is producing a Punjabi broadcast every Saturday night for 55 NHL regular season games. "The commentators were hand picked from the Punjab community, both have experience in the media and both are huge hockey fans. Parminder Singh does the play by play. And Harnarayan Singh the colour commentary," says Stroumboulopoulus.

Darpan Magazine interviewed Harnarayan Singh and Parminder Singh, the two Sikh broadcasters who commentate in Punjabi. Both have many years of television experience and feel they are empowered with their roles. They believe they are able to provide a true a dedication to all the Punjabi's around world and any immigrants who have been victims of racism and injustice.

Parminder Singh of Toronto is the host of Omni Television’s Punjabi-language program Chardi Kalaa and is the former President of the University of Toronto Student Association. He is also the Current President of Canadian Organization of Sikh Students. Parminder Singh is very active in community related projects across Canada, which includes mainstream charity work, fundraising, mentoring youth, and is a leading advocate for increased youth leadership in the Sikh community.

Calgary based, CBC Radio reporter and mortgage broker Harnarayan Singh is the General Secretary of Gurdwara Guru Ram Das Darbar in Calgary. He is very talented in Kirtani, is a tabla player, a granthi, and a music producer. Harnarayan Singh recently toured with world-renowned kirtanis Bhai Niranjan Singh Jawadi (playing side harmonium) and Bhai Harjinder Singh Sri Nagar Wale (playing tabla). In addition, Harnarayan Singh is very active in the Calgary community in educating and empowering young Sikhs and showing them the Sikh path.

CBC realizes that Canada is a very diverse, multicultural nation. Punjabi is the fourth most spoken language in Canada behind English, French, and Chinese. During the NHL Playoff's CBC was providing alternative language viewers with the option of watching in Mandarin because of the insight offered from the Beijing Olympics. It was never clear on why and how Punjabi was selected, but a few former NHL Players suggested to the CBC that they should pursue a broadcast in Punjabi, since during their career they had made appearances in the community. Thus, what began as a pilot project for the Final Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in May/June, has taken a turn and we are announcing 55 games this season. The Punjabi community in Canada is very vibrant and involved all over the country in many facets, whether it is politics or business, and their contribution to Canadian society is tremendous. CBC's decision to show Hockey games with commentary in Punjabi is something for the community to be so proud of because other than English, and French, it is not available in any other language.

Our hopes are to share the passion of Hockey with everyone in the country. We have a huge hockey following in the Punjabi community so it is easier to reach an audience that understands the game. Though our broadcast also provides the basics of hockey with explanation of the games, rules and penalties we hope to reach every Punjabi around the world.

Our program is universal just because of the fact that sports in general are universal. It does not matter what age someone is or what culture or country they are from, sports is something that everyone can enjoy. We have fans my parent’s age and have recently converted to the Punjabi broadcast. They said they had been watching the game in English since they first immigrated to Canada and are now listening to it in Punjabi has provided them with a new dimension and have reignited their love for the game.

From what we are hearing from our audience, we have three generations in one family sitting and watching hockey together, whereas before, the kids might have wanted to watch the game, but the grandparents had no idea what it was about. Now the children of the family, their parents, and even the grandparents are sitting together and watching the game! It is fabulous for our community because it is a way to preserve an important part of our heritage.

For the new immigrants, there is no doubt that hockey is Canada's national game. It's everywhere in Canada. It's entrenched into this country's culture. Having Punjabi commentary is the best way for immigrants who are new to Canada to learn about hockey. When these immigrants go to work, they can now talk to their colleagues about hockey and relate to the excitement that is in Canada about the game.

There are always concerns about what the future of a foreign language will be with second and third generations in Canada, however, having NHL hockey in Punjabi is a great way for kids to learn the language, and along with that, it is a great way to teach the older folks about this great game as well.

The importance lies in accommodation. I think Punjabi's are perhaps the most widespread of any community in the world. Considering our small population and it is safe to say that the great majority of this diaspora is of the Sikh Faith. Hockey in Punjabi just goes to show that a public broadcaster is recognizing a group of hockey fans who will appreciate commentary in Punjabi. I think it is even more important for the NHL to create fans in every pocket of the world such as, in quoting the Vancouver Sun's Yvonne Zacharias "You haven't heard hockey until you hear it in Punjabi".

This is something any Punjabi-speaking person can be proud of – nobody from our community ever imagined that our language of Punjabi would be recognized at such a high level in mainstream media. The fact that other than English and French, only Punjabi has been selected speaks volumes as to how influential the Punjabi community is in Canada. It is a great way for everyone, young and old, to enjoy Canada's national game. It is a way for future generations to learn Punjabi, to preserve our language for years to come. This program also opens the doors for younger kids from the Punjabi community who aspire to have careers in media or for kids who even aspire to become NHL hockey players. For the people who think that wearing a dastar or being different will hold you back, this program answers those doubts. There are no obstacles for anyone to achieve their goals and dreams. This language was created by our own Guru Ji and there is no doubt in our minds that it is with the Guru's blessings that we have come this far in Canada. From the days when the first Sikhs and Indo-Canadians arrived in Canada, over one hundred years ago, through their historic steps and sacrifices, we are here today living as successful Canadians in this great country.

Our biggest challenge is to get the word out. We had news that this is becoming a family night, watching hockey in Punjabi with Bibi, Bapu, Mummy, Daddy and the kids. The response has been phenomenal; we cannot thank God enough for the success of the broadcast. We do have a fan base and it is quite larger than what I personally expected. CBC had us create a Facebook internet group and we had over 2,000 members sign up in just a few weeks. The response has been great. People are surprised but also proud that this is happening and it is such a great positive story for our community. I really do believe that this is just the beginning, as the majority of Punjabi's in Canada still do not even know about this. You can catch us every Saturday night on Shaw Channel 333, Rogers 401 and Bell 249. Or online at www.cbcsports.ca

Creating words is something we have been experimenting. I know when calling the game sometimes it seems most of the rules cannot really translate over but perhaps by the end of the season we may come up with something creative. Because field hockey has been such a popular sport in Punjab, it has been easier on us in terms of familiarizing the ice hockey words in Punjabi. A hockey stick was always referred to as a 'hakee' in Punjabi anyhow. We kept some of the hockey words in English. From the rules, we keep offside, icing and penalty the same. We will call a punch= muka or kasun, body-check as thaka. We call a puck a puck but we have translated some like slap shot into chaparre-shot. For example, 'he shoots, he scores' which is an iconic English saying has been translated into 'Mareyaa Shot - Tay Keeta Goal.’

Job, this is not a job. We love what we do, this is a passion and a hobby. This is what we have always wanted to do. We never could imagine this was attainable and never would we have imagined that it would come true commentating in our own mother language. It has been an amazing experience and sometimes we still have to pinch ourselves. We have watched hockey, played hockey, and followed hockey for our entire lives. To be doing this gig is just, we are just so grateful to be able to have the opportunity to be a part of something like this.