Review: South Asian Celebration night for Vancouver Canucks

The night of March 29 was the South Asian Celebration night for the Vancouver Canucks hockey team. It started off with DJ Jovan Heer playing some terrific Punjabi music outside of the stadium gates for fans to listen as they went to the game.

 

 

Then, there was a flash mob performance by the South Asian Arts Society (SAAS) that captured the attention of many fans. The choreography from the Arts Society with the musical selection of DJ Heer combined to produce a great spectacle to start off the night. 

 

 

Before the game started, the Canucks honoured the career of Robin Bawa, the first NHL player of South Asian descent. Bawa was born in Duncan, British Columbia, and started his amateur hockey career with the Kamloops Blazers. He went on to play 62 games in the NHL including a brief stint with the Vancouver Canucks.

 

 

 

There was a video shown to the fans about his career path and the influence he has had on South Asians in sports. He dropped the puck for ceremonial face-off with Canucks captain Henrik Sedin and Edmonton Oilers forward Jujhar Khaira. The Surrey-born Khaira is the third player of Punjabi descent to play in the league.

 

 

The 23-year-old has 11 goals and 10 assists this season for the Oilers and has been noted by many as one of the bright spots for the Edmonton team. 

 

 

The Canadian national anthem was performed by “Indian Standard Time,” a group of musicians from Surrey. They used the tabla, dilruba, flute and guitar to play the tune of the Canadian anthem for the whole arena.

 

 

During the first intermission, the stadium showed a video of a conversation between Robin Bawa and fellow former hockey player Manny Malhotra who is also of South Asian descent. Malhotra played on the Canucks for three years. For the second intermission, there was a bhangra performance by a team from the SAAS. Also, renowned chef Vikram Vij and his Vij’s cuisine was served to fans.

 

 

Along with the intermission entertainment, Hockey Night in Canada Punjabi media members interviewed some players while also being interviewed themselves for their thought on the special night.

 

 

Another musical act was Delhi 2 Dublin, the Vancouver based world music group. They sang twice during the game with their blend of bhangra and other world music genres like reggae, funk and Celtic. 

 

 

All together, it was a successful night for the Canucks and for South Asian fans. There was lots of South Asian entertainment and cultural influences throughout the night that sent fans home even happier with a big win. A successful night such as this needs a repeat in the coming year or season.