Singh thrilled to participate in Jets South Asian Heritage Night

Harnarayan Singh has noticed a little bit of a trend when he's calling play-by-play for Winnipeg Jets games on Sportsnet.
He sure seems to call a lot of Jets victories, and it's not like it's a small sample size either. The run of success has spanned for a few years now.
The broadcaster, a fan of Wayne Gretzky growing up, called every minute of Winnipeg's four-game sweep over the Oilers in the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs.
And even when he's assigned to cover the Jets in the regular season, the wins keep coming, and he's not the only one to notice.

When the 36-year-old broadcaster walked into the Jets dressing room ahead of the December 17, 2022 match-up against the Vancouver Canucks, he learned a lot of people have taken notice.
"I had the chance to chat with Josh Morrissey in the locker room after the morning skate, and it was cool as a broadcaster to realize that some of the Jets players are even aware of it," he said with a laugh. "Broadcasters don't have anything to do with what happens on the ice, but it gives me a chuckle for sure."
Guess what? The Jets won 5-1 that night.
Over the course of his 800 games of National Hockey League broadcasting experience - 700 of those with Hockey Night in Canada in Punjabi - he's had a number of special moments.

His call of Nick Bonino's late third period goal in Game 1 the 2016 Stanley Cup Final went viral. On January 14, 2021, he became the first Sikh broadcaster to call an NHL game in English as the Vancouver Canucks took on the Edmonton Oilers.
And on February 11, 2023, he'll be on the call in Winnipeg for the team's first ever South Asian Heritage Night.
"When I first heard about it, I was like 'this is fantastic,'" Singh said. "I checked my own Sportsnet schedule, and lo and behold I'm scheduled to be working and calling that game - Chicago Blackhawks at Winnipeg Jets. I'm very happy to be part of it. It's near and dear to my heart, and then to be calling that game is just going to be extra special."
It's special to him for many reasons. His parents immigrated to Canada in the 1960s and raised Singh and his three sisters in Brooks, Alberta. Hockey was their passion, and Singh would often do mock broadcasts, driving toy cars to the rink and using a toy microphone to call the action.
He loved the game, though the feeling of belonging took a lot longer to come.
"The reason being I've experienced racism and discrimination in hockey rinks. I've been to NHL games as a fan where I've been called all sorts of names and had stuff thrown at me, or my friends and family, that went to games," said Singh. "I didn't always feel a sense of belonging. I didn't feel welcome. I think if when I was growing up we had some of these theme nights, it would have totally changed how comfortable I was."
That's why he believes these type of theme nights are so important. Hockey as a sport can't just sit back and wait for new fans to find passion for the sport.
"What it does is it increases the comfort level within the game, within an arena, what you feel about an organization," Singh said. "This is a very small gesture that a team in the hockey world can do, having a theme night where there is some music or food involved that incorporates a different community. It's all in good fun and we're all coming together because of the passion of the sport."

Fans coming to the game that night will see the Jets wear special warm-up jerseys with a special logo, designed in collaboration with local Winnipeg graphic designer Charmi Sheth and with guidance from Waseem Shaikh, the creative director at Ethnicity Matters. The jerseys will be auctioned off after the game in support of Punjabi Community Health Services Manitoba.
On the concourse, the celebration of the South Asian community will be reflected through food options and cultural performances, as well as special t-shirts and hoodies.
"I feel that there is huge potential in the city of Winnipeg, the province of Manitoba. There is a lot of passion for hockey, but the South Asian community is kind of untapped," said Singh. "the root of it is actually nation building. Sports has this amazing power, this universal power, to bring people together."
Singh has seen that happen. He admits that it took him a while to get comfortable in his own skin as a fan of hockey, and that process repeated itself as he moved into broadcasting.
"My entire life as a born and raised Canadian would be completely and drastically different had it not been for the game of hockey," said Singh. "It's made me feel more Canadian, it's made me feel more connected to my fellow Canadians. That's what it's about. When we have these sorts of theme nights, I think it's amazing and it's a way to celebrate diversity in Canada. We're doing that through the game of hockey, so what could be better."
This special night will have an equally special place in Singh's heart, which is saying something considering the resume he's already built.
He published a book in 2020 called One Game at a Time, a biographical look at his upbringing and path to the NHL. In June of 2022, he received an honourary doctor of laws from his alma mater - Mount Royal University. And that's on top of the Meritorious Service Medal he received from the Governor-General in 2018.

He's accomplished so much, and yet, there is more he wants to do.
"I'm very fortunate to be living my dream. This is exactly what I wanted to do since I was four-years-old," said Singh, now in his third season of calling games on the English side.
"Calling the big games in the playoffs is what really burns the fire, right? That's what I'd love to continue to do. I was very fortunate last year to call the Conference Finals for the first time on the English side, which was just absolutely unbelievable for me," he said. "I'd like to continue to call, if there is an opportunity down the road to call a Stanley Cup Final, call an Olympic hockey tournament. You want to have goals. I'm very grateful for where I am, but I'd love to continue to do this role and live my dream for the rest of my career."
And based on his winning percentage calling Winnipeg's games, the Jets would love for his career to go on as long as possible.
"I've always had such a great time coming to Winnipeg to call games, meeting Jets fans, interacting with them - even online," he said. "It's pretty cool that people in and around the team are aware of that record."