Hockey Night in Punjabi’s Harnarayan Singh expanding the definition of what hockey can be

Meet Surjit Kaur Singh. She’s a warm, soft-spoken mother and grandmother who will do anything for her family.

Something she does quite often is make besan. It’s the dish her family loves most. It is something akin to a light fudge that is usually cut into tiny squares and best enjoyed with chai as it melts in your mouth.

In many South Asian homes, sweets come out for the big occasions. It’s what makes those desserts taste even sweeter. Just ask her son whom the rest of the world knows as “Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition” host and play-by-play broadcaster Harnarayan Singh.

His mom has made sweets for every important moment of his life. She makes them for his co-workers and she made them again in January when her son was going to call his first NHL game in English as a play-by-play broadcaster in front of a national audience.

“Nils Hoglander! It’s time to hand out the sweets!” is what Singh said when the Canucks rookie forward scored his first NHL goal.

Those nine words went well beyond describing a goal. It was a celebration of a milestone. Really, it was more like a few milestones. There was Hoglander’s goal, but also the fact Singh’s call made numerous South Asians who live throughout Canada – hockey fans or not – feel things. In that moment, they were provided with another example of how their culture was receiving more mainstream attention. Hearing this, then visualizing it, brought many a sense of pride.

Singh has this impact on people, and he has for quite some time. He rose to prominence with his “Hockey Night in Punjabi” roles. His visibility has since expanded to include English language rink-side reporting with Sportsnet. He is also a published author. Singh himself will never admit to it, but those around him describe him as something of a cultural vanguard. He remains a fixture on “Hockey Night in Punjabi” broadcasts but has since crossed over into receiving more English-language national broadcast opportunities that see him serve as a play-by-play voice.

Watching Singh on television is nothing new to Punjabi hockey fans. But to see a South Asian man with a flowing beard, wearing a turban that always matches his neatly pressed suit and having a name that runs counter to what Canadians have been exposed to over the last 50-plus years? On what is one of the nation’s largest TV platforms available for every Canadian to witness?

That means something to so many people because this has not always existed.

“When the game is on Sportsnet, he’s in a position to really motivate people and represent the community,” said Randip Janda, a co-host of “Hockey Night in Punjabi” and a radio host with Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver. “I find we are doing that within different levels in the country as well. I get a bunch of messages on Instagram from people who are saying we see what you are all doing. … But with Harnarayan, he is at the stage of a Jim Hughson, Chris Cuthbert and Bob Cole. It’s the same seat as those respected names. It’s motivating.”

All of the events in Singh’s life that have led to this stage is another reference point in the conversation about what it means to be Canadian. He grew up in Brooks, Alta., a small town two hours east of Calgary, obsessed with hockey. He is also the son of Indian immigrants who wanted to advance their family. One of those is a feel-good narrative that is often fed to the masses. The other is a tale that was heavily ignored for many years but is now being more openly discussed in Canada and other nations wading deeper into conversations about representation and why that matters.

Santokh and Surjit Kaur immigrated to Canada during the 1960s because the nation had a demand for teachers. Singh said his parents were not focused on playing sports because their generation “was one that had to go through a lot of challenges to make it easier for my generation.” But his parents did everything to help foster his love of the game. He grew up watching Flames and Oilers games. His sisters were already Wayne Gretzky fans while a young Harnarayan was playing with his mini-stick from the old Northlands Coliseum. The stick was just the start. He had hockey pajamas, collected hockey cards and wore hockey sweaters to school.

“I became known as this hockey-obsessed nut among my classmates within my school,” he said. “I think it helped me feel more comfortable. I was very different from my classmates. I was wearing a turban. We were vegetarian. We spoke Punjabi at home and listened to different music. You were looking for a way to fit in and you don’t know necessarily why things are the way they are in the world. You do know you are a bit of an outsider because your name is different. I was consistently answering questions from kids in school about my appearance. When I reflect back, it was hockey that helped me create a rapport with people at school.”

The obsession with hockey fit well with another side of Singh, too. His imagination turned his family home into his own personal hockey arena. Their living room was the rink, while the dining room was the parking lot where the players arrived. One of their bathrooms was the dressing room where he would give speeches to his players while using the shower head as a microphone to address media after the game. And don’t worry, he was the media asking postgame questions, too.

He created different players. One of them being Charlie Douglas. Charlie was a reference to Charlie Conway from “The Mighty Ducks” movies, while Douglas happened to be Gretzky’s middle name, who was his favourite player. In Singh’s mind, Charlie Douglas was a selfless player who was a community ambassador. A young Harnarayan also knew he needed to have French-Canadian players on the team. So he took translations from shampoo bottles and got his names from there. Game night would arrive and he would perform the national anthems and announce the starting lineups.

Seeing how much their son loved hockey and talking about hockey is why his parents bought their son a toy microphone. It allowed him to feel more like a broadcaster — he even started hosting his own NHL Awards show. He’d take one of the barstools in the kitchen and use it as a podium. Then, he got a cassette tape and began recording his own radio shows with intro music.

“I have very academically inclined parents and my dad used to say, ‘You’re making your brain into this encyclopedia of hockey. What are you going to do with it?'” Singh recalled. “I did not have an answer then. I just kept at it. My parents got me a subscription to “The Hockey News.” They got me a tabletop hockey set. My sisters moved to Calgary to go to university and I used their place as my away arena. It was just the seeds were planted to become a broadcaster at a young age.”

Being the cute little boy who told everyone he wanted to be a hockey broadcaster was nice because why crush a child’s dream? As he got older though, he encountered more people who told him they couldn’t see anyone on TV wearing a turban. They told him to be realistic about the fact nobody on TV looked like him.

“I was told the chances of you being on Hockey Night in Canada are impossible,” Singh said.

One of his high school friends did the morning announcements and was in the media club. Singh got involved with both until that same friend invited him to the local radio station. The friend did hits on the local station and asked Singh if he wanted to try. Naturally, Singh was worried that he would not be given a chance. But the station manager encouraged him. So he did and their show was such a hit that they were sponsored by local businesses. The sign of arrival came when he was sitting on top of a van and broadcasting the annual rodeo parade.

That van broadcast was the glimmer of hope Singh needed. His parents had always supported him and told him he could always change his mind in the event being a broadcaster did not work out. He went to Mount Royal University in Calgary. There were alumni from that university who went on to work at some of the major sports channels in Canada.

“Even when I look back, I was the only South Asian and the only man with a turban,” he said. “The men and many of the women in my classes wanted to do sports and they all wanted to do hockey. … I was told ‘you were smart, have good grades, you should be behind the scenes.'”

Singh understands why he heard that from a few of his professors. He still kept going. It started when he applied at a random chance for a TSN internship program and was accepted. His backup plan was to potentially sell real estate. But Singh was able to break into journalism when he was hired by CBC Radio as a general assignment reporter.

Then came the chance he was waiting for his whole life. The one deemed “impossible” by others. CBC was seeking to expand its hockey coverage in different languages with Punjabi being one of those choices. Singh made his debut during the 2008 Stanley Cup Final. The response CBC and Singh received from their audience showed that they could be on the verge of something big. It expanded into “Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition.” Even then, uncertainties existed. There was no guaranteeing the show would have staying power.

What helped was when the show moved to Rogers and was part of the Sportsnet brand. From there, their presence increased. The famed Nick Bonino goal call during the 2016 Stanley Cup Final went viral with Singh saying the then-Penguins’ forward name at a rapid-fire pace with his voice cracking at times.

“I was in the initial years and in the first half of my 13 seasons, we did not know if it would ever come back,” he said. “I was paid (per) game. I was trying to piecemeal this together in terms of it being a functional salary. The Bonino call changed everything. From there, I got some English opportunities as a national host. Here we are today, I am a couple weeks after my first foray into English play-by-play.”

Canadian activist and sports journalist Shireen Ahmed said what makes Singh such a big deal is the fact he broadened hockey culture. She explained how he is respected by both the Sikh community and the South Asian community at large, especially in cities such as Vancouver, where they are among the most die-hard fans. Ahmed said those established communities have existed in Canada for many decades and “Hockey Night in Punjabi” has brought more attention to that fact.

According to Ahmed, having someone like Singh commentate in Punjabi allows people from Punjabi-speaking communities a chance to hold on to that part of their culture while being immersed in another. She said Singh’s work proved there was a passion for people who wanted a hockey broadcast available to them in Punjabi. And, the fact Singh isn’t the typical White, male announcer often seen on TV only reinforces how both the game and nation are growing as a whole.

For Ahmed, she firmly believes people do not truly understand what Singh and his team at “Hockey Night in Punjabi” have accomplished.

“The key is we don’t need one singular definition of what hockey can be,” Ahmed explained. “It just does not have to be Chad from Saskatchewan. It can be Harnaryan from Alberta. It can be Amrit (Gill) from British Columbia. It can be Shireen from Toronto. It can be Black Girl Hockey Club. … I cannot think of someone who has done more for inclusion for the game and representation and the changing face of what hockey can look like. He’s been instrumental in that.”

Raja Shergill, who is a colour commentator and production assistant for “Hockey Night in Punjabi,” said hearing Singh’s goal call about Hoglander made him feel an immense sense of pride. He said if he was still a child and had heard that goal call, he would have immediately looked up who said it. And to know that it was Singh – someone who looks like him – makes it feel like that goal call belonged to anyone who is South Asian.

Shergill, who is also a host and producer on Sportsnet 650, said Singh is the “most genuine guy” in terms of his positive nature and the most humble person on the show despite arguably being the show’s biggest star. Singh flies from Calgary to Vancouver, where “Hockey Night in Punjabi” is based. Shergill added how Singh always has the biggest smile when he walks through the door and does his best to make everyone laugh with his punny dad jokes.

Being a producer means Shergill is always running around to make sure the show has everything needed. Yet whenever Singh arrives, their conversations provide a calming effect. They’re not just the typical “how’s it going” talks. Singh makes the effort to ask how Shergill and his family are doing. That is something Singh does for everyone he sees at the studio.

“He is the face of ‘Hockey Night in Punjabi,'” Shergill said. “Whenever I tell people I work at ‘Hockey Night at Punjabi,’ everyone says I must know Harnaryan. People know him and I think they like him a lot.”

Janda said what Singh and others in different ethnic groups are doing is giving people hope. Growing up, Janda remembers what it was like seeing Robin Bawa become the first South Asian hockey player he ever saw. Bawa had a short NHL career, but the fact he made it was something that made more people interested. Janda said he feels like he is seeing more youth doing the same with the current broadcasters and players they see on TV.

Statistics Canada data reveals South Asians are the most visible people of colour in the nation with more than 1.9 million residents. That fact becomes even more prominent in Greater Vancouver suburbs like Surrey. Janda said the familiarity with sports like field hockey and grass hockey is what led to more South Asians taking an interest in hockey because there was something of an immediate familiarity.

Anyone who has attended a Canucks game knows this. They have seen it in the stands and with special events such as Diwali Night.

“It was a natural movement, but it also takes leadership and sports teams saying this is the way it should be,” Janda said. “We see what our community looks like and we want to cater to everybody. The community here has been very keen on hockey.”

This is exactly why Singh matters to so many people. It’s to show those who look like him there can be more. But it is also a reminder to those who do not look like him that Canada along with the United States is changing. And for a motto like “Hockey is for Everyone” to have legitimacy, it must truly be for everyone regardless of their background, among other things.

Knowing her son is proud of their culture, their language and all that comes with it is what makes Surjit Kaur Singh so happy. If people see her son on TV or performing as a musician with his tabla or harmonium, they feel this sense of community.

“For me, it is a service to the community,” Surjit Kaur Singh said of her son. “He acts like a mentor. He understands what it means to the young people. They look at him. When people see us with him, they are always so proud. They think he is theirs. He belongs to everybody. I gave birth to him but he does a service to the community and that makes him theirs.”

(All photos: Courtesy of Harnarayan Singh)