After 18 years on the air, the program known as “Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition” has been canceled as announced on Friday. The Punjabi-language sports broadcast expressed how it had united the community with the beloved game since its inception in 2008. It highlighted the stories of South Asian players and families, creating a truly distinctive space in Canadian sports.
Rogers Sportsnet, the national NHL broadcast rights-holder, described the decision to cancel the show as a challenging one. Despite the cancellation due to insufficient audience levels for long-term sustainability, they acknowledged the significant impact the broadcasts had on many Punjabi-speaking hockey enthusiasts over the years.
Jagraj Lalli, a commentator on the show, shared his shock upon learning about the cancellation, emphasizing the lasting impact the show had in fostering connections and diversity within families. He expressed his commitment to maintaining the bond between the Punjabi language, community, and North American sports.
Fans expressed disappointment online over the cancellation, reminiscing fondly about the show. One user, a descendant of Pakistani immigrants in Canada, highlighted the significance of seeing representation in hockey through the program. Another user lamented the loss of trailblazers for the South Asian diaspora.
The last season of the show garnered an average audience of just 1,500 viewers, with more than half of the games drawing fewer than 1,000 viewers, according to Sportsnet. Former show member, Bhupinder Singh Hundal, reflected on the impact of the program on his career and the representation it provided for Punjabi language, culture, and community on a national platform.
This cancellation follows CBC’s decision in June to cease broadcasting “Hockey Night in Canada” after nearly a century due to the inability to reach a new sublicensing agreement with Sportsnet. Rogers Sports and Media also shut down Vancouver’s sports radio station, Sportsnet 650, in July after almost a decade on the air.