After airing for 18 years, the broadcast of Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition has been canceled, as announced on Friday. The Punjabi-language sportscast stated that since its launch in 2008, the show had helped bring the community closer to the beloved game. It highlighted the stories of South Asian players and families, creating a unique space within Canadian sports.
Rogers Sportsnet, the national rights-holder for NHL games, characterized the decision to cancel the show as a challenging one. They acknowledged the significance of the broadcasts to many Punjabi-speaking hockey enthusiasts but noted that the audience levels were not sufficient for long-term sustainability.
Commentator Jagraj Lalli, who had been part of the show since the fall, expressed his shock at the cancellation. Despite this development, he emphasized that the show’s mission and the connections it fostered would endure. Lalli vowed to maintain the link between the Punjabi language, community, and North American sports.
Lalli also highlighted how the show provided representation for aspiring broadcasters from the Punjabi community. He shared his emotional debut experience covering a Vancouver Canucks game, reflecting on the support and teachings he received from his family, particularly his great-grandmother.
Fans of the show lamented its cancellation online, expressing fond memories and gratitude for the representation it offered. The last season’s viewership averaged around 1,500 viewers per game, with a significant portion drawing fewer than 1,000 viewers, according to Sportsnet.
Reflecting on his time with the show, alumnus Bhupinder Singh Hundal acknowledged the impact it had on his career and the broader representation of Punjabi language and culture on a national platform. The cancellation of Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition comes in the wake of CBC’s decision to discontinue the traditional Hockey Night in Canada broadcast after nearly a century due to the inability to reach a new sublicensing agreement with Sportsnet. Additionally, Rogers Sports and Media recently shut down Vancouver’s Sportsnet 650 sports radio station after nearly a decade on the air.
