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MAHRIAA SHOT, HE SHOOTS, KEETA GOAL! HE SCORES! FROM COAST TO COAST, IT’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA IN PUNJABI » BY MIKE HWANG Harnarayan Singh (right) gives play-by-play commentary during the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs, along with analyst Inderpreet Cumo. SUMMIT – FALL 2014 47 a crisp December Saturday night in Canada. As snow softly begins to fall a local radio show with his friend Mark stories, Singh had found moderate success. hockey programming, the station was going outside, families across the country gather in front of the television. Young Scholz featuring Viewpoint, an opinion One of his big scoops was a story exploring to include multi-lingual broadcasts in children, grandparents and everyone in between, eager to watch their idols, wait with segment. That was when the idea of the discrimination of new immigrants with Mandarin, Cantonese, Inuktitut and Punjabi. IT’S broadcasting as a career really began to certain last names by Citizenship and They needed someone who knew one anticipation for the start of the weekly ritual so deeply ingrained in Canadian culture. The music starts, feel realistic. Immigration Canada. The story went viral, of those languages and had an incredible the opening montage plays and the host’s familiar voice begins the broadcast ... His family provided the guidance and garnering coverage around the world. passion for hockey. “Canada dhay hockey premeea noo, athay naal Amreeka athay Newfoundland vich betthay reassurance he needed. Singh credits his early success to the They needed a commentator. They premeea noo vee, jee aya noo.” “My parents were very supportive. They preparation and education he received at needed Singh. (Hello Canada, and hockey fans in the United States and Newfoundland!) realized this was my dream and wanted me Mount Royal. His first assignment: Broadcast the 2008 to pursue it,” Singh says. “The instructors I had at Mount Royal Stanley Cup finals between the Detroit Red His choice to attend Mount Royal was all worked in the field,” says Singh. “They Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins. From coast to coast on CBC, it’s Hockey It was an ambitious goal for a youngster PhD, laughing. “It was bad enough he was driven by the school’s success with previous shared the ins and outs of the industry as “I literally could not believe it was Night in Canada in Punjabi with your host, growing up during the mid 1980s in the small running around the room during the game alumni. The three years previous (2001-2003) well as what employers would be expecting happening. It felt like a dream, something I Harnarayan Singh. town of Brooks, AB. Back then there were pretending to be a player, we didn’t want to students from Mount Royal’s Broadcast from us. The first day I arrived at CBC they thought was never possible. I had a sense A proud graduate of Mount Royal’s fewer than 10,000 residents and the Singhs hear the game commentary twice as well.” Journalism program had been selected for were able to assign me to the field because of nervous excitement. It was just unreal,” Broadcast Journalism program (class of were the only Sikh family in town. But for Singh was surrounded by a tightknit, an internship at TSN, the largest broadcaster I knew how to operate the equipment and I he says. 2004), Singh always dreamed of hosting a Singh, the son of a school teacher and a math supportive family at home, but he felt alone of sports coverage and news in Canada. As had experience delivering a story.” The pilot was a resounding success. The hockey show. He never imagined living his professor, it was an inevitable certainty. and separated at school from the rest of his fate would have it, in his second year, Singh Still, that elusive spot at the sports desk following season, CBC asked him to host a dream in Punjabi. His journey had twists Early on it was clear that hockey was classmates. He was the only student in was selected for one of the four internship remained out of Singh’s grasp. regular schedule of broadcasts all from the and turns as he overcame self-doubt, Singh’s first love. He was an Oilers fan school who wore a turban and he had a positions available at TSN from thousands Then came a critical day in 2007… studios in Toronto. Singh was still living in xenophobic detractors and even being an who idolized his favourite player, Wayne vegetarian diet. Hockey helped bridge that of applicants across Canada. All his life he “It was very lucky that I was already Calgary at the time so he had to make a Oilers fan. Perseverance and dedication Gretzky. When he watched games on cultural gap — he wore hockey sweaters had watched from the other side of the working for CBC as a reporter and that I had quick and important decision. helped him climb the ranks from an intern television, Singh would run around the to school and conversations about that screen and now he was in Toronto working prior experience at TSN,” Singh says. “On top “In my heart I knew I couldn’t give this at TSN, to a field reporter with CBC, to now room imitating players as Bob Cole weekend’s Hockey Night in Canada side-by-side with on-air personalities such of that, Kelly Hrudey (former NHL goaltender opportunity up, this is what I’ve always anchoring the Punjabi segment of the announced the play-by-play calls. His broadcast created common ground to make as James Duthie, Jennifer Hedger and and now a colour analyst on Sportsnet 960 wanted to do. I told them ‘don’t worry I’ll flagship show for hockey in Canada. family eventually had to tell him to stop new friends. It didn’t matter that he looked Darren Dutchyshen, learning firsthand what The FAN) whom I consider a mentor of mine be there’,” he says. When Singh was in Grade 6, he had an rebroadcasting the game — they wanted different from his classmates when they it took to make it in sports broadcasting. in the industry, was a big part of the English “Being there” meant working in Calgary assignment to write his autobiography. On to hear the television, not their son. were all cheering for the same team. He moved back to Calgary in 2005 and broadcast and knew how passionate and from Monday to Friday, flying to Toronto for the last page he wrote: “When I grow up I “We always had to tell him to quiet It was in high school when Singh first began working as a reporter for CBC. After a obsessed I was with hockey.” the Saturday game, and then flying home want to be a hockey commentator or critic.” down,” explains his father, Santokh Singh, dipped his toe into broadcasting. He had few years working in the field delivering news As part of CBC’s pilot to provide diversified for work on Monday. It became a weekly » “The show would not have been going this long without the tremendous response from the Punjabi community.” harnarayan singh 48 SUMMIT – FALL 2014 SUMMIT – FALL 2014 49 SINGH’S STATS hometown Brooks, Alberta shoots Left ritual of red-eye flights, sleeping on a A unique aspect of the Punjabi broadcast friend’s couch and living out of a suitcase. of Hockey Night in Canada was the creativity favourite Player Marc Chikinda, dean of Communication and improvisation required. Technical hockey Wayne Gretzky Studies, says Singh’s curiosity and passion terminology doesn’t always translate smoothly was evident from the moment he walked to Punjabi. As a result, Singh and his co-hosts into the classroom. needed to invent words to describe things favourite team “When I met Harnarayan during his first like the puck or the offside rule. year in the Broadcast Journalism program “We try to have a hybrid commentary and Edmonton Oilers he was incredibly interested in finding a include aspects from traditional Punjabi sports way to bring hockey to a larger portion of broadcasts. We add bits of poetry, limericks, the population,” says Chikinda. “His success metaphors and we reference food since food wife’s favourite team did not surprise me, it was not a coincidence is a big thing in our culture,” says Singh, who Calgary Flames that the only multi-language version of is in his seventh season of Hockey Night in Hockey Night in Canada to survive was the Canada in Punjabi. He credits the success one hosted by Harnarayan.” and longevity of the show to support from a consecutive games hosted Chikinda was also confident that Singh tight-knit Punjabi community. Regular season and playoffs would forge a path to the English side of “The show would not have been going the show as well. this long without the tremendous response 397 “The new generation of viewers care from the Punjabi community. When the more about the knowledge of the person show was cancelled due to funding, there they watch on television than what they was such a huge public outcry. It was favourite pre-game drink look like,” he says. “On top of that, Canada shockingly impressive in terms of how the Chai tea is a proudly multi-cultural nation that show originally might have been a want but embraces each other’s differences.” had become a need,” he says. recent award The hockey game ends for another night. Viewers at home start 2014 recipient chatting about the great game — all of the conversations in Punjabi. Young children born in Canada, wearing their favourite player’s of the Canadian sweater, excitedly remember the highlight reel goal — mothers in Ethnic Media traditional Punjabi dress argue about line combinations, while grandparents chime in, quickly falling in love with hockey.

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