‘Emotional’ end for Hockey Night in Canada’s Punjabi broadcast, cancelled after 18 years

‘Emotional’ end for Hockey Night in Canada’s Punjabi broadcast, cancelled after 18 years

Published 5:32 pm Friday, August 14, 2026

Jagrag Lalli’s lifelong dream of working on Hockey Night in Canada’s Punjabi broadcast came to a sudden, emotional end on Thursday, Aug. 13.

In a conference call, Lalli and more than a dozen other contracted broadcasters and staff were told the Rogers Sportsnet-produced show was cancelled after 18 years of airing NHL games in the Punjabi language.

“It was very emotional when we told the news, I’m not going to lie,” said Lalli, who calls Surrey Eagles games in the BC Hockey League, among other work in sports broadcasting. “Everyone was basically silent on that call.”

Rogers brass calls the show’s cancellation a “difficult decision,” that while audience levels “aren’t strong enough to sustain the production long term, we know these broadcasts have meant a lot to many Punjabi-speaking hockey fans,” the company said in a statement to CBC News.

Lalli’s first broadcast with HNIC Punjabi was last October.

“It’s difficult to put into words what (the show) has meant to me, because long before I ever worked on this show, I was one of the kids watching it,” Lalli posted on the X social media platform.

“Growing up, I looked up to the people on HNIC Punjabi. I’d sit at home watching with my family, sending photos of myself watching into the show and hoping they might make it on TV. I saw people who looked like me, spoke the same language as my family and shared the same love for hockey that I did. I didn’t just watch them — I wanted to be them.

“I remember telling my family that one day, somehow, I was going to be on that show.”

Announcing the cancellation Friday (Aug. 14), HNIC Punjabi’s X account said the show “shared the stories of South Asian players and families and created a space that was truly unique in Canadian sports. We are incredibly proud of what we built together.”

The move impacts close to 15 employees of the show, according to Lalli.

“In a group text today we were talking about some of the memorable moments” over the years including Harnarayan Singh’s iconic “Bonino, Bonino, Bonino!” goal call, big Game 7s and the first NHL goal by Surrey’s own Arshdeep Bains for the Canucks in October 2024.

On social media, the cancellation of HNIC Punjabi was largely condemned by hockey fans and admirers of the show.

“This is not only disappointing, it is a significant loss for our community. Its impact went far beyond simply being a hockey broadcast,” Prabhjot Kahlon, who works as the City of Surrey’s multicultural media relations lead, wrote on HNIC Punjabi’s Facebook page.

“For years, the broadcast was about much more than hockey. It became a bridge between generations, languages, and cultures. Punjabi youth born and raised in Canada played an important role in connecting with their heritage and the Punjabi language. It also became a beautiful way for parents and older generations to connect with Canada’s national sport, hockey. It didn’t just bring families together or create memories, it gave our community a voice on one of Canada’s biggest stages.”