{"id":5841,"date":"2017-05-21T13:17:26","date_gmt":"2017-05-21T07:47:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.barusahib.org\/?p=5841"},"modified":"2025-02-01T13:28:16","modified_gmt":"2025-02-01T07:58:16","slug":"harnarayan-singh-the-first-sikh-broadcaster-of-nhl-games-in-punjabi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/harnarayan-singh-the-first-sikh-broadcaster-of-nhl-games-in-punjabi\/","title":{"rendered":"Harnarayan Singh &#8211; The First Sikh Broadcaster of NHL Games in Punjabi"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_88 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/harnarayan-singh-the-first-sikh-broadcaster-of-nhl-games-in-punjabi\/#A_New_Life_in_Canada\" >A New Life in Canada<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/harnarayan-singh-the-first-sikh-broadcaster-of-nhl-games-in-punjabi\/#Starting_in_Brooks_Alberta\" >Starting in Brooks, Alberta<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/harnarayan-singh-the-first-sikh-broadcaster-of-nhl-games-in-punjabi\/#Harnarayans_Early_Life\" >Harnarayan\u2019s Early Life<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/harnarayan-singh-the-first-sikh-broadcaster-of-nhl-games-in-punjabi\/#The_Power_of_Passion_%E2%80%93_Hockey_and_Broadcasting\" >The Power of Passion &#8211; Hockey and Broadcasting<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/harnarayan-singh-the-first-sikh-broadcaster-of-nhl-games-in-punjabi\/#Overcoming_Doubt_%E2%80%93_Support_from_His_Father\" >Overcoming Doubt &#8211; Support from His Father<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/harnarayan-singh-the-first-sikh-broadcaster-of-nhl-games-in-punjabi\/#The_Breakthrough_%E2%80%93_A_Call_from_Hockey_Night_in_Canada\" >The Breakthrough &#8211; A Call from Hockey Night in Canada<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/harnarayan-singh-the-first-sikh-broadcaster-of-nhl-games-in-punjabi\/#Going_the_Extra_Mile_%E2%80%93_Juggling_Jobs_and_Long_Hours\" >Going the Extra Mile &#8211; Juggling Jobs and Long Hours<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/harnarayan-singh-the-first-sikh-broadcaster-of-nhl-games-in-punjabi\/#Hockey_Night_Punjabi_Goes_Viral\" >Hockey Night Punjabi Goes Viral<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_New_Life_in_Canada\"><\/span>A New Life in Canada<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In 1966, Santokh Singh and his family arrived in Canada from India. Despite the snow and challenges they faced, they were determined to create a better life. Santokh secured a teaching job, but his turban and beard made it difficult to find acceptance.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Starting_in_Brooks_Alberta\"><\/span>Starting in Brooks, Alberta<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The Singhs ended up in Brooks, Alberta, a small town with a population of 3,000. It was a place with no other Sikhs, and they faced challenges with the local community, but they remained steadfast.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Harnarayans_Early_Life\"><\/span>Harnarayan\u2019s Early Life<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Harnarayan Singh, born in 1984, grew up in a predominantly non-Sikh community. His love for hockey began early, and his connection to the sport helped him fit in despite facing bullying for wearing his turban.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Power_of_Passion_%E2%80%93_Hockey_and_Broadcasting\"><\/span>The Power of Passion &#8211; Hockey and Broadcasting<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Though he never played hockey, Harnarayan found a way to connect with the game. His passion for broadcasting grew, and he often emulated the game\u2019s commentary with a toy microphone, setting the stage for his future career.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Overcoming_Doubt_%E2%80%93_Support_from_His_Father\"><\/span>Overcoming Doubt &#8211; Support from His Father<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Despite discouragement from others, including a doctor who doubted his dream, Harnarayan\u2019s father encouraged him to follow his passion for broadcasting. This unwavering support helped Harnarayan continue pursuing his goal.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Breakthrough_%E2%80%93_A_Call_from_Hockey_Night_in_Canada\"><\/span>The Breakthrough &#8211; A Call from Hockey Night in Canada<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In 2008, Harnarayan received a life-changing call from Joel Darling, the Executive Producer of Hockey Night in Canada. The CBC was planning to launch a Punjabi broadcast of NHL games, and Harnarayan was invited to be the play-by-play announcer.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Going_the_Extra_Mile_%E2%80%93_Juggling_Jobs_and_Long_Hours\"><\/span>Going the Extra Mile &#8211; Juggling Jobs and Long Hours<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The job required Harnarayan to travel extensively between Calgary and Toronto, and he worked tirelessly, often sleeping on benches at airports and paying his own travel expenses. His determination and dedication were key to his success.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Hockey_Night_Punjabi_Goes_Viral\"><\/span>Hockey Night Punjabi Goes Viral<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The Punjabi broadcasts of NHL games grew in popularity, and in 2012, Harnarayan left his weekday job to focus on his broadcasting career full-time. He became a beloved figure, mixing cultural references with the play-by-play commentary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A New Life in Canada In 1966, Santokh Singh and his family arrived in Canada from India. Despite the snow and challenges they faced, they were determined to create a better life. Santokh secured a teaching job, but his turban and beard made it difficult to find acceptance. Starting in Brooks, Alberta The Singhs ended [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5843,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Story-of-the-FIRST-Sikh-Broadcaster-of-NHL-game-in-English.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[91],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-5841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","post_format-post-format-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5841"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5841\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5842,"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5841\/revisions\/5842"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5841"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=5841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}