Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition has been canceled after being on the air for 18 years, the show revealed on Friday. The Punjabi-language sports broadcast expressed that since its inception in 2008, it has brought the community closer to their beloved game. The show was commended for sharing the stories of South Asian players and families, creating a unique space within Canadian sports.
Rogers Sportsnet, the national rights holder for NHL games, acknowledged the cancellation as a challenging decision. Despite the show’s positive impact on Punjabi-speaking hockey fans, the network stated that audience levels were insufficient to sustain the production in the long term.
Jagraj Lalli, a commentator on the show since last fall, expressed his shock upon hearing about the cancellation. He reflected on the show’s mission, emphasizing that the connections, diversity, and representation it offered will endure. Lalli pledged to work towards maintaining the bond between the Punjabi language, community, and North American sports.
Fans of the show lamented its cancellation online, expressing their disappointment and reminiscing about the fond memories it provided. The last season of the show garnered an average audience of only 1,500 viewers, with over half of the games attracting fewer than 1,000 viewers, as reported by Sportsnet.
Former members of the show also shared their sentiments online, highlighting the significant impact the program had on their careers and the representation it brought to the Punjabi community on a national platform. The cancellation of Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition follows CBC’s decision to discontinue broadcasting the original Hockey Night in Canada program after failing to secure a new sublicensing agreement with Sportsnet. Additionally, Rogers Sports and Media shut down Vancouver’s Sportsnet 650 radio station in July after nearly a decade on the air.
