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Harnarayan Singh Becomes First Sikh to Broadcast NHL Game in English

Singh is known for his enthusiasm and viral calls with the Hockey Night in Canada Punjabi crew.

After making history by becoming the first commentator to call an NHL game in Punjabi, Harnarayan Singh added another first to his accomplishments on Wednesday. He became the first Sikh to work an English NHL hockey broadcast, as he reported rinkside from the Calgary Flames' 3-0 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Raised in Brooks, Alberta, and a graduate from Mount Royal University in Calgary, the Scotiabank Saddledome was the perfect setting for Singh to make history.

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"For myself growing up in southern Alberta, it was the icebreaker between my classmates and I, and that's what makes Canada so special—the diversity is celebrated and to have a person like myself be in the hockey family, it just speaks to the multiculturalism that is so great." Singh told the CBC.

The impact made by the vibrant 31-year-old is reaching far beyond Canadian audiences, growing the game in areas of East Asia, India and China—markets that the NHL is pursuing heavily. Singh's amazing calls, his presence in the booth and the broadcast style of the whole Hockey Night in Canada Punjabi crew have helped accelerate that process immensely.

"My colleagues and I, we like to bring in the characteristics of the [South Asian] community. It's a very vibrant, loud community, they love their music and their food as well, so we incorporate those characteristics in the call… that's what that was about."

Singh has been part of Hockey Night in Canada's Punjabi broadcast team since 2008. Covering games every Saturday night for HNIC, he's risen to viral fame after several glorious calls over the past few seasons, including this one from last year's Stanley Cup Final when Pittsburgh's Nick Bonino scored a go-ahead goal with minutes remaining in the third period of Game 1.

More mainstream diversity in hockey is long overdue. A predominantly white, affluent sport since its inception, the only way to grow internationally is to provide a product—in the media and on the ice—that reflects the cultures and values of those new fans you are trying to attract. Singh provides just that, and the NHL is lucky to have him during a time when it needs him most.

With Singh's profile and notoriety among hockey and sports fans rapidly growing, it appears we will be able to look forward to a lot more of his calls in the future. It's about time.

[CityNews]