Punjabi Hockey Era Ends
Sportsnet Cancels Hockey Night in Canada Punjabi Edition After 18 Years
Key Points
Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi is owned by Rogers Sports and Media and aired on OMNI and Sportsnet; the 2014 NHL rights switch to Rogers reportedly enabled a larger budget for the Vancouver production team.
The program produced notable on-ice and broadcast moments, including Harnarayan Singh's famous 2016 call of 'Bonino Bonino Bonino' during the Stanley Cup Final and the 2023 Jets South Asian night where O Canada was sung in Punjabi; staff movements followed, with Singh moving to the main English HNIC broadcast and Randip Janda taking a Canucks radio role.
The cancellation announcement was issued via the show's official X (formerly Twitter) account, marking a formal public statement that the Punjabi edition would not be returning after 18 years.
The Punjabi broadcast helped tell the stories of South Asian players and families in hockey and was described by its team as creating a space that was 'truly unique in Canadian sports' when the program announced its final run.
Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition is off the air after 18 years, with Rogers ending the beloved broadcast ahead of the 2026-27 NHL season. CTV News reported that Sportsnet cited low viewership as the reason, with the show averaging just 1,500 viewers last season — and more than half of all games drawing under 1,000.
The show's team broke the news on X, calling the program 'truly unique in Canadian sports.' It was the only Punjabi-language NHL broadcast in the world.
How an 18-Year Broadcasting Journey Began and Grew
The Punjabi broadcast launched on CBC in 2008, making history as a first-of-its-kind production. When Rogers took over NHL broadcasting rights in 2014, the show moved to Omni TV under the Rogers and Sportsnet umbrella. CP24 noted that the rights switch also brought a larger budget to the Vancouver-based production team.
The program covered NHL games and ran features about the sport's growing connection to South Asian communities across Canada. It gave a platform to players and families who rarely saw themselves reflected in mainstream hockey coverage.
'Bonino Bonino Bonino' and the Moments That Defined the Show
The broadcast produced some of the most memorable calls in Canadian sports history. In 2016, host Harnarayan Singh delivered a now-legendary call during the Stanley Cup Final — shouting 'Bonino Bonino Bonino' as Nick Bonino scored. The clip went viral and introduced millions of new fans to the Punjabi broadcast.
In 2023, during a Winnipeg Jets South Asian Heritage Night, O Canada was sung in Punjabi — a milestone moment for the community. Singh later moved to the main English-language Hockey Night in Canada broadcast. Co-host Randip Janda landed a role on Canucks radio. Their success showed what the show helped build.
Viewership Numbers That Sealed the Show's Fate
The numbers that ended the run were stark. The show averaged about 1,500 viewers per game last season, according to CTV News. More than half of all games drew fewer than 1,000 people. For a broadcaster the size of Rogers, those figures were too small to justify the cost of continuing.
Sportsnet did not announce a replacement for the Punjabi time slot. CP24 noted that CBC plans to fill its Saturday nights with curling as the broader hockey broadcast landscape continues to shift across networks.
Community Reaction and What the Cancellation Means
The show's team posted a heartfelt farewell on X, saying the program created a space that was 'truly unique in Canadian sports.' The message reflected on the community it built over nearly two decades — fans, players, and families who found a home in the Punjabi broadcast.
The cancellation highlights a real tension in multicultural sports media. Audience size drives broadcast decisions, but niche communities often build deeper loyalty than raw numbers suggest. The Punjabi Edition reached fans no other hockey broadcast could. Its end marks a loss that goes beyond viewership charts.
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