After running for 18 years, “Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition” has been canceled, as confirmed by the show on Friday. The Punjabi-language sports broadcast expressed gratitude for bringing the community closer to the beloved game since its inception in 2008. The show highlighted stories of South Asian players and families, offering a unique space in the realm of Canadian sports.
Rogers Sportsnet, the national NHL rights holder, described the decision to cancel the show as a challenging one. Despite acknowledging the significance of the broadcasts to many Punjabi-speaking hockey enthusiasts, the company mentioned that the audience levels were insufficient to sustain long-term production.
Jagraj Lalli, a commentator on the show, shared his shock upon learning about the cancellation, emphasizing the lasting impact of the show’s mission. He expressed his determination to uphold the connections and diversity fostered by the program, ensuring that the bond between Punjabi language, community, and North American sports remains unbroken.
Lalli also highlighted the show’s role in providing representation for aspiring broadcasters within the Punjabi community. He reminisced about his emotional debut covering a Vancouver Canucks game in 2025, reflecting on the influence of his great-grandmother in shaping his language skills and career aspirations.
Fans expressed disappointment online following the show’s cancellation, with many fondly remembering the unique representation it offered. Despite the show’s final season averaging just 1,500 viewers overall, former contributors, like Bhupinder Singh Hundal, reflected on the program’s transformative impact on their careers and community representation.
The decision to end “Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition” follows CBC’s announcement in June that it would no longer air “Hockey Night in Canada” after a century-long tradition due to the inability to reach a new sublicensing agreement with Sportsnet. This development aligns with Rogers Sports and Media’s closure of Vancouver’s Sportsnet 650 radio station in July after nearly ten years on the air.