The CBC pulled out all the stops for the Toronto-Vancouver matchup Saturday night on “Hockey Night in Canada”, including enlisting a Punjabi broadcast team for the growing community in both cities to be played online and on certain stations. Just when you thought there were no new markets for the national sport in Canada, eh?
Not everything translates successfully, though:
“Ice in Punjabi is `barf,’” said Parminder Singh. “What are we supposed to say: `He barfed the puck?’
If it’s Toronto, yes. Our grandmother could handle the puck better with a branch from a balsa tree.
It’s not clear this experiment will continue or what effect it will have, but kudos to the CBC for trying new ideas and reaching out across the divide. We may even begin to harbor hope that “ESPN Sunday Night Baseball” will be broadcast in English next season.
2:09 am on November 17th, 2008
Congratulations for bringing Hockey Night in Canada in Punjabi. I cannot wait to see a Punjabi boy in the NHL within the next five years. May be AJ Bains from the Anaheim Ducks farm team can play soon and as soon as this season. He is a former Kamloops Blazers captain and an excellent player.
12:22 pm on November 17th, 2008
Manny Malhotra and Robin Bawa???