7 questions with Punjabi HNIC broadcaster Harnarayan Singh

History was welcomed on Wednesday night during Calgary’s 3-0 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs when Harnarayan Singh made his debut on the English broadcast of Hockey Night In Canada.

Singh, well-known for his work calling NHL games on Hockey Night In Punjabi, became the first Sikh to appear on the iconic Canadian telecast. After a whirlwind 24 hours, Singh, who grew up in Brooks, Alta., spoke with Yahoo Sports about his historic night and the opportunity to introduce hockey to a whole new group of Canadians.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Yahoo Sports: What was it like to make history on Hockey Night In Canada?

Harnarayan Singh: It was a really amazing moment to be a part of the English broadcast, obviously I’ve been a part of the Punjabi side for many years now. This is a different animal in the sense that you have people watching from all sorts of backgrounds and the whole country – in Canada hockey is so huge here and you have a much bigger stage and a much bigger viewership. It was an amazing experience for sure.

YS: What has the reception been like?

HS: From the community perspective people are really proud that this is going to open doors for other people in the community as well and just overall a proud moment. In terms of breaking down barriers and in terms of diversity, this was a milestone that had never been done before. From a hockey perspective, I’ve just received some really positive feedback. It’s people saying, ‘great job’ but I still haven’t had a chance to properly watch it myself – I’m probably one of my harshest critics. I’m going to find a number of things that I can do better the next time around. It was the first time for me in that role so there’s a lot things I know I can improve on.

YS: How big was the Nick Bonino goal call, not only for your career, but also for expanding awareness of Hockey Night In Punjabi?

HS: It was huge. For us to be able to get some love from the mainstream and then also to be invited to Pittsburgh to be a part of the Stanley Cup championship festivities that was an unbelievable experience. We were treated like royalty by the Penguins, it was very memorable and something we won’t forget. It’s become this iconic goal call that, even though it was a call in Punjabi, it was the passion that transcends different languages. It was great to see how everybody – within the industry and fans across the world even – embraced it and enjoyed it. It was really special.

YS: How important do you think it is for South Asian kids to watch a program like Hockey Night In Canada – a show that is so tied to the Canadian identity – and see someone who looks like them?

HS: I think it’s vital. We live in a country that is so diverse ethnically and I think you need to have examples out there that show you or inspire you to know that you can succeed. It’s my colleagues as well, I’m not the only one that’s had a long journey to get to where I am right now or to have accomplished what I have accomplished – everybody out there has a story. For me it was really blunt. When I was a kid people would say, ‘You have to be realistic’ like this was probably not going to happen. Or they’d say, ‘The chances of you making it in this industry are slim-to-none.’ To some extent I think everybody in their lives at some point has had that type of situation where they’re wondering if they can believe in themselves or can they do it? These types of examples are really important to help inspire kids out there – youth out there – that no matter who they are, they can be proud of themselves.

YS: Do you think it’s had an impact at the grassroots level?

HS: Definitely and I’ve seen it first hand. I’m at my local minor hockey rink and some parents I’ve never met before have come up and said, ‘We’ve seen you on TV before and what you guys are doing is great. We weren’t hockey fans before but we became hockey fans from watching your show (in Punjabi) and because of that we decided let’s put out kids in minor hockey.’ The fellow who runs the Surrey (B.C.) hockey association he told me himself that so many of the families that come in say that they tune-in every Saturday night. It’s definitely grown the game for sure.

YS: Do you think your love of hockey helped you assimilate quicker to Canadian culture?

HS: I’m sure a lot of people out there – hockey is the fabric of Canadian culture and when you look different sometimes you need an icebreaker with some of your classmates and I think hockey really does that in Canada. I can tell you for sure there were a number of friends of mine when I was growing up in small town southern Alberta (Brooks, Alta.) – and a number of these guys wouldn’t have been my friend had it not been for them thinking it was cool that I knew a lot about hockey. It allowed me to have friends from different backgrounds and circles and cliques so, I really think my childhood would have been immensely different had I not had this outward passion for hockey there.

YS: What advice would you give to one of those kids being told, ‘You’ve got to be realistic’ or your chances are slim-to-none?

HS: My advice would be if I can do it, so can you and to go for it. We have all these opportunities out there. I think the world has changed a lot since the days when my parents came (to Canada) in the 1960s, where my dad (lost a job offer to discrimination). It’s a night and day difference to what the climate was before so I think in Canada especially, you can be proud of your heritage and still be a contributing Canadian. I’m a kid from Brooks, Alberta and if I could do it, so could anyone else.