How a Canucks broadcaster is helping grow hockey in India
He’s already a trailblazer in the hockey community.
And now, the first full-time South Asian colour commentator is on a mission to help grow the game internationally.
Randip Janda has become a household name for Vancouver Canucks fans ever since appearing on Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition, back in 2014. He then ascended to a radio host role on Sportsnet 650 before hopping into the booth alongside Brendan Batchelor as a radio colour commentator in 2022.
“Being Punjabi is a big part of who I am,” Janda said recently on the Locked On Canucks podcast. “It’s a part of me. I love repping the community. It’s a part of my broadcast experience as well.”
“As I started working over the last 12 years in hockey broadcasting, I was always thinking about how I can help grow the game and help players and coaches in India.”
Well, looks like he’s found a path to fulfill that goal.
Janda and Abbotsford Canucks assistant coach Harry Mahesh are traveling to Chandigarh, India in a matter of days to be the faces of the inaugural India Hockey 360 Festival.
“I was in India in February and started talking to some people, and they said the biggest gap we have right now is coaching not only the players but also the coaches, just upskilling everybody,” Janda said.
Janda notes that everything came together fairly quickly, with those initial conversations in February morphing into a full-fledged event this summer.
Randip Janda is on a mission to grow hockey in India. (Randip Janda)
The event will feature workshops for coaches and players already involved in the sport.
“We’re hoping to help not only the actual technical skill, but we’re also talking about your thought process, your leadership skills, and then also just being a part of hockey culture,” Janda said. “I see this as, we’re helping you get the training you need, but also, if we can provide a mentorship element too, that’s important.”
The other aspect of the event is an open invitation to the public for people of all ages to try playing hockey. It’s taking place at the Nexus Elante Chandigarh mall on Saturday, Aug. 1. There should be decent exposure for Janda and the crew, as Nexus Elante Chandigarh reportedly gets an average of 68,000 visitors per day on the weekend.
“Kids come in, they try the sport of hockey, maybe a sport they’ve never heard of or watched before. They walk away with a stick and a ball, and they can shoot the ball wherever they live in the city, the village,” he said. “That’s my hope.”
Canucks broadcaster Randip Janda has often been spotted out in the community. (Randip Janda)
“I always wanted to say ‘okay, this first year, if we’re able to hit 50 to 60 people, players and coaches, that’s 60 more than we did last year.'”
“And, if we’re able to give out 150, 200, 300 sticks, whatever it might be at that mall event, that’s 300 more than was in the past.”
As Canada’s South Asian population has grown to 2.6 million people, hockey has become increasingly woven into that community’s identity. That’s been reflected by pioneers like Janda, and a growing number of South Asian hockey players making a name for themselves.
Canucks fans know all about that, with the likes of Robin Bawa and Arshdeep Bains suiting up for Vancouver. And of course, the Canucks just hired the first South Asian coach in NHL history, Manny Malhotra.
And, in a world where anyone across the planet can access NHL games, there’s a path for Janda and Mahesh to continue growing the game internationally.
“I want people in India to be like, ‘Oh, wait, there are South Asian people that play and broadcast the sport of hockey? Cool. That gives me an avenue, even though I might not be playing. Maybe there’s another way I can work in the sport or get involved in the sport.'”
“There’s going to be kids walking away from the event, going on Google and trying to look up the NHL and NHL hockey.”
That’s what it’s all about.