Hockey Night in Canada has closed a major chapter, ending its Punjabi-language broadcast after 18 seasons on Canadian television.
The program's official social media accounts confirmed the news Friday, thanking viewers for what became an 18-year run connecting Punjabi-speaking fans with NHL hockey every Saturday night.
The timing carries weight. The show's conclusion comes as the Rogers-CBC NHL sublicensing agreement reaches its end, marking another change around one of Canadian hockey's most recognizable broadcast brands.
Hockey Night in Canada in Punjabi grew well beyond its original role as an alternate-language telecast. It became a regular part of the Saturday night routine for families and hockey fans across the country.
Its broadcasters brought their own energy to the game, with calls and reactions that regularly travelled beyond the Punjabi-speaking audience. The presentation helped create a distinct identity rather than simply reproducing the English broadcast.
That made Friday's farewell sting. Fans quickly filled social media with messages about what the show meant to them and the place it had earned in Canadian hockey culture.
An 18-season run comes to an abrupt finish for HNIC Punajbi
The bigger question now is whether anything replaces it. No broader network announcement has laid out plans for another Punjabi NHL broadcast or explained whether the concept could return under a different arrangement.
That uncertainty leaves a real hole heading into the next era of NHL broadcasting in Canada. The program had already established an audience and a recognizable group of voices around the league.
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It also gave Canadian hockey something bigger than another Saturday night feed. The show opened the door for fans who wanted to experience NHL games in a language spoken inside their own homes.
The reaction to its departure reflects that connection. Viewers didn't treat Friday's announcement like a routine programming change. For many, it felt like losing part of the weekly hockey schedule.
After 18 seasons, that's the legacy the broadcast leaves behind. It became familiar, loud, entertaining and distinctly Canadian.
Whether those voices return somewhere else remains unanswered. But for now, one of Hockey Night in Canada's longest-running modern traditions is officially finished.
Should Hockey Night in Canada find a way to bring back the Punjabi broadcast?
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