Toronto
‘Isang laro, pitong wika’
Filipino among seven languages
By Ysh Cabana
‘Isang laro, pitong wika.’ For the first time in the history of Canada’s Saturday hockey night will be presented in seven additional languages—including Tagalog (Filipino).
The Hockey Night in Canada (HNIC) broadcast will be in multiple languages that were deemed to be among the most spoken languages in the country: Cantonese, Mandarin, Hindi, Vietnamese, Tagalog, German, and Arabic.
According to a press release from Sportsnet and Molson Canadian, who are sponsoring the initiative, the seven languages were chosen because they are “the most commonly spoken in each Canadian city with an associated National Hockey League (NHL) team and represent the mosaic of current and prospective hockey fans coast to coast.”
In addition to the regular network broadcasts in English, French and Punjabi, games in the all-Canadian North Division will be livestreamed with commentary in the seven additional languages.
“Hockey is a great sport and a key part of the cultural fabric in Canada, but it’s not the most diverse sport, in terms of the player base, and it’s not the easiest sport for consumers to follow,” said Joy Ghosh, a senior brand director for the Molson family of brands, which is presenting the broadcast. “There’s a pretty distinct hockey lingo, the broadcast can be quite quick if you’re new to the sport, and obviously it’s a little harder to get into, especially if you’re new to Canada.”
Ghosh noted that approximately 22 percent of Canadians are foreign-born, with an additional 350,000 people coming into the country during an average year (during non-COVID-19 times). Molson, he said, intends to drum up interest in the broadcast by courting coverage in Canada’s local ethnic groups.
“There are challenges when it comes to diversity and inclusion in the sport,” Ghosh acknowledged. “But as a key part of our cultural identity, I think it’s so important to make the sport feel more inclusive.
For hockey star Matt Dumba, who is Filipino-Canadian, there’s plenty more work to be done to ensure, in the words of the NHL’s own initiative, that hockey is for everyone. He has been a member of the Hockey Diversity Alliance, a group of current and former NHL players of color formed in the wake of George Floyd’s death last year.
With the news that police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty recently, the Minnesota Wild defenceman said he hopes the verdict generates change in the fight for racial justice.
While initiatives to combat racism and lack of diversity were at the forefront during the playoff bubbles in Edmonton and Toronto last summer, the NHL still has the highest proportion of white players of any of the North American professional sports, according to FiveThirtyEight.
For Ghosh, this weekend’s HNIC multilingual edition is a step toward encouraging kids of more diverse backgrounds to play at the grassroots level.
“I think language is such a powerful tool. Making it more inclusive, making it more accessible is always a good first step. Getting more people to view the sport in a different way, engaging with your family members across multi-generational households, which often a lot of these multi-cultural households are, brings people together.”
In a tweet, Sportsnet reporter Hazel Mae said she can’t wait for the broadcast. “For the first time, dad will be able to cheer on his Leafs in his first language, Tagalog!”
Hockey fans will hear the commentators and analysts through Spalk, a virtual sportscasting studio and commentary platform, in their selected language to be unveiled on Saturday’s stream.
On April 24, games between Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets (7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT), followed by Ottawa Senators vs. Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT) will be featured in the seven multilingual broadcasts. Livestreams can be accessed at Sportsnet.ca/Molson.
