Randip Janda

With 10-plus years in sports broadcasting, Randip Janda has become one of Canada’s leading bilingual broadcasters. Randip currently is the host of Hockey Night in Canada Punjabi and is colour commentator of Vancouver Canucks broadcasts on Sportsnet 650. Janda is the first full time radio commentator of South Asian heritage in NHL history.

Randip began his broadcasting career with OMNI Television, amassing editorial and production experience with OMNI News. In 2014, he stepped out from behind the camera to join Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition as a host. Fluent in both English and Punjabi, Janda joined Sportsnet 650 as a host in his hometown of Vancouver in August of 2017, before becoming colour commentator of Canucks hockey on Sportsnet 650 in 2022.

Throughout his 10-plus years in sports, Janda has covered a wide range of live sporting events and interviewed some of the biggest names and newsmakers in sports.

Gurp Sian

He joined the Hockey Night in Canada Punjabi team in the 2015 season as a colour commentator and analyst. Like many Canadians, he grew up watching Hockey Night in Canada and fell in love with the sport playing street hockey in his hometown of Clearwater, BC. Gurp is an avid sports fan, having played competitive basketball and volleyball in high school and on the men’s volleyball team at Langara College.

In addition to his role on HNIC Punjabi, Gurp is also a dancer, musician, and cultural creator, while serving as the Executive Director of South Asian Arts Society. His long time involvement in the arts has been a key contributor for his love of Punjabi language and culture. He is a faculty member at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, where he teaches Intro to Bhangra Dance, and he has performed at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, the JUNO Awards with Russell Peters, and at each of the Vancouver Canucks Diwali Celebrations since 2018.

Gurp infuses elements of his artistic background into the HNIC Punjabi broadcast every Saturday night on OMNI Television!

Harpreet Pandher

Harpreet joined the Hockey Night in Canada in Punjabi team in the 2014 season as an analyst. Like many Canadians born and raised in Canada, he grew up watching Hockey Night in Canada and becoming a passionate hockey fan. Harpreet has been active in the Greater Vancouver ball hockey scene, playing in Premier Division in BC and playing at the National Level in Canada.

His passion for hockey is only matched with his affection for the Punjabi language and culture. Harpreet grew up watching Kabaddi and also played two seasons for New Westminster Kabaddi Club. He has also appeared in small roles in Punjabi films.

Harpreet says his dream was to become an NHL broadcaster. To have that opportunity and do it in Punjabi makes it incredibly special.

In addition to his role on Hockey Night in Canada in Punjabi, he keeps busy as a Realtor (UBC Sauder School of Business 2007), helping out on the family blueberry farm in the summer, and assisting clients with addictions, as he attained a diploma in Professional Counselling (V.C.C.T. 2012)

Taqdeer Thindal

Growing up as a passionate hockey fan, Taqdeer always dreamt of pursuing a career in broadcasting. His enthusiasm for hockey began after watching his first live NHL game at the age of 4 and playing ball hockey in North Delta throughout his childhood.

In 2015 his dream came true as he became part of the Hockey Night in Canada in Punjabi team as an analyst and colour commentator. Since then, Taqdeer has been honored to work on the show and serve the Punjabi community while promoting the language. He hopes to inspire more South Asian youth to pursue their dreams and be involved in the sport of Hockey.

When Taqdeer is not talking hockey, he is busy selling real estate in the lower mainland as a licensed realtor, volunteering at the local Gurudwara, or enjoying a round of golf.

Amrit Gill

Amrit became the first woman on Hockey Night in Canada’s Punjabi Edition in 2015. Her work focuses on telling stories that include recognizing individuals whose trials and tribulations in sport have been vastly underrepresented.
Her passion for diverse storytelling and emphasis on digital strategy has not only played a pivotal role in the show’s success but has helped reduce the greatest barrier in hockey today, accessibility.
Amrit is also a Producer with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment’s diversity, equity and inclusion content team. At MLSE, Amrit’s work focuses on empowering marginalized communities and helping to challenge the systematic barriers they face in professional, societal and political environments through sport.

Mantar Bhandal

Mantar joined Hockey Night Punjabi at the beginning of the 2017-2018 season as a play-by-play commentator and analyst. As a young kid, Mantar fell in love with the game of hockey. At 10 years old he joined minor hockey and played 4 seasons as a goaltender. He loved the game right from the beginning and fell in love with commentary immediately. He would often call the play from the bench during games he wasn’t in the net, and would mute his television at home and provide his own commentary while he watched NHL games. During high-school he decided he would pursue play-by-play as a career, and graduated from the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) with a diploma in Radio Arts and Entertainment.

During his time in post-secondary, he called the play for the North Vancouver Wolfpack of the PJHL, a Junior B team. He called games once a week on top of his studies in school. After 2 seasons with the team, and upon graduating BCIT, he moved on to Junior A hockey when he landed the play-by-play commentary job for the Merritt Centennials of the BCHL. In his lone season with Merritt in 2016-2017, he left behind some goal calls and passion the city would never forget, with no less than 3 overtime game winning goal calls in the team’s playoff run as they swept the defending National RBC Cup champion West Kelowna Warriors in the 1st round before ultimately losing the Penticton Vees in 7 games in round 2.

In his free time, Mantar enjoys making music, lifting heavy weights, and loves Japanese sports cars.