Color of Hockey: Indo-Canada Cup Ball Hockey Tournament keeps growing

William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog since 2012. Douglas joined NHL.com in 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, as part of NHL.com's celebration of Asian Pacific Islander Month, he profiles the Indo-Canada Cup Ball Hockey Tournament that was held in Calgary May 5-7.

How meaningful is the Indo-Canada Cup Ball Hockey tournament in the country's South Asian community?

Enough that Edmonton Oilers TV lead reporter and host Tony Brar flew from Las Vegas after the Oilers' 5-1 win at the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 2 of the Western Conference Second Round on May 6, hopped in his car around 1 a.m. and drove three hours to Calgary to join the Edmonton Kings, his ball hockey team at the tournament.

"He was, like, 'Guys, if the Oilers game doesn't go into overtime or double overtime, I'll be there on Sunday,'" said Arjun Dhaliwal, a Kings forward. "He got into Calgary at about 4, 4:30 a.m., and he was up at 7:30 a.m., ready to go for our 10 a.m. game. This tournament, it's something that guys take seriously."

The biennial Indo-Canada Cup returned May 5-7 bigger and better than ever after skipping 2020 due to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

The tournament, which began in 2008 with six teams and 122 players, grew this year to 22 teams and nearly 500 players who competed in four divisions at three arenas across Calgary.

Its growth is a testament to the importance and appeal of ball hockey within Canada's South Asian community, said Dampy Brar, co-founder with Lali Toor of Apna Hockey, an initiative that provides a network and support for South Asian hockey players.

"A lot of our community didn't get a chance to play ice hockey, and ball hockey and street hockey are their outlet," said Brar, who won the Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award in 2019-20. "They would play Game 7s of the Stanley Cup on their street in front of their houses, and it became special to them because it was a way of playing the game."

Apna Hockey and ball hockey player Jason Eapen co-organized the tournament, which the NHL and Calgary Flames helped sponsor. Hockey Equality, a nonprofit organization founded by Sportsnet hockey analyst and retired NHL forward Anthony Stewart to increase diversity in the sport, hosted a youth hockey game at the tournament.

"We are thrilled to support the Indo-Canada Cup, it epitomizes so many great things about our sport, the respect, teamwork, and community building is on full display," said Donny Khan, Senior Director of the NHL's Hockey Development & Strategic Collaboration Group. "It beautifully demonstrates that hockey, in all its forms, on and off the ice, teaches important life lessons and builds character.

"Dampy and Lali's work with Apna Hockey continues to welcome new players to our game, continually creating role models for the next generation as they make our game more diverse in North America."

Dampy Brar, no relation to Tony Brar, said he was especially pleased to see more women participating in the Indo-Canada Cup, which included a three-team women's division.

Manprit Aujla-Grewal, a forward who played for the Alberta Ice Queens, said she hopes the division will inspire more girls and women to take up ball hockey.

"The tournament, for me, is important because it allows women with an Indo-Canadian background to participate alongside the guys," said Aujla-Grewal, who began playing ball hockey 15 years ago. "I hope this tournament continues to grow and makes women of all skill levels comfortable to come out and play."

The tournament honored Robin Bawa, who became the first NHL player of Indian descent when he debuted with the Washington Capitals against the Philadelphia Flyers on October 6, 1989.

The most valuable players in each of the tournament's four divisions received autographed replica jerseys of the four NHL teams Bawa played for. He had seven points (six goals, one assist) in 61 games for the Capitals, Vancouver Canucks, San Jose Sharks and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim from 1989-94.

Dhaliwal's Kings won the tournament's A Division, and he received a signed Bawa Canucks jersey as the division MVP. He said he didn't know much about Bawa before the tournament, but after he learned about Bawa's history, Dhaliwal said he'll always treasure the jersey.

"He was a terrific Punjabi player," Dhaliwal said. "It felt so nice to realize, wow, we had somebody doing this at such a high level from our community 40 years ago, it's super-cool. Being in the NHL is not a small deal."

In addition to the Kings, the Toronto Young Stars won the Indo-Canada Cup's B Division, the Scarborough Warriors took the C Division and the Alberta Royals won the women's division.

Photos: Dampy Brar, Manprit Aujla-Grewal, Arjun Dhaliwal