Canada Punjabi Community Feels "Canucks Fever"

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Punjabi community feels 'Canucks fever'


BY STEPHANIE LAW, VANCOUVER SUN JUNE 13, 2011


Prayers, a popular bhangra song and Punjabi-language hockey broadcasts have propelled the Sikh community fulltilt into the Vancouver Canucks' run for the Stanley Cup.

"Canucks fever has taken over the Punjabi community," said music producer Nick Chowlia, who teamed up with Abbotsford bhangra singer Sony Dhugga and lyricist Kulvir Sahota to create a tribute song for the team after Game 2.

Called Canucks Waleyan Ne, or Paying Tribute to the Canucks, it's been aired on a regular basis on the Punjabi station RedFM and on the CBC.

"It's got catchy beats and lyrics that everyone can relate to, so it gets them going and gets people's bodies bumpin'," said Chowlia.

On a more spiritual level, some Sikhs are praying for the Canucks, as some remember doing in 1994 during a previous Stanley Cup run.

Sukminder Virk, a director at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara society, recalled going to the temple to pray for the Canucks during the second intermission of the final game against the New York Rangers in 1994.

"A bunch of us walked to the prayer room and prayed that the Canucks would score and tie the game," he said. Today, Virk is a little older and a bit more confident about the team."I don't think the Canucks need the prayers. They're going to win it."

The Sikh temple did a prayer for the Canucks, but it was a one-time only event. Aside from that, Virk said, the society tells those who want to pray for the team to do it individually.

One of the other things that has sparked more engagement in the Sikh community is that Hockey Night in Canada is broadcasting the games live in Punjabi.

Virk said even his mom, who didn't used to follow hockey, is watching now because it's in a language she understands.

"When I'm watching in Vancouver or Surrey somewhere, my mom would call me and be like, 'Oh no! The Canucks are losing!' or 'Yes! They're winning!'" he said. As for the Canucks' tribute song, it's in the bhangra style, which originated in the Punjab region in India. It incorporates sounds from traditional instruments like the dhol drum and the Indian harmonium, as well as a "Go Canucks Go" cheer recorded from a live crowd.

The YouTube video for the song was posted last Thursday and had close to 20,000 views as of Sunday.

Song composer Chowlia, who is also a host on RedFM, said he didn't expect it to garner so much attention.

He said the group behind it just wanted a song to show their support and capture how the Punjabi community is getting behind the team.

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Rookie Brad Marchand leads Bruins to Stanley Cup in Game 7
By Greg Wyshynski


Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand(notes) jumped up and down screaming after the puck sailed into the empty Vancouver Canucks net, knowing that his rookie season would conclude as the hero of Game 7 in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.
Marchand scored 2 goals and added an assist as the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup championship, 4-0 in Vancouver. It was the franchise's first NHL title since 1972.
A tenacious 23-year-old forward whose agitating game has earned him comparisons to Bruins great Ken "The Rat" Linseman, Marchand had two goals and an assist in the win. The goals gave him 11 for the playoffs, increasing the Boston rookie playoff record he broke with the opening tally in the Bruins' Game 6 victory.
But the backbone of the Boston Cup victory was Tim Thomas(notes), the 37-year-old blue-collar netminder who outplayed and outclassed his heralded counterpart Roberto Luongo(notes) in the seven-game series.
Thomas won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, stopping 201 of 209 shots for the series.
"I can't believe it's over," said Thomas on NBC after the game. "Being the last game, we didn't save anything. That was the difference."
Luongo gave up 15 goals in three games in Boston, but had stopped 95 of 97 shots in his previous three wins at home. After making some candid comments about Tim Thomas's goaltending style after Game 5, Luongo surrendered seven goals to two for Thomas in the final two games.
"I told him 'I want you to know you're a great goalie,'" Thomas said when asked what he told Luongo on the postgame handshake line. Luongo had previously complained that Thomas didn't "pump his tires" during the series while Luongo had complimented him.
The Vancouver Canucks, the League's best team in the regular season, remained without a Stanley Cup since joining the NHL in 1970, losing in the Final for the third time. Boston won the last two games of the series to claim the Stanley Cup, becoming the first team in the series to win a game on the road with their Game 7 victory.
Boston broke through at 14:37 of the first period.

Patrice Bergeron(notes) lost a faceoff in the offensive zone, but rookie Marchand alertly skated in to gain possession. He curled around defenseman Sami Salo(notes), allowing his teammates to plant themselves in front of Luongo. Mark Recchi(notes), the 22-year-veteran, allowed the pass to slip by to Bergeron, who scored low to Luongo's right for the 1-0 lead.


See all videos at this link http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/pu...nd-leads-Bruins-to-Stanley-Cup?urn=nhl-wp7298

 

[spnadmin]

Rookie Brad Marchand leads Bruins to Stanley Cup in Game 7
By Greg Wyshynski


Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand(notes) jumped up and down screaming after the puck sailed into the empty Vancouver Canucks net, knowing that his rookie season would conclude as the hero of Game 7 in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.

Marchand scored 2 goals and added an assist as the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup championship, 4-0 in Vancouver. It was the franchise's first NHL title since 1972.

A tenacious 23-year-old forward whose agitating game has earned him comparisons to Bruins great Ken "The Rat" Linseman, Marchand had two goals and an assist in the win. The goals gave him 11 for the playoffs, increasing the Boston rookie playoff record he broke with the opening tally in the Bruins' Game 6 victory.

But the backbone of the Boston Cup victory was Tim Thomas(notes), the 37-year-old blue-collar netminder who outplayed and outclassed his heralded counterpart Roberto Luongo(notes) in the seven-game series.

Thomas won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, stopping 201 of 209 shots for the series.

"I can't believe it's over," said Thomas on NBC after the game. "Being the last game, we didn't save anything. That was the difference."
Luongo gave up 15 goals in three games in Boston, but had stopped 95 of 97 shots in his previous three wins at home. After making some candid comments about Tim Thomas's goaltending style after Game 5, Luongo surrendered seven goals to two for Thomas in the final two games.

"I told him 'I want you to know you're a great goalie,'" Thomas said when asked what he told Luongo on the postgame handshake line. Luongo had previously complained that Thomas didn't "pump his tires" during the series while Luongo had complimented him.

The Vancouver Canucks, the League's best team in the regular season, remained without a Stanley Cup since joining the NHL in 1970, losing in the Final for the third time. Boston won the last two games of the series to claim the Stanley Cup, becoming the first team in the series to win a game on the road with their Game 7 victory.

Boston broke through at 14:37 of the first period.

Patrice Bergeron(notes) lost a faceoff in the offensive zone, but rookie Marchand alertly skated in to gain possession. He curled around defenseman Sami Salo(notes), allowing his teammates to plant themselves in front of Luongo. Mark Recchi(notes), the 22-year-veteran, allowed the pass to slip by to Bergeron, who scored low to Luongo's right for the 1-0 lead.


See all videos at this link http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/pu...nd-leads-Bruins-to-Stanley-Cup?urn=nhl-wp7298