Ball Hockey Team India

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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Over the past 25 years, Ball Hockey has become one of the most popular sports among the East Indian Community, across Canada.
 
The roots of the Team India Ball Hockey National Program began in 2003 when a joint India-Pakistan team combined to compete at the 2003 World Ball Hockey Championships in Sierre, Switzerland. Team Indo-Pak would win the hearts of fans in Switzerland with their determined play. Once the tourney was over, the seeds would be planted to begin what would become the establishment of the Team India Mens Ball Hockey Program.
 
Before the mens debuted as a country, in June of 2004, for the first time ever there was Team India that competed in a World Junior Ball Hockey Championship in Martin, Slovakia. The Team won Silver Medal in the “B” Pool. The Junior’s also earned the respect of the fans and Opposition, which was highlighted by the publicized match against the Home-Town Slovak’s who were the “A” pool Champions. Team India lost the match 4-1 but lead the game at half point 1-0 and was down only 2-1 with 5 minutes left to play. The Junior Team carried on the legacy of commitment and hard work that the Senior Team Indo-Pak had done a year prior.
 
In February of 2004 to CBC’s “Hockey Day in Canada” aired a Documentary piece on Team India’s unique story, outlining the History of Ball Hockey and its current and future role in the lives of Young & Older East Indian Men.
 
In June of 2005, for the first time in the history of Ball Hockey, players of Indian descent formed the first ever Team India squad to compete in the World Ball Hockey Championship in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The tournament welcomed 16 talented Teams from all over the globe. Forty games in total were played and although Canada or the Czech Republic were expected to bring home the Gold, Team India still had a surprising showing. In what was one of the most surprising stories of the tournament, Team India finished in a respectable 6th place overall. Through our hard work and spirited play, not only did the players of the Team earn the adoration of the American fans but also the respect of the opposing Teams. The competition was fierce but our commitment was fiercer! Although we did not bring home the Championship, we did bring home respect and recognition for our Community and our talented Ball Hockey Players. 
                       
For the 2007 World Championships, held in Ratingen, Germany, Team India assembled once again and finished 7th overall. The result could have been even higher if not for a hard luck result that left India facing the silver medalist Czech Republic in the quarterfinals.
 
Finally at the 2009 World Championships, in Plzen Czech Republic, Team India shocked the world and took the host nation, and heavily favored, Czech Republic, to overtime in the Gold Medal Game. Silver was an incredible finish for our guys and says a lot about our players and their zeal to succeed at the highest level of competition. The 2009 World Championship Final was played in front of 7,000 fans and the game was broadcast in over 60 countries throughout Europe on Eurosport 2. Team India finished ahead of Ball Hockey powerhouse and three-time defending champions Team Canada. The tournament was also followed by many thousands of Indo-Canadians via live webcasts. The success of the team led to features by news publications such as the Indo-Canadian Voice in British Columbia, OMNI Television in Toronto and Sportskeeda from India.
 
All of the members of the 2005, 2007 and 2009 team were from across Canada with ancestral lineage to India. Team India was able to arrange try-outs for East Indian players in both Toronto and Vancouver. Players from Montreal came down to Toronto to attend the try-out and players from Calgary attended the Vancouver camp.
 
Indo-Canadians have made quite a mark on the national game of Canada in both the ball hockey and ice hockey format. As noted above, Team India is currently the 2nd ranked nation in the world in Ball Hockey. On the ice, several Indo-Canadians have achieved success professionally. The pioneer amongst Indians professionally was Robin Bawa. Robin was the first ever player of Indian descent to play in the National Hockey League (NHL). His career spanned from 1989-1994 where he would play for the Washington Capitals, Vancouver Canucks, San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Another individual of Indian descent who is in the midst of a long career in the NHL is Manny Malhotra. Manny was a first round pick of the New York Rangers in 1998. He currently plays for the Vancouver Canuck’s. He has played in over 600 NHL games. A long time member of the American Hockey League and player of Indian descent is Ajay Baines. Ajay is a well-respected player as reflected in being selected as captain of the Hamilton Bulldogs and he has held captaincy posts on previous teams. The future looks promising as well with British Columbia product Prab Rai recently signing a contract with the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL.
 
Then there are those who have experienced playing hockey at the University level and/or professionally and have represented India’s Silver Medal squad. Simren Sandhu, who currently plays for the Ottawa Gee Gee’s of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), has been a two time representative of the Men’s team in 2007 and 2009. He is viewed as one of the present key players of the team and also looked to be one of the leaders in the future. Simren also previously played in the BC Junior Hockey League. Team India offensive sensation Harpreet Kalkat who has been described as the Alexander Ovechkin of Ball Hockey toiled with the Knoxville Ice Bears of the Southern Professional Hockey League. Additionally, Mens Team India Ball Hockey Co-Captain Dampy Brar had a long professional ice hockey career that included stints in the Continental Hockey League (CHL), East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), International Hockey League (IHL) and West Coast Hockey League (WCHL). Along with fellow Co-Captain Smiter Kaila, they are both viewed as two of the brightest talents and respected figures within the Team India Ball Hockey program.
 
The success of the Team India program led to the birth of the first ever Indo-Canadian Cup tournament that took place in Calgary Alberta in May 2008. Five teams from across Canada took part and created great competition and camaraderie. The goal of the tournament was to continue to foster the development of upcoming talent amongst the East Indian community, to establish networks throughout Canada, to create a healthy competitive rivalry amongst the various provinces, and most of all to serve as a positive initiative to keep East Indian youth interested in sport and health. All of the names mentioned from the Mens India Ball Hockey team will be at the Indo-Canada Cup representing their respective provincial club teams. They will be joined by all members of the Team India squad and future rising stars in the game including former Ice Hockey Ontario Hockey League (OHL) player and current player for the York Lions in the CIS, JK Gill. Due to the great success of the 2008 Indo Canadian Cup, the tournament has exploded from five to twelve teams in 2010. This tournament will surely be action-packed and a unifying event for our community on a national level.
 
The success of all the above programs has led us to develop the Indo-Ontario Cup. The goal of the tournament is to develop the sport of ball hockey in the Indian community in Ontario. We realize that the future lies with in our youth and up and coming teams in Ontario.   The Indo-Ontario Cup would be a stepping stone for all of the teams in Ontario to participate at the Indo Canada Cup and the World Championships of ball hockey. 
 
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