Why Ontario minor league hockey is looking for more diverse players

The Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) is hoping a new multi-language campaign will help spread the love for the game to families who didn't necessarily grow up with the sport — and boost its numbers in the process. 

The campaign wants to remind people why hockey, in all its forms, is Canada's favourite pastime.

The simple answer? Because it's fun.

That's a sentiment that Arjun Kalirai, a 17-year-old Brampton 45's player, agrees with. 

"It kind of gets me away from my personal life and...I can zone out," he told CBC Toronto. "Even if I have stuff going on, I'm glad hockey's kind of an outlet for me."

Kalirai's 15-year-old brother – and fellow Brampton 45's player – shares that love for the game.

"It's fun. It's competitive. I've been doing it since I was a kid and I've always loved it," Arjeet Kalirai said.

The brothers both started playing hockey in Brampton when they were each five years old. Since then, they've come up in a thriving local hockey community, they said. 

It's that kind of growing hockey scene that the OMHA wants to encourage all over the province. The OMHA – which says it is the largest minor hockey association in the world with around 100,00 participants – told CBC Toronto that player enrolment numbers are still down since the pandemic. At it's general meeting for 2022, the association reported 74,278  registrations, which it said is approximately 85 per cent of the registrations in the last pre-COVID season.

That's why it's launched a new campaign to try and attract new players, including those from families who are new to Canada.

Campaign aims to attract more newcomers

The "Hockey Is Fun" campaign is currently running on social media, with videos in English, but also Mandarin and Punjabi.

OMHA executive director, Ian Taylor, says including these other languages in marketing materials is a first in the OMHA's 88-year history.

"We're endeavouring to bring new families and new players to our game," he said. "We want to bring hockey and show that that's a place where it's fun, it's safe, [and] it's inclusive."

The OMHA collects a portion of registration fees that are collected and used by local minor hockey associations. 

Arjun Kalirai said he's already seeing more diversity in hockey in recent years. 

"I'm glad it's more diverse," he said. "I feel like more people are represented and I feel like it's good having a variety of people on your team."

The campaign also aims to attract more younger people to hockey in general. Taylor said he believes the sport can provide them with many of the skills they'll need later on in life.

"You can continue to coach, you can officiate, you can keep playing as as an adult," he said. "It's something that will carry through your whole life."

Enjoying the game doesn't always require ice

Hockey isn't just about getting people on the ice, said Vinay Intwala, an OMHA campaign ambassador and a first-generation Canadian whose family immigrated from India in the 1970s. 

"It's not about playing ice hockey. It's just about getting a stick in someone's hand and actually trying to encourage [them to understand the game]," he said. 

Even families without the funds to pay for enrolment and gear can get enjoyment from the game by playing street hockey, Intwala said.

"Hockey is a sport that should be accessible to all," he said. "As individuals, we watch a lot of it on TV and that doesn't mean that it's only for someone on TV…You just need to stick and a ball."

For families worried about the costs associated with a new sport, the OMHA offers programs to help with things like the cost of gear.

"We have full sets of equipment that that we give to associations that can essentially use those as as loaner kits," Taylor said. "Much the same way you would just take out a library book, you'd be able to use the equipment that way."

He encourages parents who are interested in registering their children to check out the OMHA's Parent Kit, which includes tips on how to equip children, and how they can find the appropriate hockey association across the province.