Sports
Rubber di Tikki
THE NATIONAL POST
The following - Maple Leafs broadcaster Parminder Singh's top five Punjabi ice-hockey terms - is taken from The Toronto Book of Everything (MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc.), now available at bookstores everywhere.
Parminder Singh loves everything about Toronto. He is a co-host of OMNI TV's Chardi Kalaa and host of the Punjabi health show, Thuadi Sehat.
Parminder started his broadcasting career as an intern with 680 Sports and is currently the voice of CBC's Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition (alongwith Harnarayan Singh). [CBC - The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - is Canada's leading TV channel.]
Parminder Singh has also called games for the NBA's Toronto Raptors and MLS's Toronto FC.
1. Rubber tikki: Hockey puck. A puck in French is called "rondell." In Punjabi, no such term exists. However, we do have a tasty potato appetizer that is discus in shape, very similar to a puck called an "aloo tikki" (potato tikki). Hence, I decided to use the term "rubber tikki" or just "tikki," very similar in sound to rubber "ducky."
2. Chapaid shot: Slap shot! Can also be used in its singular form as, "Ooh, he just got a chapaid from his momma!"
3. Chukk de phate!: This call is used very loosely as in after a great play. Feel free to say chukde phate to a friend, co-worker or employee after a job well done.
4. Barfing: Icing. Ice in the Punjabi language translates to "burf." However, there is no plural form for "burf." When icing is the call during the game, I use the term "barfing." Here is what a call may sound like when translated into English. "The Leafs barfed the puck!"
5. Mahriaa shot, keeta goal!: You guessed it! I did not forget about Foster Hewitt's iconic phrase "He shoots, he scores!"
　
August 23, 2009
Conversation about this article
1: Dharamveer Singh (Mumbai, India), August 24, 2009, 9:10 AM.
Parminder Singh and Harnarayan Singh ji, we're proud of you! Well, we do a lot of this kind of commentary here amongst friends when a game goes on. However, the job you accomplish there is giving the Sikh community Ice-Hockey served as Paratha and Lassi. Great going, guys! Someday, I hope to get a chance to hear your commentary.
2: Irvinder Singh Babra (Brantford, Ontario, Canada), August 24, 2009, 10:28 PM.
Wah, wah, Dharamveer Singh, great comments!