Canadian hockey pride: Ludhiana’s Panesar bros
CHANDIGARH : Hockey was his first love, but financial constraints didn’t let Balbir Singh Panesar, a resident of Chacharali village in Ludhiana, pursue his dream. He had to move to Canada in 1976, four years after his father Waryam Singh had migrated there for greener pastures.
Balbir, then 14 , gave up his passion to help his father to support the family. But four decades later, Panesar’s two sons have realised his dream. The siblings — Sukhpal and Balraj —have made it to the Canadian hockey team and are part of the country’s contingent for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games that kick off on Wednesday.
“It is a memorable movement for the family. As a hockey lover, what more can Balbir ji ask for. Both of his sons have made it to the national squad for a prestigious outing such as Commonwealth Games,” says former Canadian hockey Olympian Sukhwinder Singh, who has closely seen Panesar brothers graduating to the international level.
Balbir along with his wife will be in Gold Coast to watch their sons donning the jersey of their adopted country. His elder son Sukhpal, 27, who is known as Sukhi in the hockey circles, made his senior international debut in 2010 and had appeared over 100 games for Canada, including 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and 2016 Rio Olympics. The younger one, Balraj, 25, will be competing in his first major multi-discipline games. He made his international debut in 2014 and has played 27 matches.
CHAMPIONS’ CLUB
United Brother Club, which was established in 1987, traces its lineage to migrated Indians. Balbir, who used to play for the club, introduced his three kids to the sport and eventually Sukhpal and Balraj made it big. “Ours is among the top hockey clubs in Canada and except for the goalkeeper, all other players in the club’s team are of the Indian-origin,” says Sukhwinder.