“On the ice, did go through quite a bit… I didn’t have a mentor, and had no one to talk to other than my dad… so it was difficult navigating Triple-A and all that kind of stuff. I did face racism, systemic racism… but instead of just making a big deal later on in life, (I would ask) how do we find solutions to these problems? So at the age of 25 Apna Hockey was born… and the word apna meant so much to me, I wanted to connect the community, and that’s how it all started.” - Lali Toor 

This episode of TURN Sports features two remarkable guests from Apna Hockey, Tanroop Mahal and Lali Toor. Tanroop Mahal, a Human Resources student from the JR Shaw School of Business, is the social media lead for Apna Hockey and has been instrumental in connecting South Asian fans across Canada to make hockey more inclusive. Lali Toor is the co-founder of Apna Hockey, a non-profit organization that aims to grow the game and develop talent within Canada’s South Asian community. His personal experiences in minor hockey and his passion for creating a sense of belonging have fueled the success of Apna Hockey, and together with co-founder Dampy Brar, Lali is not only impacting the hockey community in Canada but also planting the seeds for the sport’s growth in India. Lali and Tanroop join Navin to discuss what Apna Hockey is, their goals and aspirations, social media and content creation, their thoughts on the NHL playoffs, steps the league can take in order to grow the game, and much more in this episode. 

At the beginning of their discussion, Lali gives a breakdown of what Apna Hockey is and what it is about (2:06), what inspired him to create the organization (3:06), how Tanroop got involved with Apna Hockey (4:58), how the organization has evolved and what has changed since its conception (6:38), what the Willie O’Ree Award is (9:36), and what changes Tanroop has seen on the Social Media and Content Creation side (10:44). Then Lali and Navin talk about the recent South Asian events and Heritage Nights (13:59), the average cost for someone looking to get into playing hockey (18:06), plans and events Apna Hockey has upcoming in the future (20:00), upcoming content on the social media side (23:06), ball hockey experiences (25:29), rapid-fire questions for Lali and Tanroop (27:25), their thoughts on the NHL playoffs so far (30:40), and predictions on the remaining series (34:01). Next Navin, Lali, and Tanroop talk about the possibility of partnering with different leagues in regard to the sport of Hockey and the possibility of creating something similar to a South Asian Olympics (37:39), what the possible business steps the NHL can take in order to grow the game (40:53), whether a series similar to F1’s “Drive to Survive” would find the same success in the NHL (45:31), Lali’s idea to grow the game (47:10), other ideas in order to spike viewership in the NHL (49:08), the possibility of a 3 on 3 hockey league (51:17), and advice that both Tanroop and Lali have for the listeners (53:06).  

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