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.

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