On Language Log, Bill Poser introduces some links as follows:

Hockey is not a popular sport in the Punjab but it is THE sport in Canada, which now has a large Punjabi population. An interesting example of cultural integration is the fact that CBC Sports now has hockey commentary in Punjabi.

I found this highly bizarre, since some knowledge of Empire indicates that hockey is most certainly popular in the Punjab. But then I realized – as did the two other commenters – that he means ice hockey.

Here are some personalities in Punjab hockey (the real thing).

Born on October 10, 1951, Surjit Singh played for Lyallpur Khalsa College under Guru Nanak Dev University and later for Combined Universities team as deep defender. Surjit Singh made his international debut in the second World Cup Hockey Tournament in Amsterdam in 1973. He was a member of the Indian team which under the leadership of charismatic leader Ajit Pal Singh won the third World Cup Hockey Tournament at Kuala Lumpur in 1975. He also participated in the fifth World Cup Hockey Tournament, the 1974 and 1978 Asian Games, 1976 Montreal Olympic Games Surjit Singh was acclaimed as one of the best full backs in the world. In 1973 he was included in the World Hockey XI. Next year he was a member of the All-Star Hockey XI. Surjit Singh was also the top scorer-both in the Esanda International hockey Tournament at Perth in Australia and the 1978 Asian Games. During his hockey career Surjit Singh was concerned about players cause. Surjit Singh served the Indian Airlines for a few years. Later he joined the Punjab Police.

Not a word about Canada there. Btw, what are they wearing on their heads – is it a symbolic version of a turban designed to play hockey in?

In other sports news, we are used to the phenomenon of important tennis matches only being shown on TV here if a German is playing. The culmination of this is that German news programmes are now obliged to show American basketball, but only because of Dirk Nowitzki. Right now, the Dallas Mavericks are doing very well.

Dirk Werner Nowitzki (German pronunciation: [ˈdɪʁk ˈvɛʁnɐ noˈvɪtski]) (born June 19, 1978) is a German professional basketball player who plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). An alumnus of Röntgen Gymnasium and DJK Würzburg basketball club, Nowitzki was drafted ninth overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1998 NBA Draft, and was immediately traded to the Mavericks, where he has played ever since. Standing at 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m), Nowitzki plays the power forward position but also has the mobility, size, and shooting ability to play the other frontcourt positions, center and small forward.