We’re Pakistani. We’re new Canadians. And we’re coming, not just one kid at a time, but entire families. I’ve got five kids, all in the system. My oldest is U16 AAA this year, logged major minutes on the PK, plays shutdown D, and still chips in offensively. Coaches love him because he’s disciplined, doesn’t chirp, doesn’t party, and just wants to work. I don’t need to say too much about him, the scouts are already watching.
But he’s just the beginning.
The real story is the next wave. I’ve got four more in the pipeline, all younger, all hungry, all raised on halal protein, backyard stickhandling sessions, and not a second of Fortnite. They’re not interested in cricket, that’s old world. This new generation? They’re all about the CHL, the Frozen Four, and yes, making it. I go to public skating on weekends and I see brown families flooding the rinks. Whole communities showing up now. It’s not a one-off anymore.
We’ve figured out the game. Not just the on-ice part, but the politics, the camps, the spring teams, the off-season grind, the gear, the development tracks. We’re investing, we’re networking, and we’re not here to make up numbers.
You can scoff, roll your eyes, say it’s just a phase, but I’ve been around long enough now to see what’s happening. A generation ago, our parents were putting us in cricket leagues. Now we’re the dads, and we’re putting our kids into power skating at age 4 and hiring shooting coaches before they hit Novice.
You think your kid’s got a lock on that AAA spot? Better hope he’s working, because my 12-year-old just passed him in development, and he only picked up the sport three years ago. This is what happens when you combine work ethic with opportunity.
Call it what you want. I call it the Brown Wave. It’s real, it’s growing, and it’s not slowing down.
See you at tryouts.