This article first appeared in the Scroll on June 26, 2024
On a cold Friday afternoon in October 1962, as Canada hosted its first ever field hockey interprovincial game at Caledonia Park in Toronto, one player stood out on the ground: Harinder Jit Singh Rai. Rai was a 31-year-old Indian immigrant who played as a forward. A handsome man with a strong jawline, he had been a part of the University of British Columbia team well before he played for Western Canada against Eastern Canada at Caledonia Park. The zenith of his career came two days after that interprovincial game when the Canada national team went up against the United States in its first international match.