Shankar Premakanthan
When and why did you start playing field hockey?
My dad introduced me to field hockey, and I always enjoyed watching him play as a kid. So in 1996, when the club needed a goalie, I thought I would give it a try (I was already playing as a goalie in ice hockey at the time).
When did you play for Outaouais?
1996-2009 (off and on after I moved to Toronto in 2006).
What are some memories you have of playing for Outaouais?
Some of my best hockey memories have been playing for this club. I really enjoyed the junior tournaments, but especially getting to tour with my dad and the senior team to tournaments in the US (JFK - Washington, Big Apple - New York, Boston Tournament, etc). So many great stories from those trips!
What have you done- field hockey wise - since you last played for Outaouais?
1998-2001 - Canadian - Junior National Team
- 2000 Junior Pan Am Games (3rd Place)
- 2001 Junior World Cup
1999-2006 - Canadian - Senior National Squad
1999-2017 - Canadian Indoor National Team
- 2002 Indoor Pan Am Cup (1st)
- 2003 Indoor World Cup (6th)
- 2005 World Games (4th)
- 2005 Indoor Pan Am Cup (1st)
- 2007 Indoor World Cup (7th)
- 2010 Indoor Pan Am Cup (1st)
- 2011 Indoor World Cup (10th)
- 2014 Indoor Pan Am Cup (1st)
- 2015 Indoor World Cup (12th)
What else have you done that you would like to highlight?
Coaching
University Level -
2007-2011 - University of Toronto
2012 - University of Miami (Ohio)
2014-2017 - York University
National Level
2016 - Ontario U16 Team
2017 - Ontario U-18 Team
2018 - Ontario U-18 Team
2019 - Ontario U-23 Team
International
Canadian U-18 Men's team (Hockey 5s)
2018 - Pan American Championship (3rd)
2018 - Youth Olympics Games (10th)
Canadian U-21 Men's Team
2019 - UK Tour
Canadian Women's Indoor National Team
2018 - Present
2021 Indoor Pan American Championships (2nd)
Canadian Indoor Classic
- for the past 10 Years I have been running an Indoor Tournament (out of Waterloo) called the Canadian Indoor Classic.
- we have had teams from all over Canada, the US and South America participate.
- we have even had officials from Europe participate
- the goal of the tournament is to help promote indoor in Canada, as well as work to raise & develop the game
As you have kept on playing/being involved with field hockey - what words of advice would you give a young person playing field hockey - especially if they wanted to play elite/advanced?
The best advice I could give to a young athlete playing field hockey, is always have fun playing the game. For those looking to get to the higher levels, have clear goals and remember those goals (they will help get you through the tough times). And most importantly, always keep learning. What kept me at the top of the indoor team for so many years, was that I was constantly learning & evolving my game.
Currently my biggest motivation for my continued involvement in hockey is that I am looking to give back to this amazing sport as much as I can. I want to help give others the same or better opportunities than I had myself.
