Field Hockey Canada was saddened by the news that Shiv Chopra, a tireless contributor to the development of hockey in Ottawa, passed away on January 7, 2018.
Shiv was born in India and graduated from the Punjab Veterinary College before moving to Canada in 1964. He further studied at McGill University in Montreal, earning a PhD in Microbiology, and started a career as a drug evaluator with Health Canada. His professional activities and uncompromising positions in the domain of food safety are well documented, as well as his courageous whistle-blowing in the health sector.
Shiv also brought with him from India his passion for field hockey and he promptly created the Indo-Canada club in Ottawa to encourage young people in the community to play this sport. He also became President of the Eastern Region Association of the Ontario Field Hockey Association (now Field Hockey Ontario).
In 2002, Anil and Sandeep Chopra, Shiv’s sons, who had clearly inherited their Dad’s passion for the sport and his drive for contributing to the community, created the Nepean Nighthawks FHC, a club that grew quickly and is still going very strong. Shiv was a regular at all events organized in Nepean, an enthusiastic supporter, appreciative of the hockey played by the younger generation and always on hand to give away awards at the end of a day of play.
He was extremely proud when his grandson, Rohan Chopra, was selected to represent Canada at the Junior World Cup in India, and did not hesitate to get up in the middle of the night to watch the matches streamed from Lucknow.
Field Hockey Canada would like to acknowledge Shiv’s contribution to the development of field hockey in Eastern Canada, and convey to Shiv’s family the sincere condolences of the Canadian field hockey community.
