Professional hockey has experienced many developments in the sport over recent years, particularly when it comes to technology. Tech in sport is always an exciting subject because it has the potential to completely change the way we play, watch and judge sport. Several new technological developments were seen at the Hockey Word Cup this September. Read on to discover the technology that is changing the face of hockey.
Player and Puck Tracking
The Hockey World Cup saw the first use of tracking players and pucks in its non-exhibition matches. The league and NHLPA worked with SportVision to use infrared sensors on the back of the players’ jerseys and in the puck. This enabled the tracking of data points, including skating speed, skating distances, puck trajectory and speed, and player location.
The data from the player and puck tracking technology will be used by broadcasters to feature graphics live on replay, in analysis and for in-depth editorial. However, the tracking experiment does not include a tool for fans to interact with the data, which will be a disappointment to some spectators.
Dasherboard Developments
Another tech development during the World Cup of Hockey was digitally-enhanced dasherboard tech during the live games. This provided the ability to replace TV-visible dasherboard ads that have different advertisements. This will allow the league and union to provide advertising options specific to each broadcast feed.
Sponsorship
The event brought in a huge amount of sponsorship revenue. Many new partnerships have been announced, including sponsors from Asia and Europe. It is thought that the event brought in more than $120M in total revenue. Despite the US’s poor showing at the World Cup of Hockey, there has still been much sponsorship interest due to the wide audience that comes from international video streaming.
Video Drills
Technology is also being used at the national and club level to improve training with field hockey drills available online, such as those available at https://www.sportplan.net/drills/Hockey/. These give players useful ways to improve their skills by watching videos with images and discussion about positioning, shooting, tackling, passing and more.
Technology is becoming more involved in sport than ever before. From training to advertising, new tech can help clubs, fans, players and advertisers get more from the game of hockey.