Puck and player tracking coming to the NHL next season.
Puck and player tracking is coming to the NHL next season.
Commissioner Gary Bettman announced the long-expected news Friday during All-Star Weekend in San Jose, California. The league is partnering with German company Jogmo World Corp. to put microchips on player jerseys and inside game pucks. Real-time data will be gathered by antennas in all 31 NHL arenas.
The NHL will join the NFL as the two major North American professional sports leagues with wearable tracking technology. The NBA and Major League Baseball use sophisticated systems that can include radar and cameras.
Players have agreed to the tracking, but the NHL is not yet committing to a firm start date because officials say testing is ongoing with the potential for changes after feedback from players, teams and broadcasters. But the league is confident in the accuracy of the radio frequency-based system and its application for 1,271 regular-season games and the playoffs.
“This will continue to evolve and be monitored and tested and perfected over the course of the rest of this season and parts of next season,” NHL chief revenue officer Keith Wachtel said.
