A legendary hockey coach, Roger Neilson, changed the game with his new and sometimes controversial methods. For example, he was the first coach to use video and analytics to discover more about the other team. He is also the first coach to use a microphone to talk with his assistants. At the time, many hockey fans were skeptical of his approach, and the name “Captain Video” was given to him to make fun of how he used technology. History has, of course, shown that the great man was right and that he had a vision for the future.
Today, mainstream sports, including hockey, use more sophisticated analytics and other tech. In the last few years, there has been a rise in the use of technology in hockey, which can be used in many different ways. Unsurprisingly, the NHL has used more of these technologies than the UK because they have much bigger budgets. However, hockey in the UK isn’t too far behind. Here are some technologies altering hockey for players and fans now and shortly.
Data Analysis and Tracking
Today, you don’t have to stay up all night watching grainy videos like Neilson did to understand how a match works. During the current NHL season, a new system to track the puck and players was made with the help of six tech companies.
It can make real stats about a player’s speed, acceleration, and distance, among other things. This gives coaches and teams a lot of real-world information about improving players as individuals, fine-tuning strategies according to how different opponents play, finding teams’ weak spots and cutting down on injuries. Many companies are additionally collaborating on software to make analyzing and making sense of the tracking data easier.
How new technology affects sports betting
Technology also greatly impacts how fans get involved, especially regarding how information is rendered available for legal sports betting. It won’t be long before new online bookmakers can access real-time information.
This will give gamblers a huge number of different in-game bets to select from, with odds that are always changing. Find out more about new, legit gambling websites that could use this technology here. Genius Sports, a British sports data company, is one of the tech firms making a real-time betting app. The company’s prototype makes data easy to understand by showing it in graphical form. The data comes from pucks with chips in them, and players are tracked by chips in their shoulder pads. This method has worked well in the US National Football League.
Watch also
How Does A Lithograph Work 2023
Dinner Recipes High Protein 2023
Greek Dishes The 10 Most Well-Known Dishes
mental health: 10 ways to boost it
Cricket : Technology On Cricket 2023
Best Destinations For Solo Travel In 2023
5G Wireless Tech
The soon-to-be-built 5G networks in the UK and North America could also be good for sports betting. 5G will be able to handle many more connections at once and have faster latency speeds for faster refresh rates.
This would show how hockey fans inside a stadium can get involved and talk to each other while watching games. For instance, by letting them bet on several different outcomes during the game. When combined with the tracking equipment’s detailed statistical data, 5G connectivity will render legal betting on sports more readily available and interactive than before.
Equipment and Clothes
Wearable tracking chips are one-way technology to improve hockey gear and clothing. The sticks and kits used now are nothing like they were in the past. The old wooden sticks have been substituted with carbon composites that allow the stick to transfer as much energy as it can to the puck without breaking.
This makes them stronger and lighter. Technology has also helped make protective gear lighter and stronger, making it easier to wear. Bauer, a company that makes hockey clothes and gear, has devised a way to measure a player’s exact size using 3D scanning. The information can be utilized to make pads for their shoulders, shins, and elbows that fit them perfectly.
Goal-Line Hockey Tech
In the 1990s, the NHL became one of the first sports leagues to use technology at the goal line. Since then, many other sports have used more advanced systems. Hawk-Eye is a very accurate technology in sports like tennis, cricket, and football. It has recently been put to great use in NHL venues.
Many people think this was a long overdue change since the old video tech often gave ambiguous footage that couldn’t be used to make decisions. Hawk-Eye’s different tech innovations can be used in hockey in more ways, like getting fans involved on digital platforms. Their SMART Replay lets important people, like coaches, officials, and medical teams, see live and recorded video footage.
Virtual Reality Training
When Czech innovators at Sense Arena showed off a virtual training environment meant to help hockey players improve their skills off the ice, ice hockey became the first sport to use virtual reality for training. Professional players had a hand in making the platform. It gives them drills that enhance their mental hockey skills, called “hockey sense.
” These skills include their reaction times, ability to predict and make decisions, and ability to keep track of multiple objects. Several professional hockey teams are currently utilizing the tech. The NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights were the first to do so. The club thinks that having the immersive training platform will provide them with a competitive edge and help both professional and young players improve their game when they’re not on the ice.
Race for the Top
So, compared to the time of Neilson, it looks like the hockey world is embracing and using new technologies in many parts of the game with great enthusiasm. It makes sense that teams want to use everything they can to enhance their game and improve the fans’ experience.