NHL coaches provided with iPad Pros, Macs to gain edge during Stanley Cup Playoffs
Coaches in the NHL are going to be given more help in analyzing their team's performance during hockey matches, with the league reportedly providing iPad Pros to teams and officials in time for the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Three iPad Pros will be available to coaches on every bench, according to the Associated Press, with all 16 playoff arenas also said to have been provided with Macs for video coaching purposes. The new hardware is thought to have come from a collaboration with Apple, with the NHL and the iPad producer said to have been in late-stage talks about a partnership late last year.
Earlier in the season, coaches have been allowed to use video monitors on benches to analyze plays, and to help make decisions over whether or not to challenge officials over offside rulings and situations involving goaltender interference. A similar system was tested later in the season using iPads, streaming real-time video to teams on the bench.
Coaches have already found the use of such technology valuable, both for player feedback and for challenging decisions. This extra information will be even more useful during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, games which typically involve fewer goals, in turn making challenges a more important element of the game.
The ability to replay video has already had an effect in some games, with coaches able to highlight to officials the exact time of offside and interference instances shortly after they occurred.
David Lehanski, senior vice president of business development, global partnerships, and sponsorship sales for the NHL, advised the installation of the iPad-based system could have been completed much later, though it would still have been in time for the start of next season.
"It's equal parts of us believing this truly will help the coaches and the officials and we're going to make decisions faster and more accurately and all those things," Lehanski said. "It gives us an opportunity to get a lot of feedback in from everyone who's going to be involved from a playoff standpoint, and then make some refinements and enhancements leading into next season for a full league-wide deployment."
During the late-stage negotiations, it was believed the NHL was seeking a contract from Apple worth at least $5 million per year for using iPads, using it as a similar income stream to the league as the Microsoft sponsorship of the National Football League, which saw Microsoft Surface tablets used on the field. At the time, a source suggested the NHL-Apple deal was more a "major partnership" than a sponsorship, suggesting the NHL wanted "a consistent platform that every team can use in every rink."
Three iPad Pros will be available to coaches on every bench, according to the Associated Press, with all 16 playoff arenas also said to have been provided with Macs for video coaching purposes. The new hardware is thought to have come from a collaboration with Apple, with the NHL and the iPad producer said to have been in late-stage talks about a partnership late last year.
Earlier in the season, coaches have been allowed to use video monitors on benches to analyze plays, and to help make decisions over whether or not to challenge officials over offside rulings and situations involving goaltender interference. A similar system was tested later in the season using iPads, streaming real-time video to teams on the bench.
Coaches have already found the use of such technology valuable, both for player feedback and for challenging decisions. This extra information will be even more useful during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, games which typically involve fewer goals, in turn making challenges a more important element of the game.
The ability to replay video has already had an effect in some games, with coaches able to highlight to officials the exact time of offside and interference instances shortly after they occurred.
David Lehanski, senior vice president of business development, global partnerships, and sponsorship sales for the NHL, advised the installation of the iPad-based system could have been completed much later, though it would still have been in time for the start of next season.
"It's equal parts of us believing this truly will help the coaches and the officials and we're going to make decisions faster and more accurately and all those things," Lehanski said. "It gives us an opportunity to get a lot of feedback in from everyone who's going to be involved from a playoff standpoint, and then make some refinements and enhancements leading into next season for a full league-wide deployment."
During the late-stage negotiations, it was believed the NHL was seeking a contract from Apple worth at least $5 million per year for using iPads, using it as a similar income stream to the league as the Microsoft sponsorship of the National Football League, which saw Microsoft Surface tablets used on the field. At the time, a source suggested the NHL-Apple deal was more a "major partnership" than a sponsorship, suggesting the NHL wanted "a consistent platform that every team can use in every rink."
Comments
Although I've used Apple products since almost the beginning of Apple, when I pass a hip coffee shop and everyone inside is using a Mac or when I walk around a WeWork shared office space facility and see 75% of the (fashionable) people using Macs, that definitely leaves an impression. For someone who cares about sports, seeing coaches using Apple products can leave a similar impression. This isn't so much about creating a need that isn't there - it's about brand choice.
Been a hockey fan for years... Attended my first game almost 70 years ago -- my Dad's best man, Earl Bartholome, was a pro player for The Minneapolis Millers triple A team -- had rink-side seats for most home games & met most of the players. IMO, this NHL is a good deal... Apple branding to a loyal audience that has money to spending...
In the early days, the cameras and TV screen resolution made it very difficult to follow the puck unless you were in the arena.
Today's game telecasts are better than box seats! You can easily follow the puck, and get an overall view of the ice to see plays develop.
Now, what about soccer -- same game as hockey -- every thing is bigger -- including the audience.
Go Earl -- Go Sharks -- Go Quakes -- Go Apple!