the NHL's new tracking system will make watching hockey even better

Relax, this isn't the FoxTrax glow puck.  No this is nothing like that disaster, this is a new technological advancement that could prove to enhance the hockey watching experience. Sportsvision is the company behind the new technology that was debut by the NHL during all-star weekend.  The same company is behind real-time tracking and graphics in NASCAR and the NFL.  Sportsvision and the NHL embedded chips inside pucks and players' jerseys that can measure quantitative data, puck and skating speed, puck trajectory, puck and player location, and ice time.

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This will change how we watch hockey and how we track hockey stats and data.  It will put more information at the fingertips of the fan watching the game at home.

Said Mathieu Schneider of the NHLPA,

"We're trying to bring that in-arena experience to the living room. We've talked about it for years and years. And as the technology gets better, the closer we get to it." 

This looks like something that Gary Bettman may have gotten right (it's not a long list), Bettman stated,

"This is, if I can coin a phrase, in the embryonic stages of a work in progress, but ultimately we are hoping to deliver the kind of data that will create insights and tell stories that avid and casual hockey fans will enjoy. In short, we are attempting to embark upon a journey that hopefully will enable us to create and then maintain a digital record of everything in our game and compile a complete digital history."

On TV the technology will allow for real-time identification of players as well as skate speed, shot speed, and ice time.  This will enhance the enjoyment for hardcore fans while also helping the casual fan that might not be able to follow everything that is happening get them more into the game and thus hopefully grow the sports brand.

You can check out an even further in-depth look at the new technology from Yahoo sports here, including a look at the cool new "second-screen" experience.