By Andrew Lippe  

Madison Square Garden Network is making use of a new technology developed by PVI that lets fans know how fast slap shots and wrist shots are blasting towards the goal. “The pace of a hockey game is so fast, and the broadcaster with this technology can break down plays,” says Sam McCleery, PVI Executive VP, sales and marketing.

The system, called PVI Player Tracking, is designed to track player acceleration, player speed as well as many other derived statistics such as speed, distance, and impact. MSG Network was most interested in the capability to display shot speed.  

“MSG Network focused on puck speed since it was viewed as a compelling addition to the broadcast,” says Jay DiGiovanni, PVI Virtual Media Services, SVP, and general manager. 

The concept to implement this technology into MSG telecasts was developed between the Rangers, MSG Network and PVI. MSG Network displayed the speed of the puck technology in eight Rangers games this season.

For Rangers broadcasts, the Player Tracking System tracks all objects on the ice surface. This includes all players, referees, and the puck. The Player Tracking system is based on shots taken from eight HD prosumer video cameras that are installed inside the arena.

The HD cameras resemble security cameras and record the action on the ice and around both goals and connect to rack-mounted personal computers located in a production trailer outside of the Garden. There is also an additional PC which acts as an arbiter to make sure all data is collected accurately. 

Jay DiGiovanni says the system identifies objects using, “algorithmic subtraction,” eliminating objects one-by-one to eventually focus on the puck. “The eight video feeds are fused to make a complete story,” says DiGiovanni. The system also incorporates optical character recognition (OCR) so the system can determine players’ jersey numbers. Data can also be manually inputted.

The system is operated by a “spotter” who watches the game in the trailer. When a shot is taken, the spotter triggers the speed shot sequence where the software can determine distance and time measurements to determine the velocity of a player’s shot. All shots are cataloged and all shots are pushed to MSG Network. It is MSG’s decision what shots to air.  

“PVI is capturing data on every shot taken, and every shot over 85 mph,” adds DiGiovanni. When MSG makes their selection fans at home are provided with the player’s shot speed sequence which includes the player’s shot distance and velocity as the puck is rifled towards the goal. 

PVI is in discussions with other sports as well as other networks and teams in North America and in Asia about implementing the technology.