Puck And Player Tracking To Be Used At World Cup
The World Cup of Hockey had a press conference today in Toronto, announcing several things about the upcoming tournament. Among the most interesting, was the revelation that player and puck tracking will be in full effect. Players will have microchips sewed into their sweaters, with the puck also having a sensor embedded inside of it.
Data will be calculated on puck and player speed, trajectory, acceleration and spacing, and will be used during the live broadcasts. For the analytics community, this is huge news, as more data is always a good thing, and the precise movement of each player with and away from the puck will lend itself to stronger analysis. The NHL will use this as a test for a possible future league-wide roll out, though no information has been given on a possible timeline.
The team jerseys at the tournament will also feature advertising for the first time, as the NHL and NHLPA came to an agreement with SAP (a German software corporation) to be the prime sponsor. Shoulder patches will be sewn into each sweater, opening the door for future advertising. The Air Canada Centre will also have animated board advertising installed, much to the chagrin of fans.
World Cup Notes: Price, Tavares, Crosby
Worry not, fans of Canada and the Canadiens. Carey Price is healthy and ready to go for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. In an interview with Sportsnet’s Mark Spector, Team Canada’s GM Doug Armstrong said Price is “100 per cent and he’s ready to go” for the start of Team Canada’s training camp, which kicks off on the Labour Day long weekend.
Price hasn’t played an NHL game since November 25, so “he’ll have to shake off some of the rust”, according to Armstrong. The Canadian GM has been in touch with Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin since naming Price to the initial roster on March 2. Armstrong said Price may be the best goaltender in the world based on his play since the Sochi Olympics.
Here are some other notes from Canada’s World Cup roster:
- Islanders captain John Tavares spoke with Sportsnet’s Luke Fox about the challenges that come with the early end to the summer, compounded by the Islanders making their longest playoff run since he was drafted in 2009. “You lose two weeks that you normally use for training or getting settled in your home city,” said Tavares. However, he’s excited to take part, especially after being forced to miss Canada’s last two games in Sochi. There’s no one player that Tavares is looking forward to lining up beside; instead its the chance to learn from the great leaders.
- Tavares also commented on the possibility of the NHL not attending the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. He enjoys the best-on-best tournaments, and despite the return of the World Cup, says that there’s “something special” about the Olympics.
- Unlike Tavares, there’s one player in particular that Sidney Crosby is looking forward to having on his team: fellow Nova Scotian and noted pest Brad Marchand. Crosby told Fox that “having [Marchand] on your team is going to be so much more enjoyable than having to play against him.” He added that Marchand is a “really good player” who plays “right on the edge”. The two skate together in the off-season with another local kid by the name of Nathan MacKinnon, who will play on Team North America.
Eastern Conference Notes: Alfredsson, Hrivik, Jurco, Kennedy
The Ottawa Senators announced this afternoon that they will retire the #11 sweater worn for 17 seasons by former captain Daniel Alfredsson in a pregame ceremony prior to their December 29, 2016 tilt against the Red Wings. Alfredsson, of course, wrapped up his remarkable career with Detroit so choosing a game between the only two NHL franchises “Alfie” ever played for makes perfect sense.
Alfredsson was drafted all the way down in the sixth round of the 1994 entry draft, after 132 other players had already come off the board. He would make his NHL debut during the 1995-96 campaign as a 23-year-old and would go on to win the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie, scoring 26 goals and 61 points in 82 games. He would ultimately go on to set Ottawa franchise records in goals (426), assists (682), points (1,108), even-strength goals (270) and power play goals (131).
After such a lengthy and prodigious career, Alfredsson has essentially become synonymous with Ottawa Senators hockey and he deserves to have the honor of his #11 hanging in the rafters at Canadian Tire Center.
Elsewhere among the league’s eastern teams….
- Jim Cerny of Blueshirts United spoke with Rangers prospect Marek Hrivik about his chances of making the team after a solid campaign playing for their AHL affiliate in Hartford, and a brief five-game cup of coffee with the Rangers. Hrivik indicated the club is happy with his progress and that he is “close” to making it as an NHL regular. He will face plenty of competition in camp as fellow rookies Nicklas Jensen and Pavel Buchnevich will also be in the hunt for a job.
- Another young player who faces an uphill battle to secure a regular role is Tomas Jurco of the Detroit Red Wings. Ansar Kan, writing for MLive.com, argues that Jurco will have to distinguish himself in camp at a time when the club will be missing several regular skaters who will be participating in the World Cup. Jurco looked like a core building block following a solid debut in 2013-14 when the then 21-year-old posted eight goals and 15 points in just 36 games. Since then, Jurco has tallied just 24 points in 87 contests and could find himself on the outside looking in with Detroit.
- Finally, while some players are at least guaranteed a shot to win a job in camp, others like Tyler Kennedy are still waiting for a call from a club willing to offer another chance. Kennedy, who was in the same position last summer, is fearful he may not get another opportunity to prove he belongs in the NHL, as Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette writes. Kennedy did receive a camp invite last year from New Jersey and earned a contract with a solid showing. He would see action in 50 games for the Devils but scored just three goals along with 13 assists. Kennedy, who once scored 21 goals as a 24-year-old during the 2010-11 season in Pittsburgh, has seen his offensive production decline significantly ever since that breakout campaign. One advantage he does possess over other veterans clamoring for one last kick at the can is that he is still considered a speedy player. More teams are looking to add speed to their lineup, following the successful blueprint perfected by Pittsburgh, and Kennedy might be able to offer just that on the cheap to a team looking for a low-risk, bottom-six type of forward.
Capology 101: International Tidbits
With the IIHF World Championships behind us, and the World Cup of Hockey on the horizon, PHR takes a quick look at how the CBA governs international play.
- Any revenue from the World Cup of Hockey will not be considered Hockey Related Revenue (HRR). Rather, the revenue will be split equally between the NHL and the NHLPA. That means that any money the World Cup of Hockey brings in has no effect on next year’s salary cap. Given that the World Cup—the first such tournament since 2004—is in hockey-mad Toronto, high revenues are expected, and would have had a significant effect on the salary cap if applicable.
- Moreover, the World Cup may actually have an adverse effect on HRR as the tournament takes the game’s brightest stars away from pre-season games. Teams usually play preseason games in different locales, and demand may suffer slightly as fans aren’t able to see a team’s top player.
- Revenue from International NHL games, however, such as regular season and pre-season games overseas, qualifies as HRR for salary cap purposes.
- A player is only eligible for the IIHF World Championships (usually held in May) if:
- the player’s club either did not make the NHL playoffs or was eliminated in an early round (1st or 2nd); and
- the national team (agent or otherwise) did not contact the player before his team was eliminated from the playoffs.
- The IIHF or Player’s National Team must also insure the player’s remaining SPC value, and any additional earning capacity should a player get injured. If a player is injured in the World Championships, the player is treated as being injured in an NHL game for CBA purposes. That means the player is still eligible for all benefits available to players injured in NHL games.