NHL Going Back to the Future With Puck Tracking

More than 20 years ago, the FoxTrax puck made its debut during the 1996 NHL All-Star Game. The puck tracking technology used by Fox would last only a couple of seasons before ending with the television deal.

Some would argue that glowing puck used by Fox was one of the worst things to happen to hockey in the last quarter century. However, it now appears as though Gary Bettman has his sights set on puck tracking again in the near future.

“While it was the subject of much discussion, and some derision, in 1996, the technology of Fox Sports’ glowing puck was the precursor of the first-down line that has become standard practice for any football broadcast, and any number of innovations,” Bettman said after being inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame. “Actually, we are working on a dramatically updated version of that technology, and we have plans to roll out updated player and puck tracking. We are literally going back to the future.”

While it’s hard to predict what exactly the next generation of puck tracking will look like, one Twitter user has taken it upon himself to envision the glowing puck in a modern NHL game.

Love it or hate it, it certainly sounds like we’ll be seeing a more advanced version of the technology rolling out in the future.

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