NHL Innovation Lab next chapter in League's technology journey

NEWARK, N.J. -- The NHL has established a base for its forays into the technological improvements that will make the even faster, more seamless and even more enjoyable.

Welcome to the NHL Innovation lab powered by Verizon, a simulated arena environment designed to allow the League and its partners across the technological spectrum to develop and enhance tools designed to improve the game.

"The NHL Innovation Lab powered by Verizon is an important next chapter in our technology and innovation journey," said David Lehanski, NHL executive vice president, business development and innovation. "We continue to be committed to leveraging new and emerging technology to benefit every aspect of our game, and the NHL Innovation Lab gives us the ability to test, validate and refine new technology on the ice, in real-game environments, all year round right in our own backyard."

The facility, located inside the Prudential Center, is a partnership between the NHL, the New Jersey Devils and Verizon designed to be used in a variety of ways by venue and hockey operations staff, as well as game officials, coaches and players, to test new technology in game-like conditions.

"We are able to stretch the art of the possible, both in the coverage of the game and also in how we officiate it," NHL senior vice president, technology Grant Nodine. "Now, we can make sure we are really dialed in with these technologies."

The space has been designed as a centralized area to explore emerging technologies that support on-ice performance, game operations and fan engagement and the manners in which they can be applied.  Much of this work will be done at the RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House, the practice rink for the Devils, although the game rink used for Devils home games can also be leveraged. 

Sean Williams, NHL vice president, innovation-technology partnership, described it as a collaborative workplace with on-ice access that allows for the scientific testing of new technologies, new hardware and new software.

As such, it will allow the League and its partners to work on the development of innovations that will impact the quality of play on the ice and the game experience for those playing and watching.

During the launch of lab on April 3, Williams pointed out game clocks set inside the boards of the practice rink. There was a digital clock in each corner of the rink, each with a slightly different display. The idea is to provide additional opportunities for players, officials and fans to process game information, presenting different options for layout to find a consensus.

Through testing, the League can verify that the inlaid clocks will not impact the movement of the puck along the boards and guarantee they can survive contact from pucks and bodies. It can also determine which presentation of the timing element works best.
The clocks may not make it past the testing and presentation phase, but it is one of many experiments for which the lab will be used.

"We can absolutely, confidently say that we will be able to more thoroughly test stuff before it ends up in an NHL arena," Williams said. "We no longer have to test something and take it to the (National Hockey League Players' Association) or Hockey Operations.

"We can invite them to come to us and say, ‘Hey we have the lab set up, the dasher boards are instilled, if you want to come down and have a skate and take a look.'  They can come down and we will make sure everything is all set up. Now, we have time and environment, in partnership with the Devils, that we control."

The deployment of Verizon's Private 5G Wireless Network will provide the NHL Innovation Lab with a dedicated, high-speed and secure wireless infrastructure designed to enhance both game day operations and fan experiences. The private network will enable the League to implement innovative solutions, including the enhancement of live coach-to-player video access on iPads for faster and secure analysis from the bench. The network will also serve as a scalable platform for future innovation, with the potential to support additional technology integrations, including secure wireless connectivity to support real-time alerts in the NHL Watch Comms app on Apple Watches worn by NHL Officials.

The network provides a strong and flexible foundation for expanded media capture workflows. As well as real-time statistics and analytics.

Sony Hawk Eye technology is installed throughout the practice rink, complementing the standard Sony broadcast and production equipment already in place. This setup will support near real-time applications, artificial intelligence and virtualization optimization. 

"It's an accelerant," Nodine said of the lab. "The biggest challenge in-season is getting that non-game day where you have an ice surface down and house lights up and things like that to be able to test things like camera systems or other things that you are likely to put into play. It's a big challenge to do that in season. This environment means we can do that on an accelerated basis, but that we also have a year-round opportunity to do that.

"There are unplumbed depths to explore."