2024 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs are well underway and the finals are just around the corner – and although the Cup is a tradition that has existed since 1892, advanced AI technology is creating new ways for fans to interact with the game.
Hockey fans packed the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, for a watch party of the Western Conference Finals this week as the game was played in Edmonton, Canada. The arena's big screen played live Broadcasts.
On the ice, however, fans at a watch party were treated to a live, play-by-play view of what was happening on the ice at a rink thousands of miles away in another country. Through AI technology, the exact movements of the players were replicated in real time in the form of color-coded hoops that were projected onto the ice. (In Game 4, the Edmonton Oilers beat the Dallas Stars in a 5-2 comeback).
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Fans shared videos of the technology in use on social media to wow hockey fans around the world.
OK. Absolutely impressed. @DallasStars fans watching now on @AACenter handled with real-time AI game tracking as it happens in Edmonton. On jumbo, and on our home ice. Wow! pic.twitter.com/rD72jZWhWd
— Doug Dunbar (@cbs11doug) May 30, 2024
“This is so cute,” one fan wrote.
“This is amazing,” said another. “And very useful!”
Technology company SMT explained how the technology works in a follow-up post.
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“What you're seeing is actually our SPRITES app designed on ice,” the company wrote. “This comes from our ball and player tracking technology, known as NHL EDGE, which uses infrared technology and various cameras to track the exact positions of balls and players!”
Party in the arena? Tracking the ball and the player
Watch the energy in Dallas last night as our real-time PPT data is used to simulate live play in Edmonton. Thanks to our SPRITES app, fans could see every player move, pass and shot on the ice! ?#NHLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/16Dz4ClAWR
— SMT (@SMTlive) May 30, 2024
The Stars' official X account confirmed that the arena will bring back the new technology for Game 6, which kicks off at 8pm on Friday.
On Sunday, the series returns to Edmonton for the final time for Game 6, and @BudLight Watch Party returns to @AACenter with real-time player tracking predictions on the ice!
Join the fun for a $10 donation @DS_Foundation ?️⤵️
— z – Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) May 31, 2024
The technology could have limitless applications, impacting players looking to be scouted and teams looking to make big trades – seeing precise movements in real time in a technical way could mean making cleaner analytical decisions with more few distractions.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs continue tonight with Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals taking place at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The series is tied 2-2.