The Olympic Games are a time for athletes to shine and show their skills, but it is also an opportunity for technological advances to make their world debut. Two major companies in particular took advantage of this showcasing opportunity in ice hockey: OMEGA and Bauer.
OMEGA has been the pfficial timekeeper of the Olympic Games 26 times, according to Omegawatches.com. This year, OMEGA introduced new timing equipment for ice hockey along with the International Ice Hockey Federation. Together, they developed the IH whistle detection system. Each referee was equipped with a whistle which had a wireless connected to the official time clock and a microphone to speak to the scorekeeper.
According to the OMEGA website, the whistle is like voice recognition in that it knows the sound of three different whistle tones. When it detects one of these sounds, it connects to the clock and stops it within 1/10th of a second. This increases the accuracy and allows more time for game play by eliminating the manual time keeper.
When I spoke with Adin Sobel, a Keene State College freshman men’s club hockey player, he explained the advantages of eliminating the time keeper. “I think the whistle is genius, because during the game we could be on the bench and just watch the scoreboard and at least half of a second [passes between] the scoreboard [and] the whistle,” he said.
Pavel Golovkin / AP Photo:
The Olympic flame burns during the Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympics. Sochi was site where OMEGA decided to unveil its new timing technology.
The time it takes the timekeeper to hear the whistle and respond to it can be at least a half second of reaction time, and this time adds up. With OMEGA’s technology, about 30 seconds or more can be added to the game. Not only would this make the time more accurate, but it would also stop the game from being interrupted over timing disputes.
Although this new whistle may sound beneficial, KSC junior club hockey player Taylor Adolphson brought up some possible downfalls. “You have to trust that the technology will work and not falter, because if you think the whistle has been blown and the scoreboard doesn’t read it, you have no one to stop the clock,” he said.
There is no doubt this technology is cutting edge, but people will have to wait and see if it becomes a trend in the NHL.
Another technological advance featured in the Olympics is Bauer’s OD1N line of gear and skates for players and goalies.
Bauer worked on the line for two years with their research, design and development team. They set out to create equipment scientifically proven to make players better. Bauer CEO and President, Kevin Davis, eliminated any limitations of cost, materials and commercialization because he wanted to focus on making the best equipment possible. This equipment has been worn by six NHL players as of November and was worn by five Olympians from Canada, USA, Russia and Sweden, according to Canada.com’s Stu Cowan.
When asked how this technologically advanced gear will change the game of hockey, KSC freshman and women’s club hockey player, Danielle Cobleigh, said, “I feel like this will make the game faster, but it won’t really change the game of hockey.”
Although these products are revolutionary, they come at a cost. Bauer stated this is not something they would like to market to everyone.
Therefore it may not be available beyond the superstars who are already using it. In the OD1N line, Bauer revamped the traditional hockey skate, making it the lightest skate at a half-pound lighter than other high- end models on the market. This weight difference and new design increases a player’s speed, allowing the player to skate a foot faster during a 50-foot sprint from blue line to blue line, as stated by Bauer’s general manager of equipment, Craig Desjardins.
“I think new equipment is great….but to some extent it’s not beneficial if only certain people can afford it,” Sobel, who has played hockey for 17 years, said.
“I think buying skates that weigh…more for less money seems much more practical. All the superstars have all the best equipment because they’re superstars,” he added.
The protective gear in Bauer’s line is personalized with optical body scans, allowing the equipment to fit directly to the body.
Bauer’s technology also allows the goalie to tailor his or her pads to their style and preferences, allowing them to put emphasis on directing rebounds or absorbing shots for example.
The pads are lighter than ever, decreasing fatigue throughout a game. With these new pads, players can save more than 1,000 pounds of lifted weight during just one regulation game.
According to Bauer, the gear is lighter, faster and safer.
“I would love to use that equipment if it’s going to make me faster and better on the ice,” Adolphson, who has played hockey for 18 years, said. “But equipment doesn’t make a hockey player,” he added.
Taylor Howe can be contacted at thowe@keene-equinox.com