Breaking: NHL to implement massive change to the game

The NHL is a flawed league, like most professional sports leagues, when it comes to controversial goal calls. These come in the form of debatable offside challenges, pucks deflected into the net with a high stick, unclear goalie interference, or the inability to tell if a puck has crossed the line.

Gary Bettman and the National Hockey League have announced that they are working on developing and integrating a player and puck tracking technology that will completely revolutionize the game - and work towards not only giving incredibly accurate player data, but aid in drastically reducing the number of incorrect goal calls.

There have been many controversial calls swinging in one team's favor over the years that have cost teams games, playoff series', and even championships. 

The technology is a couple of years away from being completely refined, however.

“We’re actually working with some technology companies to get it into a position where we’re comfortable that it will work accurately and that it’s scalable for all games in all buildings,” Bettman said to TSN's Frank Seravalli. “We think the ’19-20 season.”

It’s expensive,” deputy commissioner Bill Daly said. “Very expensive.”

"The NHL is expected to test a puck in Tampa Bay which Daly described as 'closer to one piece,' " Seravalli explains. "The payoff for fans would be no more inconclusive goal reviews because the puck is hidden under a goaltender’s equipment. Sensors would indicate whether the puck is completely over the goal line.

"Most importantly, this technology does not use infrared chips, but rather software which recognizes and culls data from cameras on the broadcast."

This, should it be successful, and we suspect it will be, will greatly impact how games are decided, and bring in a wealth of new player information that will serve teams and fans well when doing detailed analyses.