Foxtrax Puck's Complex Legacy

INSIDE HOCKEY LIGHTS, CAMERAS, ACTION It took a series of infrared emitters and special cameras to create the “glow puck” effect. least were the bright graphics,” Honey said. “I don’t know how they would have reacted if we just put a simple mark on the ice under the puck instead.” Many of today’s on-screen graphics seen during televised sports can trace its roots back to the FoxTrax. Honey left News Corp. in 1998 and co-founded Sportsvision, a company that develops enhancement for sports broadcasts. Cavallaro themselves were outfitted with and others from the FoxTrax special tripod heads that would team joined him. Since then, detect the pan, tilt and zoom, Sportsvision has developed nu- FOXTRAX PUCK’S ensuring that the tracking sys- merous innovations: the virtual tem and game footage would first-down line in football, NAS- properly line up. “Our group CAR’s racecar tracking system, that developed it did not know baseball’s strike zone graphics COMPLEX LEGACY the first thing about broadcast and the virtual ads on the glass sports,” Cavallaro said. “We in hockey are all descendants It was loved by some, hated by others. were a bunch of Silicon Valley of the glow puck. “Broadcast- But one thing is certain: the “glow geeks. There was a steep learn- ers have developed a sensi- puck” left an indelible mark on TV ing curve for us.” tivity about how you use the All this data was fed into a technology to tell a story, how HUMBLE LITTLE PUCK acquired the national broadcast trailer outside the arena, af- to do that in a way that adds to changed television sports rights for NHL games from fectionately dubbed the “Puck the sport instead of getting in forever during the 46th 1994-95 to 1998-99, and Hon- Truck.” Computers would read the way,” Cavallaro said. “I hope A NHL All-Star Game, 20 ey approached Hill with the idea the data and render the bluish that if (the glow puck) were years ago, in 1996, when the of inserting virtual billboards glow that was superimposed reintroduced that even hockey Fox Network debuted its Fox- into live sporting events. But over the puck. When the puck fans, the purists, would say Trax System. It was a special Hill suggested something that was obscured by a player or by that we’re bringing something effect that tracked every would make a bigger splash. the near boards, the blue glow to the broadcast. I would love a movement of the puck, then “When Fox got the rights to would highlight where it was. second crack.” – SAL BARRY superimposed a bluish glow hockey, it was an incredibly low- When the puck was passed, a around it for television viewers rated sport in the U.S.,” Hill said. blue comet tail followed it. Most – all in real-time. It was the first “If you can’t see what the key noticeably, when the puck was augmented reality system used implement of a sport is doing shot hard, it was followed by a in sports, merging computer all the time, you’ll have difficulty bright red streak, and viewers graphics with live sports. following it. So I said, let’s try could easily see the path of the The breakthrough, however, was met with mixed response. “The more casual fans, or even The more Casual fans tended those who were just learning about hockey, tended to love to love it…A lot of hardcore it,” said Rick Cavallaro, the chief engineer and project manager – Rick Cavallaro of FoxTrax. “A lot of hardcore fans did not fans did not. But even among hardcore fans, a lot of them seemed to like one aspect or and make the puck glow.” puck if it was deflected or redi- another of it.” A lot was necessary to rected. A speed readout would The idea for FoxTrax came make the effect work. Infrared also display on-screen if the out of a conversation between emitters and a battery were puck was shot over 70 mph. All David Hill, president of Fox inserted into a puck, and to of this was accomplished live, Sports from 1993 to 1997, and pick up the transmitted signal, needing only a 10-frame delay RED RIFLE Stan Honey, the VP of Technol- infrared cameras were situated (about one-third of a second) While many thought it was ogy at News Corp., Fox’s parent in the rafters and near the for the effects to be inserted. cartoonish, the streaking puck company. Fox Sports had TV cameras. The TV cameras “I think what the fans liked the made it easier for some to follow. DEVLIN/NHLIANDY VIA GETTY IMAGES 10 | THE HOCKEY NEWS - FEBRUARY 15, 2016.

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