Oh Heck Yes. The NHL May Be Bringing The Glow Puck Back Into Our Lives
THE BIGGEST TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGH IN THE HISTORY OF SPORTS.
21 years ago, the glow puck was introduced into our lives. Think about that for a second. The glow puck could walk into a bar today and legally get served a delicious Miller Lite, the perfect beer for when your darty turns into a narty. Kind of weird. But now, after 21 torturous years, it appears as if the glow puck could possibly be on the comeback.
ESPN – The glow puck was a special kind of terrible when it debuted more than 20 years ago. But that was a different time, and now we have different technology: high-def and 4K video that’s so vivid you can see the spit flying out of coach Joel Quenneville’s angry maw.
So while NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Monday danced around the concept of a glow-puck revival for nationally televised games, I have to wonder: Is it time for a glow-puck renaissance?…
…Bettman mentioned this with some pride on Monday as he was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame, which counts Edward R. Murrow, Lucille Ball and Pat Sajak among its honorees.
“While it was the subject of much discussion, and some derision, in 1996, the technology of Fox Sports’ glowing puck was the precursor of the first-down line that has become standard practice for any football broadcast, and any number of innovations,” he said. “Actually, we are working on a dramatically updated version of that technology, and we have plans to roll out updated player and puck tracking. We are literally going back to the future.”
First off, it’s going to take awhile to get used to attributing Greg Wyshynski articles to ESPN instead of Puck Daddy. But that’s besides the point. Because what is most important here is that it appears the world is actually good and the glow puck is about to be back in all of our lives. And not just any ol’ glow puck, but a glow puck that is pimped out with all the new age technology that 2017 has to offer.
Just imagine a world where not only do we have the glow puck back in our lives, but it’s real this time instead of just some broadcasting special effect. Tell me all the blood in your body didn’t just rush to your penis after thinking about that (otherwise known as having an erection). The NHL has done plenty over the past few years to try to make the game more appealing to a mass audience. Taking out the red line to make the game faster, 3v3 overtime, the decrease in fighting (fuck that but I guess it helps bring in the soccer fans). The game is so close to being a neatly packaged little product for anybody to enjoy. But sometimes you need to take a look back at history and realize where mistakes were made. And the biggest mistake of all? Getting rid of the glow puck. Because not only does it help more casual fans track the puck during play, but it also looks sweet as fuck.
I’ve been begging the league to bring it back for years now and it just feels nice to know that somebody is finally listening to me. I just hope the technology is able to keep up with McDavid any time he’s carrying the puck. Feel like that’s a malfunction just waiting to happen.