I didn’t vote becuase there wasn’t an option for my opinion.

If they just restrict it to replays (like tracking a golf shot) and there are no changes to the puck (which it says there would be no computer chip in the puck) then it would be fine.

The problem with the glow puck was that it was used in live play and thus looked ridiculous. Had it just been used to replay it would have been a useful tool for broadcast as it would have been used to detect deflections and such.

Replays only, fine. In live play no.

How in the world were all of us fans able to follow the puck without this ‘modern technology’ after all of these years.  I guess Canadian fans have better perception than those of us south of the border; either that or CBC is just so far superior in their broadcast that there is no need, nor has there ever been one, for such a ridiculous feature.  I’ve been watching hockey since I was three years old and have never had a problem following the puck (even when the puck was in the corners).  What’s next, subtitles explaining rules as the play develops (press one for english).  Give the fans some credit.

That’s smart jrkdevil. I’d be ok with trying that at least.

Also, I think such attempts to help new fans are well intentioned but insulting. A part of learning the game, its tendencies and appreciating the amazing players is following the puck. The great player, one realizes, is one who is able to anticipate where the puck will be and puts it places where you didn’t think possible.

Bad idea the first time.  Still a bad idea.

I swear, if ever a league is killed by fixing crap that ain’t broke, it’s this one.

That is, “it’ll be this one.”

I’d suggest an intermediate step: make the puck tracking feature visible to the camera operators, but not the viewers. It can get pretty frustrating when we know where the puck is, but the camera guy is flailing around like a fish out of water.

I’ll admit this is getting less prevalent as VS gets more games under their collective belt, but I noticed it twice Saturday night and once on Sunday (while only half-watching the game).

This is a terrible idea.  It was so bad when Fox did it, and from what I’ve gathered, there are a lot more people against it than for it....

You know, my sister-in-law is American, and when she first started watching hockey (after she got married to my brother and moved to Canada), she had a hard time watching hockey. She was always trying to follow the black dot on the ice, that was her focus, and she was always losing sight of the puck. And when she wasn’t losing sight of the puck, she was so focused on tracking the puck, she didn’t really know what was going on in the game. In Baseball, Football & Basketball, even if you can look at the game at a higher level, you can basically follow the play just by following the ball. In hockey, you need to be focusing on the players and not the puck. You need to anticipate what the player with the puck is going to do, and also be aware of the defenders that pose an immediate threat to him, and the passing lanes he has open. Once my sister-in-law started to understand that, then she was able to follow games a lot easier.

I have to admit I think Versus has taken some big steps in improving their coverage of the NHL during the past three seasons. Puck tracking is a MAJOR step back.

The FOX glowing puck was a disaster, mostly because the people already watching were fans who knew what to look for. If you’re fortunate enough to find Versus on your cable system, you’re probably smart enough to find the puck.

But knowing the NHL, I’m sure they’ll go ahead and do this simply because it makes no sense at all.

Oh why not do it?  Already Versus has the most idiotic announcers.  If they are going to spend money on Joe Benninutty doing play by play why not spend a little bit more on this silly technology and bring the whole production into disrepute?  The NHL on Versus is a huge joke, let’s make it even more funny with this silly technology.

As a matter of fact, the broadcasts ARE a lot better in Canada.  The cameras always seem much closer to the ice, and the colour is much brighter.

I am a huge hockey fan.  Do I really need to answer whether or not I like the tracking puck?

Versus needs to spend money on announcers and commentators.  Why are Keith and Brian doing intermission reports?  Put them down low in the action.  Get Gary Thorne, Get Melrose get someone that actually knows what hockey is.

But if they do in fact do this at least us real hockey fans have our local feed.

Umm...I’m not sure what kind of hockey fan you are if you think that Gary Thorne knows hockey, especially when comparing him, a guy that never played in the league, to Jones and Englbom, two guys who played 491 and 659 games in the league respectively.  We can argue all we want about whether or not we like Thorne calling games, but I don’t think anyone would ever suggest him as an analyst, especially in the studio.

NHLJeff, all I am saying is he is better than what we have now.  You have to agree to that.  Who are the guys doing it now.  They didn’t even do it last year.  Gary at least had some enthusiasm when a goal is scored no matter who scored it.  VS is playing the pittsburgh fiddle all the way through the game.  An unbiased analyst is what this game needs not one sided commentary.

HD is made for hockey.  If you can’t see the puck and can’t follow the game, get a bigger TV.