As the cold weather hit the region, University of Waterloo students designed some hot new ways for Canadians to enjoy NHL Hockey. The Sportsnet Hockey Hack Powered by Rogers 5G was a collaborative weeklong event that introduced high profile partners to the ingenuity of UWaterloo students to help shape the future of sports tech innovation.Waterloo’s Concept, Stratford School of Design and Business and GEDI partnered with Rogers, the NHL and Intel to offer students the first opportunity of enhancing hockey fan engagement through 5G technologies. Students used real datasets of NHL puck and player tracking from the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs to power their ideas and offer new solutions that Sportsnet could incorporate into their viewing experiences.
The NHL, and many other sports leagues, were put on hold as COVID spread throughout the world which further highlighted the need for new methods of fan engagement. As leagues begin to recommence without fans in the stands or with limited attendance, the search for ways to further engage audiences beyond inperson experiences has never been more important. The advances of 5G technology and its low-latency capabilities have created new opportunities for fan interaction. That’s where our incredibly innovative students stepped in and offered their unique solutions for Canadian hockey fans.