Eye in the sky: how streaming of local hockey has changed the game

From its perch in the centre of the wall in Harold Latrace Arena, the automated eye that surveys the ice surface below follows a hockey goalie take several long strides away from their net and toward the opposing team's bench.

It watches the player, wielding their goalie stick, take two swipes at the opposing team, striking the opposing coach before the stick is pulled from their glove and the refs escort the player away.

Before subscription services like LiveBarn and HomeTeam Live began streaming local sports at ice rinks and storing them for review, instances like these would have been another anecdote in locker rooms (unless someone had coincidentally recorded them on their phone or camcorder).

Instead, the short video circulated around the local hockey community.

The assault was reported to the Saskatoon Police Service, though police say the coach chose not to pursue charges. The player was suspended, but Hockey Saskatchewan general manager Kelly McClintock would not specify for how long.

"In that situation, you now have a pretty clear video of what [that player] did," he said.

"Nobody can question it, a parent can't question it because it's pretty hard to argue against what you see on a video."

McClintock said while the initial goal of these eye-in-the-sky streaming services was for entertainment, it's become more than that.

Cameras planted predominantly in local rinks in Canada and the United States capture the video and audio of ice time. They provide distant families a chance to watch their kids and grandkids play sports and allow people to save clips to share with others.

It also gives people the chance to watch, replay and analyze the minute aspects of amateur sports and question the calls of referees or hold players and coaches accountable by submitting a clip of what they think goes against the rules. 

"It certainly has added a lot more work and a lot more scrutiny to how games are called and what calls are made and then subsequent discipline afterwards," McClintock said.

Before the video submission reaches Hockey Saskatchewan, it has to be greenlit by the team representative — typically the coach — and the league they're a part of to ensure Hockey Saskatchewan is not inundated with videos.

Despite that, McClintock said their discipline coordinator still receives around 20 submissions some weeks, from some teams more than others.

Hockey Saskatchewan's video policy lays out submissions as solely used for player safety — like penalties that deserve more serious repercussions or suspensions — rather than reviewing offsides, goals and minor penalties.