NHL providing Apple iPad Pro units and Macs to coaches and officials for playoffs

“NHL coaches have been given more technology on the bench in time for the Stanley Cup playoffs,” Stephen Whyno reports for The Associated Press. “The league is making three iPad Pros available for coaches on every bench and officials will also have them to review coach’s challenges, The Associated Press has learned. All 16 playoff arenas were outfitted with the iPads and also Macs for video coaches as part of a collaboration with Apple.”

“This season, coaches have been able to use video monitors on the bench to help them decide when to challenge offside and goaltender interference situations,” Whyno reports. “The iPads, which were tested late in the regular season, provide real-time video capabilities to show players how they’re performing.”

“The monitors had already become a game-changer for coaches, giving them more information on challenges and for player feedback. The technology is even more valuable in the playoffs when goals are scarce and the offside and goaltender interference challenges can decide a game — or a series,” Whyno reports. “David Lehanski, NHL senior VP of business development, global partnerships and sponsorship sales, said the move got done in time for the playoffs but the league would have also been OK starting next season. ‘It’s equal parts of us believing this truly will help the coaches and the officials and we’re going to make decisions faster and more accurately and all those things and it gives us an opportunity to get a lot of feedback in from everyone who’s going to be involved from a playoff standpoint and then make some refinements and enhancements leading into next season for a full league-wide deployment,’ said Lehanski.”

Much more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: The NHL took the time to get the best technology into the hands of player and coaches. As opposed the the NFL, which simply took the money from Microsoft, players and coaches be damned.

Microsoft has to feign success by paying entities like the NFL hundreds of millions just to use (or try to use) their ill-conceived, undependable dreck because the fact is that a single quarter of iPad Pro sales exceed the total of all Microsoft Surface tablets ever sold.

SEE ALSO:
New England Patriots coach Belichick on Microsoft Surface tablets: ‘They’re just too undependable for me’ – October 19, 2016
New England Patriots’ coach Belichick: Microsoft Surface breakdowns are common – January 26, 2016
Microsoft pays $400 million for product placement; Surface tablets fail during Patriots vs. Broncos playoff game – January 24, 2016
A single quarter of iPad Pro sales will exceed the total of all Microsoft Surface tablets ever sold – November 24, 2015
Microsoft pays $400 million for product placement, then NFL announcer calls Surface tablet ‘iPad-like’ on air – September 8, 2014
Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone says his Microsoft Surface tablet ‘didn’t work’ for portion of game – August 4, 2014
How Apple’s iPad is revolutionizing NFL playbooks for players and coaches – July 19, 2012
Miami Dolphins latest to replace huge paper playbooks with Apple iPads – June 24, 2012
Cincinnati Bengals go digital with iPad playbooks, join dozen other NFL teams – June 15, 2012
Denver Broncos NFL team transfers traditional playbooks to Apple iPads – April 23, 2012
NFL’s Tampa Bay Bucs give every player an Apple iPad 2 to hold playbook, video – August 25, 2011
NFL teams considering replacing playbooks with Apple iPads – February 4, 2011

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Dan K.” for the heads up.]