Ice Hockey
Ice hockey is one of the world’s most beloved international sports, as evidenced by the fact that 74 countries around the world now have national federations dedicated to the sport. Each game is blazingly fast-paced and a fraction of a second on the clock can affect the final outcome decisively. Swiss Timing delivers services in support of ice hockey that ensure that each tenth of a second is precisely calculated and that the clock stops at the exact moment the referee’s whistle is blown.
Swiss Timing and Ice Hockey
For the all-important timing of an ice hockey game, Swiss Timing has adapted a version of its state-of-the-industry Quantum Timer specifically to the needs of the sport. At the scoring bench, there are touch-screen PCs on which specially trained volunteers keep track of the statistics that are such an important part of ice hockey. Some of these, like time-on-ice and face-offs, are recorded by volunteers who are positioned directly next to the ice with a clear view of the entire rink.
All of the devices on the bench are connected directly to the timing room, as are the PCs that drive the public scoreboard. Swiss Timing is responsible for the timing, the scoreboard, the broadcast services, the statistics, and the results, and works closely with the International Ice Hockey Federation – the sport’s governing body – which, for historical reasons, has its own on-venue results system.
One of Swiss Timing’s innovations that has attracted vast attention is the Automatic Whistle Detection System. Even in the pandemonium of an exciting match, it can detect the sound of the referee’s whistle. When the whistle is blown the Quantum Timer stops immediately, eliminating the issue of human reaction time to stop a clock and saving what could be critical fractions of a second.