NHL Debuts POV Footage With “Ref Cam”

It was announced late last month that the NHL and GoPro had reached a deal to bring point-of-view footage and content to multiple platforms – including game broadcasts – across the league starting this season.

Fans got their first taste of the POV footage during Wednesday’s Maple Leafs-Canadiens game in Toronto, where officials wore cameras on top of their helmets to provide a unique view of action on the ice during broadcasts.

Here’s what the setup looks like:

And here are a few replay clips used during the SportsNet broadcast:

In addition to the replay clips, GameCenter subscribers have the option of streaming live game action through the POV cam. It’s a pretty raw look at the game and sometimes hard to watch (without getting motion sickness, anyways) but, as a viewer, it’s pretty neat to get a glimpse at what the refs see down at ice level. At the very least, the unique perspective is a nice change of pace from more traditional broadcast cameras.

Here’s a look at a goal during the Flames-Canucks game that was initially waved off, then overturned after video review. It provides us with an idea of why the official believed the puck was batted in above the crossbar before going to review.