NHL DRAFTS AMAZON FOR DATA

After years of making inroads in sports ranging from baseball to soccer, the computers are now taking over hockey. The NHL signed a deal with Amazon.com Inc. for advanced data, analytics and video capabilities to give fans and teams high-technology features that have already filtered into other sports. That could be a selling point for legions of hockey-lovers whose only choice during COVID-19 has been to watch games from home. Soon the speed of a puck may appear on viewers’ screens or they may see analytics predicting the outcome of a faceoff or the probability of a team scoring on a power play, said Matt Garman, vice-president of sales and marketing at Amazon Web Services. “We’re going to pretty quickly look for some of those analytics that, in real time, can provide interesting data,” Garman said. “Fans like having that extra insight, and it adds another dimension to watching the game.” Amazon will build on the NHL’S existing Puck and Player Tracking system and use machine learning to develop advanced analytics and metrics.