Helmet-mounted Hockey Camera

May 9, 2009 9:22 PM

I always wanted to watch a hockey game from the point of view of one of the players. I've seen cameras mounted on the helmets of like, F1 drivers, but never hockey players. Does anyone know if footage like this exists? I feel that if I were able to see what particular hockey players are looking at I would be able to better understand the second-to-second decisions they make. Thanks.
posted by Sully to sports, hobbies, & recreation (9 comments total)

Goalie cams (in addition to goal cameras) aren't uncommon, but goalie helmets are bulky anyway. I know of nothing similar for skaters.
posted by aswego at 9:27 PM on May 9

I don't think you'd find the video very illuminating. They swing their heads from side to side almost constantly, so all you'd see would be motion blur.

Goalie-cam makes more sense; the goalie spends most of his time standing still.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 9:50 PM on May 9

and even if you had a camera on their helmet, their eyes are moving here there everywhere, faster than they can think about it, it's all done on a level of intuition mixed with unreal talent and remarkable vision and lightning reflexes; you'd almost have to get inside their brain to get a clue of what's shakin' out there, but your brain is different from theirs and almost certainly wouldn't pick up the cues which they do pick up at the speed of lightning, esp since they're moving on the ice at god knows what speed...
posted by dancestoblue at 10:45 PM on May 9

Go to a hockey game and sit behind the goal in the lowest row you can get. These tickets are usually cheaper than sideline seats and I think the view is similar to what the players see.

Helmet cam would just be disorienting.
posted by mullacc at 10:47 PM on May 9

I've heard audio of skaters who were miked (this is the kind of thing they love to play around with during the playoffs), and it's not really as interesting as you'd hope it would be. Lots of grunting, nicknames, and "There! Hey! Okay!".

Goalie-cam also comes into play sometimes, and it's okay, but again, you're not really getting any super-illuminating insights from what you see.

The best thing in my experience is simply to attend games, and to sit as close to the ice as you can. But also, just sitting in different places in the arena, at different levels, during a season, really helps you understand what you're seeing when you see it on television. Next year, if you can, buy some single-game tickets for several games in several different places throughout the arena. And if your local team is covered by local radio, bring a radio with headphones so you can listen to the broadcast while you watch, you'll learn amazing details you'd never pick up yourself. Good color commentators are experienced players, usually, and their insights into player motivation can be super helpful to your watching experience.

Hockey and baseball both are almost impossible to enjoy on television unless you understand the live experience, in my opinion as someone who followed both as hard as I could for many years before having the chance to have my mind blown by seeing them live on a regular basis.
posted by padraigin at 10:52 PM on May 9

The best way to 'understand the second-to-second decisions they make" is to play the game yourself and have a good coach, to tell you what you should have been looking for on your last shift.

To get a feel for how the best-of-the-best play and see the ice... if that was possible, every coach would have their players see what Gretsky or Ovechkin or Crosby or Lidstrom or Sakic sees. Even if that was possible, what you see is not how you would react.

dancestoblue is absolutely right. Cameras have been attached to hockey players (notably, on goalies in the NHL about the time that FOX tried to get into hockey broadcasting). Unfortunately, a lot of important visual information comes from peripheral vision or swiveling eyes while the neck/head is in a different orientation (sometimes to fool goaltenders).
posted by porpoise at 11:12 PM on May 9

Agree that a headcam wouldn't be much use... it works for racecar drivers because their heads are largely immobile and they aren't looking at much other than straight-ahead, but hockey players move fast, often while looking in some other direction. Even if you could get rid of the motion blur with a very very fast camera, you still would be watching their heading, not their bearing, and certainly not their eyes.

What you need is that guy with a robo-cam in his eye socket to play hockey for you.

Reality show pitch in 3... 2.... 1.....
posted by rokusan at 8:53 AM on May 10

Am I the only one here who remembers the "helmet cam" from the old World League of American Football? Fun idea, but, perhaps counter-intuitively, offered next to nothing in the way of insight.

I agree with mullacc that going to an actual game an sitting in one of the front rows gives you a whole new perspective on the game. If you can't swing this at NHL prices, try to find a minor league or local junior team to watch. If you pick one side or the other, you'll miss most of the action happening on the opposite side, but you'll get to experience the game full-on when the action's in your end.
posted by hiteleven at 1:37 PM on May 10

If there's youth hockey program near you, attend games from a wide range of age groups.

You can see what the kids are doing [or trying to do] and watch how it develops and gets faster as they grow.

Two years ago I was largely lost when watching the NHL. Now that I've gone through three seasons [9, 10, 11 years old] watching my son play, I understand the game a lot more when watching the Wild.

IMO, nosebleed seats where you can take in the entire ice are better for understanding how plays get set up and so forth.
posted by chazlarson at 9:25 PM on May 10