MLB's automated strike zone system is leading to more accurate officiating. Should the NHL also use tracking technologies for offside and goal-line calls?
As the 2026 MLB season is underway, its new video-review automated balls-and-strikes system should give the NHL something to think about.
Taking the subjectivity out of how balls and strikes are called gives the ticket-buying public comfort that an umpire's error isn't going to result in an unfair decision at the plate.
That's a good thing for the NHL to try to emulate in areas where video review and tracking technologies can improve their decision-making.
Using technology to improve officiating is something that's only going to help MLB as it tries to get all its calls right. And the NHL should learn from baseball's bold move by using player-and-puck-tracking systems for offside reviews and when it comes to puck-over-the-goal-line disputes.'
In those situations, officials are limited to judging based on the camera angles they see. That can lead to inconclusive reviews if the puck is covered in all camera angles.
By using player-and-puck-tracking technologies, the NHL would be helping its on-ice officials get their calls right.
That said, player-tracking information may not be 100 percent perfect when splitting hairs over, say, an offside call and when a player's body or skate crosses the blueline
Similarly, having a tracker in a puck and detecting whether it goes over the goal line isn't an exact science.
But the point is that employing puck-and-player-tracking systems means that game-to-game officiating will be as close to ideal as possible – even if that means accepting that the current system still leaves too much judgment to on-ice officials.
Of course, we're not here to blame NHL officials for being human and missing a call here or there. The speed of the game means calls will be missed, but employing a tracker system will reduce the number of disputed calls we see.
One of those disputed calls could happen in this year's Stanley Cup playoffs. And if you're a fan of a team that goes far in the post-season, you don't want to see your team's season end because a review is inconclusive. Automating those calls will make it easier for NHL fans to digest game results without blaming officials, who, for the most part, do a great job.
It's not like the NHL would be getting into unknown territory. Soccer uses ball and player tracking to determine whether a goal was scored and whether a player was offside. And as we're seeing in baseball, the newly implemented ABS system in MLB is in full force.
The technology exists. Now it's about the NHL putting its best foot forward and removing as much subjectivity from officiating as technology will allow.
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