Characters from the animated series The Greens in the big city Who will act as goalkeeper for the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers, a chicken as a referee … Thanks to a partnership between ESPN, Disney and the NHL, the meeting between the club of ‘Alex Ovechkin and that of Patrick Kane will take place on Tuesday night is simultaneously presented in animated form, in which all the action of the game is played live.
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Dubbed the NHL Big City Greens Classic, the animated recreation of the game is made possible by the NHL’s player and puck motion sensor systems, ESPN explained on its website.
For example: “When Alex Ovechkin fires a one-off shot at Madison Square Garden, the NHL’s ‘Edge’ technology built into his jersey and puck captures the information and the player wearing his uniform in the animated version wears, this replicates movement,” according to the sports network.
The “virtual” match will air Tuesday at 7 p.m. on ESPN+, Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney+, while the “traditional” match will be presented in parallel by the usual networks.
Players… and Characters
The role’s presenters, Drew Carter and Kevin Weekes, will also appear in the animated version in the form of avatars. Specifically, to remind viewers that they are actually watching a hockey game.
ESPN also shared some details that should appeal to fans of the animated film, which also won Emmy awards. The “virtual” part takes place in the Big City’s Times Circle. There will be animated avatars of players from both teams, but some athletes will be replaced with characters from the series.
Far from the glittering pucks
It was Edge, the NHL’s new data collection technology, that made this project possible, which ESPN hadn’t thought big of before Disney got involved.
Certainly we are a long way from the infamous sparkling pucks, the FoxTrax, which were used in games broadcast by FOX between 1996 and 1998 and were intended to allow viewers to better follow the game…
Punches in the stomach instead of fights
And for battle lovers: No, there will be no battle during the simulated game…even if two players clash during the real encounter. It’s also one of the questions Ed Placey, VP at ESPN’s Event, has had to answer the most since he began working on the project.
“No, there’s no shooting,” he explains. What you’re more likely to see is two players kicking each other in the stomach.”