The new techno-puck that Fox has spent over a year to design
will be unveiled during Saturday's telecast of the NHL All-Star
Game. The puck, with a chip built in, emits on-camera "comet-
tail image that changes colors depending on the speed of the
disk." The league has tested the puck, but David Fuller of the
FINANCIAL POST writes that at last week's Sharks-Devils contest,
the "results were not encouraging." While NHL officials refused
to comment, "the comet-tail apparently remains on the screen too
long -- at times giving the appearance that there is more than
one puck on the ice" (FINANCIAL POST, 1/16). The Vancouver
PROVINCE's John McKeachie witnessed another experiment at
Monday's Bruins-Canucks game. He wonders if the Fox network is
"losing their minds," since the life of the battery in the puck
"on a frozen surface is 10 minutes maximum." McKeachie: "It has
a long way to go to perfection" (Vancouver PROVINCE, 1/17).
After Canucks goalie Corey Hirsch shut out Boston Monday (his
first NHL shutout), he was reportedly "deprived" of the puck --
since they cost $400 each. Fox Sports' Vince Wladika: "We
autopsy each puck to see how it withstood the game conditions."
Wladika said Hirsch will get the puck (MONTREAL GAZETTE, 1/17).
