The NHL announced that effective as of last night’s games, it is "using game pucks without the embedded tracking technology," a decision that was made after "concerns were raised about the microchipped puck’s performance during the first few days" of the season, according to Sam Carchidi of the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER. A review by the league determined that the first supply of pucks "did not receive the same precise finishing treatments during the offseason manufacturing process as last year’s playoff pucks." Flyers coach Alain Vigneault said, "I thought a couple of times it didn’t slide as well on the ice. We didn’t know if that was the puck or the ice surface" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 1/20). The league said that a new supply of the pucks will be "available soon and will 'undergo appropriate quality control testing' before being used in games." In the interim, the league indicated that it will "use official game pucks" from last season. ESPN.com's Greg Wyshynski noted this is the "first full season of puck and player tracking for the NHL, which promises to provide a significant amount of new data to enhance everything from TV broadcasts to sports wagering" (ESPN.com, 1/19).
