SMT making headlines during the Stanley Cup Final

SMT is no stranger to handling a firehose of NHL data, but this week we've also been managing a firehose of media attention.

As Hurricanes Watch Parties at Lenovo Center continue to showcase SPRITES, NHL OPTICS and other SMT tech, local TV stations have taken notice. Throughout the week, SMT founder and CEO Gerard J. Hall and Corp. VP of Broadcast Services Robbie Louthan spoke with reporters about the technology powering NHL broadcasts and enhancing the fan experience in Raleigh.

Check out some of the coverage below to see how SMT's work is helping bring fans closer to the game both on television and inside the arena.

IN THE NEWS: SPECTRUM NEWS

An inside look at how players and pucks are tracked during NHL games

By Sydney McCoy, Spectrum News, Raleigh
Published: June 9, 2026

Whether you are a lifelong Carolina Hurricanes fan who has dreamed of another Stanley Cup Final since 2006 or a new fan jumping on the bandwagon, your viewing experience has been enhanced by SportsMEDIA Technology (SMT).

Since SMT’s CEO, Gerard Hall, developed the first wireless data delivery system and real-time scoring for the PGA Tour in 1988, according to SMT’s website, the world of sports analytics has evolved.

“Real time data is becoming more and more important,” Hall said.

For more than 20 years, SMT has been a partner with the National Hockey League to provide crucial data for games. Through the years, SMT and the NHL have revolutionized the game-viewing experience for fans, but it has come with learning experiences.

“For every game, SMT can provide the real-time location of every player and puck throughout the game,” Robbie Louthan, with SMT.

Chips that emit infrared signals are sandwiched in the puck like an Oreo cookie and placed into a pocket on the back of players’ jerseys. The chips then send a signal 60 times a second to cameras around the areas that are capturing the signals.

“There's about 18 to 20 cameras up in the catwalk in the rafters. And we basically can triangulate from those cameras, seeing the glowing puck exactly where it is. The same with the players,” Hall said.

“It's a firehose of information. But what we're able to do is use that to tell stories,” Louthan said. “We may get speed, speed of the shot, speed of the puck. We know exactly where the puck is on a shot release. So we are interfaced into the official scoring system as well. So it helps the NHL with official scoring metrics. We know who's in the face-off circle. We know who wins the face-off circle. We can tell you the assist that led to the goal.”

This data helps fans be immersed in the action, with visuals added to their screen such as trails of the puck or icons displaying the speed of a shot or player. It also helps officials during the game and coaches and players to improve their game.

“The players like it because they get to see themselves in replay and figure out I was 8.6 feet from this thing. I should have been seven. And it gets nuanced like that,” Hall said. 

SMT’s technology is so precise that it allows real-time positional data of every player on the ice and puck within two centimeters of accuracy, but it also has to withstand the force the puck endures.

“Every puck is frozen at 15 degrees as it goes on the ice. And then that puck has to survive, hitting a steel pipe at possibly 100 and 120 miles an hour. So that was a tough thing to solve from that, from an electronic standpoint,” Hall said.

There also cannot be any difference between a standard hockey puck and pucks that have this technology. To ensure there was no difference, top stick handlers in the NHL were brought in, including Sidney Crosby, to field test the pucks until no difference was felt.

“It was vitally important because we don't want to change the game. We want to be able to add to the game without having a negative impact,” Hall said.

Their technology is continuing to advance, with new inertial sensors added to the next generation of pucks to help tell if a puck was tipped or touched.

Watch parties

While the Canes may be away, SMT is making sure fans can see every play with their SPRITES application.

SPRITES, which uses the information from their tracking system they provide to the NHL, is a digital twin of the live game that can be projected onto places like a phone or in Lenovo Center for the Hurricanes watch parties.

“For tonight, what's happening in Vegas will be projected as little icons that represent exactly what is happening, both player icons and the puck,” Louthan said.

“When you're watching on a monitor or a TV or even the Jumbotron here, even though it's a giant screen, it's still confined to what that view is able to show you.,” Louthan said. “Whereas here you get the breadth of the ice. You see everything that's happening as players are coming over and on and off the boards and on and off the ice in Vegas. You may not see that on the video feed that's being presented to you on the Jumbotron, but on the ice, you can see it immediately.”

It gives the fans an experience they will never forget.

“Great technology is complicated. But when you do it so much and you do it in a way that brings it down to make it seem simple, then we're doing our job,” Louthan said.

IN THE NEWS: WRAL TV

Durham-based company revolutionizes NHL stats and analysis, Lenovo Center watch parties

By Monica Casey, WRAL News
Published: June 9, 2026

Many of the virtual graphics and analytics you see on your screen while watching an NHL game are produced closer to home than you may realize.

SMT is headquartered in Durham. The company partners with the National Hockey League as the official statistics provider. They provide real-time puck and player tracking, power play clocks and virtual shot speeds. SMT also works with arenas around the country on cameras, video boards and other fan experience elements. 

CEO and founder Gerard J. Hall explained one of the statistics that has historically been missing in hockey is who has the puck and for how long. 

"With the advent of our algorithms and AI technologies, we can infer that if this puck is moving at this speed, and this player is moving at that same speed, and they're moving in conjunction with one another, we have algorithms that are self-training now that can determine who's in possession of the puck,” Hall said. 

SMT’s control room is filled with operators monitoring the game, suggesting different replays and graphics to NHL producers. 

“The instant that puck goes in the net, we've designed our system so 20 different graphic replays are instantly available,” Hall said. “The system already knows who shot it, who was the goal scorer. The technology never gets tired. We're always tracking the players and the puck." 

SMT can show projections on the ice of where the shots have been, including where goals have been scored.

“You can see some stories being told just by the way that data is presented,” Hall said. 

It can also change the play calls by coaches. 

"Think of all the different tools that data can inform for coaches making decisions of, ‘Which line is performing well, which line is not performing well, how might I change things dynamically?’ That's a big thing in the modern world of sports,” Hall said. 

Improving the watch party experience

As the broadcast plays on the jumbotron above the ice, fans watching Games 3 and 4 are treated to a unique experience on the ice as well. SMT is using internal technology called SPRITES to transform watch parties.

“We created an app that gives us the ability to have a 2 dimensional view, looking down on the ice, all the players, those little circles moving around, and the puck moving as well,” Hall said.

Hall calls it the ultimate second screen experience, giving fans a view into a unique part of hockey that the broadcast often doesn't show: real-time player substitutions.

"It's really a powerful thing because television broadcast generally will follow the puck. They're kind of obligated to, like where's the puck? Typically in hockey, they dump the puck in the zone while they're doing a line change, the camera pans to where the puck is, and what people don't see at home is people coming onto the ice,” Hall said.

Hall explains the SPRITES technology is so fast—accurate to 70 milliseconds—that it beats the broadcast.

“If you're holding the app on your phone, the game's being played in Las Vegas, you are getting the data on your phone within 70 milliseconds of live. Virtually instantaneous,” Hall explained. “The trouble is the broadcast goes up to the satellite, down from the satellite, gets processed. It's about 30 seconds behind live. So, we had to delay our application to put it on the ice to synchronize it with what the watch party's showing.”

IN THE NEWS: WTVD

Canes fans get high-tech experience with on-ice projection at watch party at Lenovo Center

By DeJuan Hoggard, WTVD 
Published: June 10, 2026 

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Carolina Hurricanes fans packed the Lenovo Center on Tuesday night for the Game 4 watch party, where an on-ice projection system gave the crowd a closer look at the action. It added to the Caniacs excitement.

"That was so cool. I was like, "Is that where the players are?", said fan Leah Iudice. Iudice said watching the Hurricanes on the jumbotron while seeing their movements projected onto the ice made the experience feel more immersive. "That's just awesome to follow them along and see where they are on the ice and be able to look up. And that was very cool," she said.

The technology comes from Durham-based company SMT which uses tracking devices sewn into players' jerseys and placed inside the puck to create near real-time projections.

"It's great to work with a local partner," said director of event presentation Christine Williams for the Carolina Hurricanes. "Another thing that I think the fans have really latched on to and that's really cool about this particular technology."

Williams said the system gives fans the sense that the game is unfolding right in front of them.

"It provides that feel to that the players could be here. The game could actually be taking place here, but it's not. So it's a very interesting, unique technology," she said. The enhanced watch party experience comes as the Canes return to Raleigh for a pivotal game 5 with the hopes of advancing their lead in the best-of-seven series. Fans said the energy has only intensified after Tuesday's win.

BROADCAST SPOTLIGHT: BELMONT STAKES

SMT delivers comprehensive racing coverage at the 158th Belmont Stakes

Thanks to Coordinating Producer Danny Baker, for contributing to this report and to Media Production Manager Peter Frank and Video Editor Shaun Bales for the highlight reel.

SMT returned to the Belmont Stakes for its fourth consecutive year, providing a full suite of graphics, data, virtual technology and replay enhancements for FOX's coverage of the 158th running of the prestigious race. Held June 5-6 at Saratoga Race Course, the event marked the final Belmont Stakes at Saratoga before the race returns to its renovated home next year at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

The event delivered a historic storyline, as trainer Cherie DeVaux became the first female trainer to win two legs of the Triple Crown. Her colt, Golden Tempo, ridden by Jose Ortiz, captured the Belmont in dramatic fashion, mirroring the pair's success at the Kentucky Derby.

ISO Track once again played a key role in storytelling, with another stellar replay highlighting Golden Tempo's dramatic final-turn comeback victory à la the Derby.

A seven-person SMT crew worked on site throughout race week, supported remotely by SMT's QA and Software Engineering teams, "a crucial part of SMT's success," according to Coordinating Producer Danny Baker.

This year's coverage featured the successful debut of the L-Bar graphic, which appeared in every pre-race segment. SMT's GEMLive platform also powered the ticker and track map graphics used throughout the broadcasts, while F10 virtuals, including yard markers and the finish line, were incorporated into replay packages.

Behind the scenes, GEMStat served as the backbone for all racing data, supplying odds, trainer and jockey information, payouts, finish times, splits, automated running order data, and graphics feeds for both SMT applications and Vizrt graphics.

The week was not without challenges. A labor strike involving approximately 500 backstretch employees at NYRA tracks forced production partner Ovation's B-Unit to produce two separate shows from different control rooms. Despite the unexpected circumstances, the SMT team adapted seamlessly and delivered flawless support throughout the week.

"Everyone from Dave Jones, who oversees all technical aspects of the show, to Director Brian Lilly, was incredibly happy with everything," said Danny. "Nothing but hugs and fist bumps all around."

Danny also praised the team's preparation and execution throughout race week.

"Setup was smooth all around. Sean built cameras on Tuesday and was sailing smoothly the rest of the week, working with Peter to dial in near-perfect calibrations," he said.

The FOX and FS1 productions received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with SMT's on-air presence playing a significant role in the broadcasts' success.

"Great shows overall on FOX and FS1," Danny added. "All deliverables were very well received. Both the technical and production teams were thrilled with our on-air presence. The new implementation of the L-Bar was a big hit, and Katherine and Naomi did an excellent job bringing the SMT deliverables to life across both broadcasts."

SMT Team On Site

• Danny Baker – Lead & FOX Live Operator
• MaKenna Day – Stat Operator
• Sean Hanlon – Virtual Yard Markers & Finish Line
• Peter Frank – ISO Track Operator
• Steph Ruscio – Utility & Matte Operator
• Naomi Pridgen – FS1 Live Operator
• Katherine Rayn – Shadow/Live Operator

SMT Products

• GEMStat
• GEMLive (Ticker, Track Map, L-Bar)
• F10 Virtual Yard Markers
• F10 Virtual Finish Line
• ISO Track
• Matte (Chroma Keying)
• Stats Tablets

As the Belmont Stakes prepares to return to its newly renovated home next year, SMT closes out its final Saratoga production with another successful Triple Crown broadcast and a strong showcase of horse racing tech.

EVENT SPOTLIGHT: U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN

SMT tees off another successful USGA season at the U.S. Women's Open

Thanks to Project Manager Kayla Harris and Sr. BDM Jeff Carella for contributing to this report.

SMT played a key role at the U.S. Women's Open, supporting the championship from June 1-8 at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. The event marked the beginning of another busy USGA season for SMT, continuing a partnership that dates back to 2008.

Over the years, SMT's support of USGA championships has expanded significantly. In 2022, SMT added TIPS services across all USGA major championships, including the U.S. Women's Open. More recently, the company extended its practice round tracking support through 2030, further strengthening its long-standing relationship with the USGA.

This year's championship featured a notable enhancement to the fan experience: SMT delivered a completely redesigned, triggered, on-course scoreboard show. The new graphics package was optimized for improved legibility and updated to align with the latest PGA TOUR scoreboard resolution standards.

Supporting an event of this scale required collaboration across multiple teams and locations. Approximately a dozen SMT staff members worked on-site at Riviera, while teams from Creative Studio, Engineering and QA provided additional support remotely from Jacksonville and Durham.

SMT's products and services included:

• Monsterboard with digital header at the 18th green
• Spectator boards in the Fan Zone, Fan Central and Practice Range (pictured above)
• Digital Media Center support (pictured below)
• Tournament IPTV platform and service featuring 175 televisions across 16 channels
• GolfTeeV
• Practice round tracking
• NGSC triggered scoreboard production across 10 PGA TOUR scoreboards

According to Sr. Business Development Manager Jeff Carella, the USGA was especially appreciative of SMT's performance throughout the championship.

"The USGA were very complimentary of our staff, specifically noting their professionalism, communication and flexibility," Carella said. "The U.S. Women's Open kicks off the USGA season for SMT, and Kayla and the team got us off to a perfect start."

From left to right: Bobby Lookabough, Megan Witucki, John Ossi, Kayla Harris, Michael Tkachik (contractor), Peyton Carter, Ian Wolverton and Justin Potts

INTERN SPOTLIGHT: LUNCH & LEARN

Lunch & Learn dives into the data behind the puck

It was incredible getting to learn about the data science behind SMT’s puck and player tracking. I was captivated hearing Sammy Howorth talk about the PPT pipeline where raw tracking data is transformed into visualization analytics. Not only was the underlying process fascinating, but witnessing the technology in action at the Game 4 Watch Party in Lenovo Center was surreal. I loved being able to point out to my roommate SMT’s influence on the ice, especially the player tags and SPRITES technology!

                                                                                            — Ashley Rabinowitz, Marketing intern

NOMINATE A COLLEAGUE (OR YOURSELF!)

Click here to anonymously nominate someone to be featured in Talent Spotlight!

EVENTS & REMOTE TEAMS

We are staffing 23 events this week. Safe travels to all!

Content in Oculus is proprietary and should not be shared outside of SMT without permission.