Following the successful tests at the prestigious ‘Spengler Cup’ in Davos (from the 26th to the 31st of December 2015), the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation has approved the use of the Vokkero® Squadra communication system.
The ‘Spengler Cup’ is a prestigious tournament that has been played since 1923. During this competition, the best international clubs compete under the watchful eyes of elite referees.
For both players and referees, the stakes are high. The pressure is, too: there is no margin for error. In this situation, the Vokkero® Squadra lets users share information in real time, enables a faster reaction to events, strengthens team spirit and offers the audience uninterrupted sporting entertainment.
The feedback has been excellent. Daniel Stricker, a Swiss international referee, tells us more.
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« Over the past years, I was already in contact with game officials from other kind of sports which are using the Vokkero system since a long time. The experiences of those colleagues was also a reason, why I am very interested in an introduction of that communication system into the daily operation of the Swiss Ice Hockey.
The Spengler Cup Tournament 2015 was the first multi-day event, where I was able to use this supportive communication tool. This gear brings a collection of new possibilities for us as referees. Of course does this technology also need some adaptation time for us in the daily use.
In my point of view the new system is a great extension of our “tool set” as a Hockey game official on the top level. In the past years the upgrade of the 3-man-system to a 4-man-system was the biggest improvement of the referee management. I’m pretty sure, that the communication tool will be the next step on the way to a professional Ice Hockey environment for us referees. »
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