NHL OneCourt haptic tablets for blind and low-vision fans, Digi Mart USA News: The NHL and Ticketmaster are teaming to bring complimentary OneCourt haptic tablets to blind and low-vision fans at all of the League’s tentpole events in North America this season. OneCourt’s broadcast technology converts real-time game data into vibrations that allow fans to feel each play as it happens.
Implementation of the program began with the 2026 Tim Horton’s NHL Heritage Classic between the Winnipeg Jets and Montreal Canadiens at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on Oct. 25. It will continue at the Discover NHL Winter Classic between the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Dec. 31.
The program will also be available at the 2027 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend at UBS Arena, home of the New York Islanders, on Feb. 5-6, and the 2027 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series between the Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, on Feb. 20.
In addition, the Avalanche, Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings will be the first NHL teams to offer OneCourt tablets to fans at their home games.
Kurt Schwartzkopf, head of sports at Ticketmaster, called the partnership “a milestone achievement for accessibility in live sports.” “Ticketmaster is proud to support our NHL partners in bringing this experience to life and advance our mission to make live events inclusive and accessible to every fan,” he said.
The NHL has been a leader in sports accessibility as the only major professional sports league to produce live game broadcasts in American Sign Language (ASL) through “NHL in ASL.” The League is now joining Ticketmaster’s ongoing efforts to enhance the game-day experience for blind and low-vision fans.
Dave Lehanski, NHL executive vice president of business development and innovation, said, “Technology has the power to make hockey more accessible, immersive, and inclusive.” “By combining OneCourt’s haptics technology with NHL EDGE Puck & Player Tracking data, we’re creating new ways for fans to experience the speed and excitement of our game and helping bring hockey to more audiences at tentpole events and in arenas across the League,” he said.
Based in Seattle and founded in 2021 at the University of Washington, OneCourt is a leading provider of accessible entertainment, having invented the world’s first tactile broadcast for sports fans with visual disabilities.
Jerred Mace, CEO and Founder of OneCourt, said, “Our community has been asking us for hockey since Day One and launching it with Ticketmaster and the NHL is a milestone for OneCourt.” “Blind and low-vision fans can now follow the action with their fingertips, feeling the pulse of every move, pass, shot, and goal alongside everyone else in the arena.”
