UHWK is Capturing Hockey’s Good Side
Hockey fans and players alike are getting the opportunity to see the game from all new angles.
Ref cams, video cameras mounted on the helmets of referees, have been hailed as the true breakout star most recently at the World Cup of Hockey as audiences get a look at the action up close. The popularity of the technology could mean a full-time implementation of ref cams in NHL games in the near future.
UHWK, a helmet cam company based in Ontario but initially founded at University of New Brunswick, is well poised to get in on the action. UHWK helmet cams have recently hit the shelves at big retailers across the country like Sportchek, Pro Hockey Life and National Sports.
Founder Shea Kewin says that it all began when he suffered repeated concussions while playing hockey for the UNB Varsity Reds.
“I was trying to uncover what the real root of the problem was and to me it wasn’t a new helmet or impact solution,” he said. “I thought if I could review the game from my own eyes and see how I was playing, I’d be able to improve my decision making and my spatial awareness.”
“At the same time I was coaching a lot of kids and noticed that they had their heads down a lot and I thought having a camera for these players to actually see their behavioural patterns and how they’re playing the game would really help them … I wanted to help athletes be more smart in the field of play and I thought a camera would allow them to do that.”
Kewin says he saw the technology as an opportunity not just to find where a player’s game could be improved, but also for entertainment and referee policing purposes. He approached the development of the helmet cam keeping in mind that it couldn’t void the helmet manufacturer’s warranties, had to be rugged and as universal as possible so that athletes across a variety of sports could make use of it as well.
“We spent a lot of time trying to figure out the mechanical industrial design to work for such a rugged sport and such a difficult and complex surface to lie a camera against and keep it safe and low profile,” he said.
“We initially narrowed in on the elite level hockey player and that has expanded to just the athlete and coach and referee in general. What we’ve found is throughout the last years of sales our audience has been much larger than just that very narrow focus of user to people who have bought it from all sports, from all levels and from all parts of the world.”
Kewin says they’ve since realized that referees are the perfect users for their cameras. He sees not only the entertainment possibility of the referee cam but also the accountability having a camera on the ice produces. He says that coaches, players and parents are much better behaved when referees are wearing cameras and there is that level of accountability.
“It makes the sport safer,” he said. “It puts players and kids in a much better environment to play because of not just physical safety, but verbal safety. Referees get verbally abused all the time. With a camera there it’s much less likely … I think the message that adults give to kids in sports is so important and everybody is held accountable when there are cameras on their helmets.”
UHWK is currently working on expanding sales and operations into the United States and worldwide while continuing to evolve their product. Kewin hopes that eventually referee organizations of all levels will make wearing helmet cams mandatory.
“Our goal is to be a leader in sports cameras and evolve as the first consumer electronics company dedicated as a sporting brand,” he said.
“We want to improve the game. We want to continue to make the game more fun and more safe and as a result, players will be smarter and the game ecosystem as a whole will be better and that is tremendously important to us, to lead the game through that new era.”