NHL and Ticketmaster to provide haptic OneCourt tablets for blind and low-vision fans at League events

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

The NHL and Ticketmaster announced Nov. 5, 2026 that they are partnering to provide complimentary OneCourt haptic tablets for blind and low-vision fans at all of the League’s tentpole events in North America this season. The companies said OneCourt’s broadcast technology converts real-time game data into vibrations, allowing fans to feel key moments as plays occur.

The league said the rollout 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. Ticketmaster’s sports accessibility head, Kurt Schwartzkopf, called the partnership “a milestone achievement for accessibility in live sports,” adding that the company is supporting its NHL partners by helping deliver the experience as part of its broader mission to make live events inclusive and accessible.

According to the NHL, the next NHL tentpole stop for the haptic tablet program is 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 league also confirmed that OneCourt tablets will be available at the 2027 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend at UBS Arena, home of the New York Islanders, on Feb. 5–6, 2027.

The NHL further stated that the haptic tablet program will continue at 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, 2027. Taken together, the announcement covers multiple marquee NHL events across Canada and the United States, with the same complimentary haptic technology designed for tactile follow-along.

The NHL also said select clubs will be first in bringing OneCourt tablets to fans at their home games. The Avalanche, Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings were named as the initial teams to offer the OneCourt tablets to fans during home matches, expanding the program beyond the League’s major neutral-site events.

The NHL said it has previously led on sports accessibility by producing live game broadcasts in American Sign Language through “NHL in ASL.” In the new partnership, the league said it is combining OneCourt’s haptics technology with NHL EDGE Puck & Player Tracking data to create “new ways for fans to experience the speed and excitement” of the game at tentpole events and in arenas across the League.

Dave Lehanski, the NHL executive vice president of business development and innovation, said in a statement that technology can make hockey “more accessible, immersive, and inclusive.” Jerred Mace, CEO and founder of OneCourt, said the company’s community had asked for hockey “since Day One” and that launching the tactile broadcast experience with Ticketmaster and the NHL is “a milestone.” He added that the tablets allow blind and low-vision fans to follow the action by feeling the “pulse” of moves, passes, shots and goals alongside other fans in the arena.

OneCourt is based in Seattle and was founded in 2021 at the University of Washington, according to the NHL and Ticketmaster announcement. The companies described OneCourt as a provider of accessible entertainment that created the world’s first tactile broadcast for sports fans with visual disabilities, framing the NHL and Ticketmaster rollout as an extension of that capability into hockey’s live game environment.