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Pointstreak is a Sign of the Times


By Michael Onesi
Wednesday Jan. 17th, 2001
The Chronicle Journal - Thunder Bay, ON

Aaron Bishop is hoping to add to Thunder Bay's rich history when it comes to stats and time-keeping technology at hockey arenas.

Bishop is the CEO and creator of Pointstreak, a new system that the 29-year-old hopes will revolutionize the way hockey leagues record game statistics.

The former Fort William Collegiate Institute student is following in the footsteps of Benton A. Ross and W. F. Martin of the 1920's. The two Port Arthur businessmen changed the way people watched hockey by being one of the first to build large visible time clocks.

In 1931, a "SporTimer" was installed in the Montreal Forum and soon the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto bought a clock from Port Arthur.

Bishop's creation is much more high-tech. His company rents out wire-less computer terminals that are used by the game's scorekeeper.

Instead of writing stats on a gamesheet, statisticians punch scores into the computer. The information is instantly transmitted through a cellular network and posted on the Internet.

So seconds after the puck hits the back of the net, the information shows up on the Net. The computer saves time for league administrators who don't have to type in game sheets. Bishop had the idea for a system while he was taking courses in database management while at the University of British Columbia but the technology wasn't available at the time.

"But I stayed on top of the developments that were going on with different databases. Finally, it looked like it was possible so I just jumped at it," said Bishop who graduated three years ago. "…It's new technology, cutting edge stuff."

The company was incorporated last March and is based out of British Columbia. The system is currently being used by a University of British Columbia league, and Bishop said the Internet site is getting huge traffic from the 800 players.

Pointstreak has received interest from other leagues. Eventually, Bishop would like the system, which costs roughly $10 per player, to be as common as a Zamboni. "It's a bit of a trial (to get the word out about Pointstreak). Once we get in and talk to an administrator and show them how the system works, then it flies," Bishop said.


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