‘Love the iPad’: NHL players, coaches talk bench screen time

TORONTO – Macklin Celebrini is often looking down on the bench.

The San Jose Sharks star centre isn’t in pain or checking his laces. He’s usually going over what just transpired — on an iPad.

“If a play didn’t work out how I wanted,” Celebrini explained. “Or if one of my teammates was talking to me about something and I didn’t see it, I think it’s good just to be able to go back and look.”

Technology and sports have countless intersections. One trend in the NHL over the better part of the last decade has been the use of digital tablets in-game that can provide coaches and players with near-instant replays.

Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki is a big fan.

“Love the iPad,” he said. “We have a rule on our team where you only get to watch it during TV timeouts … you don’t want to be on the iPad when you’re trying to make a change.”

That’s where the bench balancing act comes into play.

“Sometimes we feel as coaches we’re working at the Apple Store when the guys are asking for iPads, but I get it, in a sense,” Sharks bench boss Ryan Warsofsky said. “I don’t really appreciate it when they look to see how much they missed the net by.” 

Seattle Kraken captain Jordan Eberle said there’s no such thing as too much information, but tablets can become a distraction.

“The game is so fast, mistakes are going to be made,” he said. “If you’re looking on the iPad to see the mistake, it should already be forgotten and move on to the next shift.”

New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe said while there are plenty of benefits when it comes to parsing technique or structure, the tech can be overused.

“A goalie that made a big save or you flubbed on a pass — don’t waste your time on that,” he said. “Let’s stay in the moment and then move quickly on.”

Keefe, however, added the league’s younger generation grew up with screens and expects immediate intel from the video coaches splicing tape.

“They’ve come up in an era where they’re used to having things at their fingertips,” he said. “They want the information.”

Minnesota Wild forward Matt Boldy will only really look at the iPad, which officials also use at the timekeeper’s bench on coach’s challenge and other replays, after specific sequences.

“I’m not a huge believer in nitpicking every shift and saying, ‘Why didn’t you pass it to me right here?'” he said. “I’m sure they have plenty of clips of me not passing to them, too.” 

Celebrini’s screen time last season as a rookie got some attention.

“It was pretty public that I used the iPads quite a bit,” he said. “I think I got caught (on camera) every time I used it, so it looked like I was on it more than I was.”

Anaheim Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville, who played more than 800 NHL games and owns over 1,000 victories behind the bench, has had a front-row seat to plenty of change in hockey.

“Not a fan (of iPads),” said the three-time Stanley Cup winner, who mostly searches out replays for calls by on-ice officials. “I’m not gonna discourage it, but I don’t promote it.” 

Devils centre Jack Hughes said screen use can negatively impact players in the moment.

“You miss a big chance, and you’re upset about it,” he said. “You go back and look at look at it, but then you just get more frustrated. Every guy’s different, but think it’s very useful for some parts of the game.” 

“Anything’s good in moderation, right?” New York Rangers winger Will Cuylle added. “But you don’t want to be like a little kid out there on his iPad.” 

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube, another former NHLer from a different era, noted players are sometimes only interested in tablet-based replays when it makes them look good.

“I love the iPads,” he said in a muted, sarcastic tone. “They want the iPads after a shift when they have a scoring opportunity, but they don’t want the iPad when they screwed up defensively.

“That’s when the assistant coach goes down and shows them.”

TIME CRUNCH

The NHL’s return to the Olympics offered fans a riveting mid-season tournament. That 2 1/2-week break has also left coaches with even less time for on-ice preparations throughout 2025-26 due to a compressed schedule that offers little wiggle room.

“Our morning skate is, a lot of times, our practice,” Quenneville said. “We just go 15, 20 minutes.” 

He added that making sure players are ready for important games down the stretch is paramount.

“The other team’s in the same boat,” Quenneville said. “Rest, I think, is probably not a bad idea … we’ve been trying to be aware of that.” 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 25, 2026.