The Washington Capitals and New York Rangers will participate in a first-of-its-kind event on Tuesday night. The NHL is teaming up with Disney and the TV series Big City Greens to create an animated alternate telecast of the game, using tracking technology that is located in pucks and player jerseys.

The game pits the Caps and Rangers two seasons removed from one of the biggest rivalries in hockey. The two teams had line brawls in consecutive games in May 2021 and the Rangers’ accused Tom Wilson of “horrifying acts of violence.”

For fans hoping to see fighting or an animated character suplex another like Tom Wilson did to Artemi Panarin, they will be left wanting. While goals and assists will translate to the telecast, fistfights will not.

“The biggest thing we get asked is what happens if there’s a fight,” Ed Placey, vice president in ESPN’s Event and Studio Production group, said in an interview with Greg Wyshynski. “Well, you won’t see punches thrown, arms swinging or anything else. You’ll at best see players belly-bumping more than anything else.”

The problem is, per Wysh, that the chips in NHL jerseys don’t track body movement.

“They interpret where the puck is in relation to the player,” Wyshynski wrote. “The virtual Capitals and Rangers will engage with their sticks and handle the pucks when the NHL Edge data indicates their real-life inspirations are doing so.”

While the belly-bumping and lack of fighting might be disappointing to some, it was totally fine to Disney’s target audience, my elementary school-aged son.

“Yes, it’s a good idea to not have fistfights,” Ethan said in an interview before dinnertime. “That’s scary.”

Meanwhile, the telecast will show, passes and shots with trails, similar to the Fox glow puck era.

“Double thumbs up,” Ethan said of the development. “It’s easy to see the puck because it’s hard in normal games. Did you see that grandma? I liked how she bonked into the screen.”

The telecast will take place in Big City’s “Times Circle”, a neutral site, that will feature both the Rangers and Capitals goal horns. It will also feature a chicken as the referee.

“The chicken ref,” director Jeff Nelson said. “Once he drops the puck, he poofs away and appears again when there’s a faceoff.”

At least Stripes is getting the respect he deserves.