How to Back Up, Share, and Restore Your Hockey Data
Everything you create on the rink board lives in your browser. Here's how to back it up, share it with your team, and restore it on a new device.
Every board you save, every roster you build, every season record you track — it all lives in your browser's localStorage. That's great for privacy (nothing goes to any server), but it means your data is tied to one browser on one device. If you clear your browser data or switch laptops, it's gone.
Unless you back it up.
Backup All Data
Go to Menu > Export > Backup All Data. This downloads a single JSON file containing everything:
- All saved boards and animations
- Home and away rosters with lines and officials
- Scoring logs, penalty logs, shift data, faceoff data
- Season records with cumulative stats
- Practice plans and templates
- Drill timer settings and favorites
- Arena DJ playlists and preferences
- Panel layout states and all settings
The file is named something like forecheck-backup-TEAMNAME-2026-03-30.json. Store it somewhere safe — your computer, a cloud drive, or email it to yourself.
Restore from Backup
On any device with a browser:
- Open the Rink Board
- Go to Menu > Export > Restore from Backup
- Select your backup JSON file
- Confirm the overwrite — this replaces ALL current data
- The page reloads with everything restored
Your rosters, boards, season data, and settings are all back exactly as they were.
Sharing with Your Team
Share a Single Board
- Share Link (Menu > Export > Share Link) — copies a URL that anyone can open to see your exact board layout. No account needed. The entire board state is encoded in the URL.
- PNG Image (Menu > Export > PNG) — downloads the rink as an image file. Great for team group chats or social media.
- JSON Template (Menu > Export > Export JSON) — exports the current board as a file. Others can import it with Menu > Export > Import JSON.
Share a Game Summary
After a game, go to Menu > Export > Game Summary. This opens a printable page with the full box score, goals, penalties, goalie stats, TOI, faceoffs, and officials. Print it or save as PDF.
Live Collaboration
Open the Collaboration panel (Panels > Collaboration) and click "Create Room". Share the room code with your assistant coach — they can edit the board in real time. Share a spectator link with parents so they can watch the scoreboard live on their phones.
When to Back Up
- After every game — your scoring logs, shift data, and season records are fresh
- Before clearing your browser — clearing cache/cookies/localStorage deletes everything
- Before switching devices — back up on the old device, restore on the new one
- Periodically — set a weekly reminder if you use the rink board regularly
What's NOT in the Backup
The backup includes all rink board data. It does not include:
- Blog reading list bookmarks (separate localStorage key)
- Reading preferences (font size/typeface)
- Theme preference (light/dark mode)
These are minor settings that are easy to reconfigure.
File Size
A typical backup is 50KB–500KB depending on how many boards, animations, and game records you have. Even a heavy user with months of data will have a file under 1MB. It's just JSON text — no images or media.
Privacy
The backup file is a local download. It never touches any server. You choose where to store it and who to share it with. If you share it with a co-coach, they get a complete copy of your data that they can restore on their own device.
Back up your work. It takes 3 seconds and it could save you hours. Open the Rink Board and try Menu > Export > Backup All Data right now.