Seeing Connor McDavid, Quinn Hughes, William Nylander and more NHL stars behind the scenes is a testament to the impressive buy-in for this NHL docuseries, says Adam Proteau.
The NHL gave more details regarding a new documentary series that will premiere this fall, and the buy-in from teams and top players is impressive.
The yet-to-be-named series gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the everyday life of the NHL’s top players. It will air on Amazon's Prime Video.
This newly announced series has a star-studded lineup, including Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk, Boston’s David Pastrnak and Jeremy Swayman, Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes, Vegas’ Jack Eichel, Toronto’s William Nylander and Colorado’s Gabriel Landeskog.
Many teams will have the chance to show off their top players, which will lead to more intrigue across the league.
Many observers, including this writer, have for years advocated for better marketing of the NHL’s stars. This project will go a long way toward that.
The series, which is also covering the Stanley Cup final, will pull back the curtain on what it means to work in hockey’s top league. That can only mean good things are ahead as the Prime Video show gives viewers unprecedented access to their favorite teams and players.
In 2021, Amazon Prime’s All or Nothing: Toronto Maple Leafs debuted as a multi-episode docuseries profiling the Leafs’ 2020-21 season. And this year, the documentaries Chosen One: Alexandre Daigle and Saving Sakic premiered on Prime Video.
It’s safe to say this new series will capture the attention of hockey fans across the spectrum, and if it brings in new fans to the sport, all the better. It worked incredibly with Drive to Survive, a similar behind-the-scenes look at Formula 1 and produced by the same company that's co-producing this NHL docuseries, Box To Box Films.
In a world where the cult of personality often drives interest in any particular subject, it behooves NHLers to give fans a taste of what really happens when you rise to the top of the hockey business and the personalities behind the icons. Getting to watch stars like McDavid away from the mass media glare with exclusive access can only help the bottom line for the series – humanizing athletes who thrive at hockey.
If this new series leads to more behind-the-scenes projects, we’re all for it. The days of excessively humble NHLers have come and gone – although we’re sure NHLers will still be deflecting praise to their teammates in this latest series. Now, it’s about giving the world a deeper idea of on-and-off-ice success (and failure) that players, coaches and league figures deal with throughout their careers.
Promoting the world’s best hockey players should’ve been perfected long ago, but better late than never, we say. And it’s exciting to envision what the final viewing product will be.