When the first edition of the NHL 24/7 premiered last year, fans were hopeful that HBO would treat hockey well. After all was said and done, fans were left hoping for more access to the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals.
Now as we move to the 2nd year of 24/7, NHL fans are hoping the sequel can be just as good. With this year’s participants, the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers, we can expect to see the focus on the personalities, coaches and the rivalry between the two teams. From what I’ve seen of the 12 minute preview earlier this month, I think HBO has another hit on its hands. We shall see. I’ll post a press release plus a couple of videos from HBO Sports.
First, the press release from HBO.
HBO SPORTS® AND THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE JOIN FORCES FOR 24/7 FLYERS/RANGERS: ROAD TO THE NHL WINTER CLASSIC, A FOUR-EPISODE ALL-ACCESS SERIES LEADING UP TO THE NHL WINTER CLASSIC, DEBUTING DEC. 14HBO Sports’ groundbreaking “24/7” reality franchise, which has captured 14 Sports Emmy® Awards, again joins forces with the National Hockey League to take viewers inside one of the NHL’s great rivalries for 24/7 FLYERS/RANGERS: ROAD TO THE NHL WINTER CLASSIC, debuting WEDNESDAY, DEC. 14 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. Following the Atlantic Division’s Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers, the four-episode, all-access series reaches its apex when the teams meet in the fifth edition of the NHL Winter Classic Jan. 2 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
Episode #1
Debut: WEDNESDAY, DEC. 14 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Other HBO playdates: Dec. 14 (11:00 p.m.), 15 (5:45 p.m., midnight), 16 (11:30 a.m., 8:00 p.m.), 17 (10:00 a.m., 10:45 p.m.), 18 (10:00 a.m.), 19 (6:30 p.m., 2:55 a.m.), and 31 (10:00 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Dec. 18 (11:00 p.m.) and 20 (8:00 p.m.), and Jan. 2 (7:00 a.m.)
HBO On Demand availability begins: Dec. 19
Head coaches Peter Laviolette of the Flyers and John Tortorella of the Rangers, along with a host of key players, are in the spotlight as the two clubs battle through their busy December schedules.
Episodes two and three of 24/7 FLYERS/RANGERS: ROAD TO THE NHL WINTER CLASSIC debut on subsequent Wednesdays – Dec. 21 and 28 – at 10:00 p.m., with an immediate encore at 11:00 p.m. The series finale debuts Thursday, Jan. 5 at 10:00 p.m. (followed by an encore at 11:00 p.m.) three days after the Classic, with cameras tracking all the drama and excitement surrounding the Flyers and Rangers on game day. All four episodes will have multiple replay dates on HBO, and the series will also be available on HBO On Demand® and HBO GO®.
The executive producer of 24/7 FLYERS/RANGERS: ROAD TO THE NHL WINTER CLASSIC is Rick Bernstein; senior producer, Dave Harmon; coordinating producers, Scott Boggins and Bentley Weiner; co-producer, Abtin Motia; writer, Aaron Cohen; narrator, Liev Schreiber.
And I have a couple of videos for you. First, the trailer from HBO Sports for the series.
And if you missed it, here’s the preview of 24/7 that premiered earlier this month on HBO.
24/7 Flyers/Rangers premieres tonight at 10 ET/PT. You may have noticed that the voice of HBO Sports documentaries, Liev Schreiber did not narrate the preview. According to the HBO Sports press release, he’ll be back for the series in his proper place voicing 24/7.
