The NHL is getting the 鈥淒rive to Survive鈥� treatment, with a hockey series from the makers of the popular Formula One coming to Prime Video in the fall.
After getting players to buy into the project with Box to Box Films, the league is hoping for the same kind of popularity boost F1 got by bringing in a whole new set of fans who were previously unfamiliar with the sport.
"We have seen what these shows do for a sport in terms of raising the popularity, and we realize any chance we get to grow our sport, we鈥檙e going to do it," NHL chief content officer and senior executive VP Steve Mayer said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 something that we feel will put us in front of a whole new audience. I think everybody has seen the effects that 鈥楧rive to Survive鈥� had on Formula One racing, 鈥楩ull Swing鈥� has done a lot for golf, and obviously the storytelling that鈥檚 involved is unique and very different.鈥�
It鈥檚 another step in the league鈥檚 evolutionary process showing more player personalities in a game that has forever been defined by teams and not individuals. The series features two players in the Stanley Cup Final 鈥� Edmonton's Connor McDavid and Florida's Matthew Tkachuk 鈥� along with the likes of Boston's David Pastrnak, Vegas's Jack Eichel, Nashville's Filip Forsberg, Toronto's William Nylander, Colorado's Gabriel Landeskog and the New York Rangers' Jacob Trouba.
Mayer said, with help from agents like Pat Brisson and Judd Moldaver and the NHLPA, there was far more acceptance of the project from players than those of previous generations.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of the things we鈥檝e seen in this moment of time: Our players are much more willing, much more open and I feel like, 鈥榃ow, we got the buy-in,鈥欌�� Mayer said. 鈥�(Having) watched 鈥楧rive to Survive' (and) 鈥楩ull Swing,鈥� our players actually said, 鈥楲et鈥檚 go鈥� and they鈥檝e been great.鈥�
Box to Box co-founder and executive producer Paul Martin had never been to a hockey game until last year, knowing only Wayne Gretzky 鈥渁nd they fight a lot鈥� about the sport. His interest was piqued attending regular-season and playoff Los Angeles Kings games, then the Golden Knights' Cup clincher on the Las Vegas strip last June.
This is the company's first foray into hockey after earlier this year starting the process of a series , which will air on Apple TV.
鈥淚t just felt like a really great time for us with no real affiliations to kind of hockey or at that point any real understanding of hockey to kind of just come in see what kind of stories we could tell,鈥� Martin said. 鈥淚t felt like certainly the right time for us but also maybe the right time for hockey with this new generation of players and new generation of clubs that exist now in the league.鈥�
Acknowledging Formula One several years ago was in a place that it needed a spark of sorts that the docuseries provided, Martin said he's not sure if this will transform the NHL or if it even needs transforming. But this has also been a bit of a different process making a show in a sport in which team-first has been engrained forever.
That has led producers and camera operators to think a little differently in crowded locker rooms and other situations.
"I wouldn鈥檛 say it鈥檚 a huge sea change," Martin said. 鈥淥ur type of storytelling hinges on individuals being able to drive those kind of narratives, so within the team environment you鈥檙e focused on individuals within that team, but you have to be super respectful that it is a team sport.鈥�
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AP NHL:
Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press
