HBO in an e-mail on Thursday confirmed that it will not produce an NHL-themed "24/7" series for the '14-15 season. The net said, "There was never an expectation that HBO would chronicle the lead-up to the Winter Classic every year. So we will not be involved with the NHL this season. We wish the NHL the very best and the door will always remain open" (THE DAILY). The league and NHL Network "may work on some sort of behind-the-scenes show/series," but HBO "has walked" (TWITTER.com, 9/11).
THIS IS NOT THE END: ESPN.com's Scott Burnside cited sources as saying that while HBO and the NHL "will no longer collaborate" on the program, it "doesn't mean the series ... is going away." NHL COO John Collins said that the league "will reveal on Sept. 23 a new U.S. broadcast partner for a similar reality series that will chronicle the preparations" by the Blackhawks and Capitals leading up to the Jan. 1 Winter Classic. League officials said that there "will also be a Canadian broadcaster." Collins added that the new series "will feature similar access to both teams" and will include "the unfettered dialogue and commercial-free format that made the first three installments so successful." It is "believed budgetary issues were among some of the factors" that led HBO and the NHL to part ways on a program that garnered 15 Emmy nominations and three wins during a three-year run. The series "was so popular and helped the NHL attract nontraditional fans over the life of three installments that the league was determined to find another option for keeping it alive." The new series is "again expected to feature four episodes." Collins said that there will "be options for fans to view the series on different technological platforms." It also is possible the NHL "will be looking at other behind-the-scenes productions this season beyond the Winter Classic." It is expected former HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg "will produce the new as-yet-unnamed series" (ESPN.com, 9/11).
PARTING IS SUCH SWEET SORROW: THE HOCKEY NEWS' Adam Proteau wrote HBO no longer producing an NHL "24/7" series is "a shame, as everyone involved in that program helped put together one hell of a show." The series "gave the NHL an NFL Films-type treatment, and those who appeared in front of the cameras ... were better for it." Coaches, players and the league "benefitted from the behind-the-curtain glimpse the series provided to a fan base that couldn’t get enough." It "gave newcomers to the sport a sense of who players are; of their day-to-day existences; of their humble personalities." If the "door is open for HBO to bring the series back down the line, the NHL ought to begin its lobbying efforts immediately." Proteau: "Hockey is competing with a slew of other entertainment entities for the eyeballs and imaginations of consumers, and innovations such as this one don’t come along every day" (
THEHOCKEYNEWS.com, 9/11).
