“Inside the Cup,” the new NHL Original Productions documentary debuting Sunday, may not bring the total access of “24/7: Road to the Winter Classic,” but the producers promise to bring viewers closer to postseason action than ever before. “For the Stanley Cup Playoffs, this is the new frontier,” said NHL Network VP/Programming Bob Chesterman. The program debuts Sunday at 8:00pm ET on NHL Network in the U.S. and the CBC in Canada. With intense detail, “Inside the Cup” covers each playoff series leading to the Kings and Devils reaching the Stanley Cup Final. Unlike “24/7,” with only two competitors and months of planning in advance, the producers of “Inside the Cup” had to document eight series in the first round and understood they would not be able to film locker room strategy sessions for such important games. However, they did place microphones where they have never been before in the Stanley Cup Playoffs -- including on players for games -- and compiled countless hours of behind-the-scenes footage. “The fan will see this as very unique for this time of the season,” said Chesterman. “You get the intensity, you get the big moments. There are also some lighthearted scenes and some interesting exchanges with the referees.” NHL Original Productions is the newly-created arm of the NHL, in collaboration with former HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg. “Inside the Cup,” narrated by actor Josh Charles, is an effort to deepen fan engagement during the playoffs, even if their team is not in the Stanley Cup Final.
