The NHL is diving into the waters of Drive to Survive and Full Swing as Chris Johnston announced that the league had reached a deal with Amazon for a show that will follow 10-12 NHL stars with an expected fall release.
Interest in the various streaming reality shows has been at a fever pitch, with the productions helping to pull in new fans and new markets for the sports and athletes they highlight. Perhaps no sport has seen as much of an uptick than F1 since the first season of Drive to Survive. It’s fitting of the NHL to get on board with the athlete-centric reality craze but to hitch their wagon to Amazon Prime as opposed to Netflix where the other shows (and sports) have found so much success. Nothing is ever easy with this league.
Kidding aside, this is a wonderful bit of news. The NHL has been pretty good about adjusting to the shifting dynamics of the modern athlete and finding ways to allow players to promote themselves. There is a notable evolution away from the team-centric mindset to one where the league puts its stars front and center. This is another step in that process and, barring a significant amount of overreach in the editing process, it ought to be a terrific product for the NHL and its stars to hang their hats on.
In a perfect world we will get the sort of unscripted, natural behind the scenes content we were treated to in the early days of 24/7 on HBO. I’m not sure anyone the show plans to feature will be quite as outgoing as the best parts of 24/7, but the magic of these similar shows has just as much to do with the on-field exploits of the athletes as it does their off-field activities. So long as the product is genuine, I think this will be a hit with hockey fans. And with any luck, it will be a hit with non-hockey fans as well.
But who should the NHL target for the series? I think there’s already going to be four names in ink on the list: Connor Bedard, Auston Matthews, Nate MacKinnon and Connor McDavid. Bedard is a high flying rookie, playing in a massive market and has already shown a willingness to put himself out there. Matthews is tailor made for a big market and seems to embrace the celebrity that comes with it. He also happens to be the best American-born player in the league today. McDavid and MacKinnon are easy choices just based on their star power. Giving fans an inside look at their lives, particularly the notoriously intense MacKinnon will be an easy win. I think it would be an upset if any one of these four weren’t part of the first group of players the series highlights.
Beyond that group, there will be some flexibility. I suspect the league will also keep an eye on future iterations of the series, so they won’t want to go all-in on the first season. I don’t think that will prevent them from including that big four that I’ve already listed, but perhaps they hold off on one or two otherwise obvious choices in an effort to make a follow-up season equally interesting.
The Nominees
Matthew Tkachuk
Maybe the first name you’d think of for a show like this. He’s one of the league’s brightest stars and hasn’t been shy when it comes to his life off the ice. He was also the centerpiece of one of the biggest trades of the last five years and is helping drive one of the league’s hottest teams.
Jack Hughes
Hughes might be an option for a season two of the show, especially if the league and Amazon want to space out how many American stars they opt to highlight. Hughes offers a unique package. Not only does he play kitty corner to one of the biggest markets in the league, his kid brother is a vital piece of his team’s core. A two-for-one deal would be a different take than most of the other shows of this style can offer.
Nikita Kucherov
The most talented player on the most decorated team of the last half decade. He made some waves at Tampa’s latest Cup celebration, so he’s not a stoic and emotionless figure. There’s something to work with there. Tampa is also in a bit of a transition period these days. Steven Stamkos may depart as a free agent and the core of those Cup teams is aging. That offers a unique perspective for the show to explore.
Mark Stone or Jack Eichel
I can’t imagine Amazon and the league will want to keep Vegas off this show for long. The tougher question is which of their stars will be the one to follow? Eichel has plenty of juicy backstory given his trade out of Buffalo and the subsequent Cup win. Stone is oft injured but one of the league’s most consistent performers year over year. He also happens to wear the “C” for the Golden Knights. You could toss Alex Pietrangelo or even Tomas Hertel in this mix as well. You’re not spoiled for choice in the Vegas locker room.
Connor Hellebuyck
There needs to be at least one goalie profiled by this series. It’s one of the most unique positions in sport and could provide this show something the others wouldn’t be able to offer. Hellebuyck has plenty of off-ice interests that would make filming a sinch and as the league’s best goaltender and an American, he seems like a pretty easy choice.
A New York Ranger
Take your pick. I can’t imagine the Rangers get passed over for a feature on this show, so someone is going to get a closer look. Artemi Panarin is the big star but Jacob Trouba has some interesting off-ice pursuits. You also have Adam Fox and Chris Krieder, among others, who could easily step in to be the Rangers representative if the series wants to start things in the Big Apple.
Roman Josi
The Preds have slid back from the top of the league, but the Nashville market is still a favorite in the league and I think the city’s continued growth would make a Predator a great choice for this first run of the series. For that matter, Juuse Saros would be an equally fascinating follow. As the team’s captain and one of the league’s most valuable defenseman, Josi strikes me as someone who fans would like even more with more coverage and more insight into the sort of person he is.
Jeremy Swayman
Again, there needs to be a few goalies sprinkled into this mix. Not only can this series not go all-in with every A-list NHL superstar in season one, there needs to be a healthy mix of positions that get a deeper look. Swayman’s star is rising with an Original Six club and he’s formed a tight bond with his goaltending partner. I’d personally like to see this be Swayman and Linus Ullmark, but if the focus needs to be on one of the netminders, so be it. But this relationship is complicated as Swayman’s play has him looking like a true number one, while Ullmark is still on the more lucrative contract. Meanwhile, the pair seem to have an incredible bond, something that could fill a couple of episodes on its own.
Brock Faber
The other thing this series will benefit from is a diverse selection of players. Just picking the top 10 stars could make things a little bland. One of the best features of Drive to Survive is that you get to spend time with every team and every driver. Even Lance Stroll! Mixing in some of the league’s young faces can offer a different flavor to some of the episodes. Faber is a great option for this as he’s a Calder candidate, playing in his home state which happens to be the most ravenous hockey state in the U.S. Good vibes all around.
Obligatory Sabres Nominee
Rasmus Dahlin
I couldn’t leave this without including one Buffalo Sabre. Dahlin is the easiest option from Buffalo’s roster, though there are several good candidates. But Dahlin’s growing star power put him among the league’s elite defensemen and he’s almost certainly wearing the “C” in Buffalo next season. He has a flashy new contract and is the face of a team desperately trying to crawl out of the league basement. It would be like the WIlliams episodes of Drive to Survive.
Two in the Box 