TORONTO — Brady Tkachuk is well aware of what the NHL lifestyle entails.
He has played seven seasons with the Ottawa Senators and grew up watching his dad, Keith Tkachuk, who played 1,201 NHL games from 1991-2010.
But even though he has seen what goes on behind the scenes more than most, he could not contain his excitement for the chance to watch what it is like for Sidney Crosby or Marc-Andre Fleury as they go about their day-to-day life.
Along with Tkachuk, Crosby and Fleury are among the new players who will be featured in “FACEOFF: Inside the NHL,” which will return for a second season on Prime Video this fall.
“Just seeing the behind the scenes as not just hockey players but us as people,” Brady Tkachuk said as he joined the Amazon Upfront event in Toronto on Thursday. “I’m really excited to see Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury and their preparation for a game and who they are as people. When you are competing against them it’s always battles against them but to see them, what they’re like and what they do and to see what kind of people they are, it will be really awesome.”
In addition, Matthew Tkachuk and William Nylander, who were featured on the first season, will return for Season 2 along with newcomers Anze Kopitar, Brendan Shanahan, Sean Monahan and Zach Werenski.
“We were really happy with Season 1, particularly the fan reaction,” said Mark Shopiro, head of Prime Video Canada. “Season 1 of FACEOFF really pulled back more than what fans had seen before and I think what really resonated is that people see the game on the ice but getting to see the players as people, not only in their day-to-day life but also their friends, family and everything they interact with that makes them them, getting to see a little bit more behind the scenes, was really well received in Season 1, and obviously we have a pretty exciting group of players coming into Season 2 that I think fans will be excited for.”
“FACEOFF: Inside the NHL” takes viewers behind the scenes of the League, delivering an unfiltered look at the players’ lives, training regimens and the high-stakes world of professional hockey. This season will include even more access to the NHL’s most compelling action, including Alex Ovechkin‘s chase of Wayne Gretzky‘s all-time goals record, the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the 4 Nations Face-Off.
The cameras also followed Tkachuk as he helped lead the Senators to their first Stanley Cup Playoffs appearance since 2017. Though they ultimately lost their Eastern Conference First Round best-of-7 series to the Toronto Maple Leafs in six games, Tkachuk said he is looking forward to revisiting the season through the next season of FACEOFF: Inside the NHL.
“It was such an amazing experience,” he said, “and I’m really looking forward to watching those clips back on the season and having the viewers see the hype and the fun and a little heartbreak as well.”
Part of the success of creating compelling content is to create an emotional connection between the viewer and the players they are watching. Shopiro said he is confident that will be achieved in Season 2.
“If you think about entertainment and sports bringing people together, and people are such big fans of the NHL, how you bring fans closer to the action is a big part of entertainment,” Shopiro said.
Etched into hockey lore was the game between Canada and the United States at Bell Centre in Montreal on February 15 in the round robin portion of the 4 Nations Face-Off that featured three fights in the first nine seconds, two of them involving each Tkachuk brother.
“I would say, expect the unexpected in Season 2,” Shopiro said. “Such a critical part of the NHL this year was the 4 Nations Face-Off and getting behind the scenes and not only the teams playing each other and the run for the Stanley Cup, it being such a hard trophy to win, but the 4 Nations Face-Off in the middle of February really took over the sport for a couple of weeks, getting a look into that with the country angle will be amazing for fans.”
Added Brady Tkachuk, “It was so awesome. Just everything about it. Playing with the best players in the world. Learning from the them. Being able to play with my brother for the first time and creating those memories of center ice at the Bell Centre. Those will be tough to change and tough to switch with future memories down the road. It was an amazing experience, and I think overall it sets up for an amazing Olympics next year.”
Steve Mayer, NHL president, content and events, said Season 2 will go “even deeper.”
“Season 1 of FACEOFF really struck a chord,” Mayer said. “We promised a behind-the-scenes look at the best hockey players in the world, and the response was incredible. We followed players through unforgettable moments — welcoming a new baby, the pressure of a Game 7, and everything in between.
“For Season 2, we’re going even deeper: more players, more access and more emotion. From the global stage of the 4 Nations Face-Off to the pressure-packed life of a team president and the heartbreak of a team dealing with devastating loss — it’s raw and real. You will truly go inside the NHL.”
The full roster of players for Season 2 is Quinton Byfield (Los Angeles Kings); Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins); Fleury (Minnesota Wild); Thomas Harley (Dallas Stars); Seth Jarvis (Carolina Hurricanes); Wyatt Johnston (Dallas Stars); Kopitar (Kings); Monahan (Columbus Blue Jackets); Nylander (Toronto Maple Leafs); Mikko Rantanen (Stars); Shanahan (Hockey Hall of Fame inductee); Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa Senators); Matthew Tkachuk (Florida Panthers) and Werenski (Blue Jackets).
“We couldn’t be more excited to continue taking audiences behind the scenes of life in the NHL from the perspectives of such formidable and charismatic individuals,” said Paul Martin, co-founder of Box To Box, a multiple award-winning content studio. “We constantly strive to capture as many facets of the NHL experience as possible, and we feel that our roster of players this season — both new and returning — embodies the heart, perseverance and competitiveness that makes this sport so compelling.”
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