Talking to NHL COO John Collins on Tuesday morning from his office in New York he was on a high. The man who was the creator of the highly successful Winter Classic had lots to say about this year’s game between Washington and Pittsburgh. We also talked about the HBO special leading up to the big game.
But first here is a little background on the man behind the Winter Classic.
Collins who while an executive at the NFL worked with Steve Sabol of NFL Films and Ross Greenberg of HBO to create the show Hard Knocks. Earlier this month Greenberg told me that it was Collins who was instrumental in getting HBO to do 24/7 Penguins and Capitals: Road to the NHL Winter Classic. Greenburg was quick to point out that the NHL gave the network unlimited access and with that access HBO hoped to make the series as compelling for the casual fan as it would be for the hard core hockey fan.
Now my conversation with Collins.
JW: Has HBO series met your expectations?
Collins:”I have gotten so much wonderful feedback from our fans and the media alike this has really been a hit on every level. Credit HBO for the amazing work that they have done on the series. I mean you simply only have to watch a few minutes of the show to see that it has the production values of a high budget film. They spared no expense on this project. As for the wonderful behind the scenes access I mean both the Washington Capitals and their ownership along with the Pittsburgh Penguins have been great. The coaches and the players have not held back and they have given fans a true inside look of life in the NHL and every episode has been better than the last. It has been a success because everyone from each team has been real and viewers appreciate that.”
JW: in just four years the Winter Classic has indeed become a major event. Has it surprised you?
Collins: In Buffalo, Chicago and in Boston we saw something quite special. In each city the entire sports community embraced the Winter Classic. I have to say we have had wonderful cooperation from our friends at the NFL and Major League Baseball. They have helped to be able to use such great venues like Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, Ralph Wilson Stadium and now Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. I really want to that the Steelers and the Rooney family who gave up their stadium as they were headed to the playoffs and allowed us such wonderful access. They city of Pittsburgh has been great as well and they have been super hosts all along the way. I can really say that we have created an event that everyone loves and wants to be a part of so much so that every city in the NHL wants to host the event.”
JW: This year weather is a factor.
Collins:” Yes, we could have rain in Pittsburgh but you really have to credit our partners NBC and CBC because we have a broadcast widow of 1pm till 8pm to play the event so I think we will be fine. I know that we will see plenty of fans coming up from Washington. We sold out at the gate in record time. On the broadcast side we sold every spot and each year our ratings have grown. So on a day that was once known for college bowl games we have made our mark and Winter Classic is here to stay because it is what the fans and the teams want.”
