When I spoke with NHL COO John Collins on Tuesday morning, he was on a high in his New York offer. Collins was an NFL executive when he worked with NFL Films’ Steve Sabol and HBO’s Ross Greenberg to create the sports reality series “Hard Knocks” and he’s taken that experience to help create HBO’s latest sports series: “24/7 Penguins and Capitals: Road to the NHL Winter Classic.”
Earlier this month, Greenberg told me that it was Collins who was instrumental in the creation of “24/7,” and 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 hardcore hockey fan.
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.”
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. We are seeing 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.”
This year weather could be 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. We thank the Steelers, they have been great working with us as has the city of Pittsburgh. 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.”
Examiner columnist Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this!
