The TV network might have changed from HBO to Epix, but the fact of life remains the same: the Washington Capitals must adjust to cameras in often “sacred” places (and sometimes during very heated moments).
That adjustment is snapping into gear this weekend, as Epix’s crews began filming on Friday, according to a great story in the Washington Post.
Ultimately, the Capitals face a lengthy balancing act between sharing enough of what Brooks Orpik refers to as “the stuff fans want to see” while not giving people too much of the footage that the team wants no one to witness.
Brooks Laich spoke about conversations, emotions and injuries you want kept private.
Maybe most interestingly, though, it seems like Laich wonders if some of them will look silly as adults engaging in often child-like activities.
“Sometime people’s personalities change when the cameras are around,” Laich said. “They don’t do it for cameras. They like being themselves and they don’t want everybody to see all the crazy things that supposedly grown-up men do. It does humanize, but sometimes you’re supposed to be a grown-up man and you’re doing silly things, it makes you look like an enlarged kid. I think some of that is tapered a little bit when the cameras are around.”
It will be tough to top* the blustery, frequently profane moments Bruce Boudreau provided during the last time high-profile cameras followed the Capitals around, yet one natural story will be the team’s schedule. Eight of their next 11 games are on the road, including the last three games before the 2015 Winter Classic against the Chicago Blackhawks.
(Epix is lucky here, as their schedule’s far more home-happy in January.)
Beyond that, the Washington Post points out the many human interest stories at hand:
Speaking Tuesday night at Verizon Center, producer Ross Greenburg, who also helmed the HBO series before joining Epix, offered a list of “really interesting humanitarian stories” that included the following: Trotz and his son, Nolan, who has Down syndrome; Ovechkin’s mentorship of young Russians Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dmitry Orlov; the relationship between goaltending coach Mitch Korn and starting netminder Braden Holtby; and owner Ted Leonsis, whom Greenburg has known personally since around 1999.
It should be captivating TV ... maybe too captivating for the Blackhawks’ and Capitals’ liking.
* - Granted, no one wants to approach that level, since some believe it made Boudreau look foolish and maybe accelerated his firing.
Related: How to watch the Epix show.