Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers 24/7: NHL Finally Has a Hit

The NHL continues to make headway amidst far more popular American sports. If they are ever going to regain their stance in the great sports landscape, it will be due to HBO's 24/7 and the perennial wonder that is the Winter Classic. 

From Heritage Classic roots, the Winter Classic gives hockey fans something to point to when middling fans proclaim hockey as a dead sport. That kind of sentiment only gets bandied about in a nation that is far more keen on discussing Tim Tebow or LeBron James than anything that takes place on ice. 

Then comes HBO and the annual game in a perfect blend of hype and pre-game build up.

With the same intensity that follows 24/7 iterations with boxers, HBO follows the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers on their way to the January 2nd clash at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

Even fair weather sports fans will agree that the documentary series is far more engaging than most things on TV. You get to learn about the teams, players—and in some cases—the favorite songs that get played in the locker rooms following victories. 

By the end of a few short episodes, you feel ingrained in a sport you had no idea about. That is the best way for the NHL to welcome back fans that might have left a decade ago. 

All of this is to say that 24/7 is nothing more than a glorified hype machine, but it's a great one. Consider that the NFL and NBA have their own instances of hype machines playing every hour on the hour in daily sessions of SportsCenter. 

NHL teams are left to pick up the scraps of coverage. So it's necessary for the sport to have these types of clashes with immense and overzealous buildup. 

It is rare to see this fine sport get so much adulation, but it's far overdo. The Winter Classic will again be a must-see event, and that is all thanks to a simple documentary series that captures sports hype perfectly. 

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