Rangers-Flyers 24/7: Reality Series Delivers Excellent Look Inside Life of NHL

HBO’s Emmy Award winning documentary series 24/7 gives hardcore and traditional fans an up close perspective on what it is like to go through the grind of an 82-game season. 

Last year’s Penguins-Capitals 24/7 series was received so well, that it would have been hard to duplicate the success this year. 

However, HBO outdoes itself with this year’s series that follows the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers in the build-up to the NHL’s Winter Classic.

In Yahoo! Sports’ recap of the first episode of 24/7, they sum up what the documentary is all about from the opening scene.

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"This season, the first images were in stark black and white—close shots of Flyers and Rangers. The theme was the price men pay to compete in the National Hockey League, and the scars they carry from it. The lines on John Tortorella's face, speaking to the years he's coached. The eyes of Jagr in focus as we hear "and entire lives [spent] …" reminding us that the child prodigy we witnessed blazing into the NHL in 1990 is now one of its elder statesmen. We see scars on bodies; a Stanley Cup victory tattoo on Max Talbot's side; missing teeth."

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The reality show lets viewers see what happens behind the scenes. When Rangers forward Artem Anisimov scored against the Tampa Bay Lightning and celebrated by mimicking shooting at Tampa’s goalie, HBO was there to capture that moment.  

HBO cameras then show Anisimov coming into the locker room to address his teammates after the game for his actions that resulted in a penalty. This is something that, if we did not have 24/7, we would never have seen what happened behind closed doors.  

24/7 will take viewers all the way up to Jan. 2nd’s Winter Classic in Philadelphia. We will get to feel like we are apart of the Rangers or Flyers team, as they bond on road trips while spending time with their families.  

The NHL has a long way to go in making itself more popular among the three major sport leagues in America. 24/7 is the perfect way to get more people to talk about the league. 

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