NHL Commissioner Says Another “HBO Sports: 24/7″ Series Is Likely

Added on Jan 27, 2011 by J Merrill in

NHL

Taking off the analyst hat for a second, and to speak from a fans point of view, I think its safe to say the 24-7 HBO series on the Winter Classic was some of the best television of 2010. I was elated to read the NHL brass felt the same way. E.J. Hradek from ESPN spoke with Commissioner Bettman, and Bettman spoke highly of the whole experience.

Bettman said of the show “We thought from a league and fan and team perspective, it was terrific. The feedback that we have gotten across the board has been universal praise for what HBO Sports did. Ross Greenburg, the president of HBO Sports, deserves all the credit. The execution was magnificent.” He continued “It gave people an insight to what goes on around our game. It gave people, not just hockey fans, a level of access that I don’t think any other sport has given. I think that’s all to the good, because you see the personalities, you see what it’s like to be involved with a club.”

Bettman also said how he felt it was important for Hockey fans to see the athletes respond to the difficulties that all professional athletes face. He said “Most importantly, athletes in all sports sometimes get knocked that they only do it for the money. You couldn’t come away from “24/7″ without seeing the passionate way in which our players feel about winning and losing.” he went on to say “They live and breathe the game. They are committed to it. When they win, you see the joy. And when they lose, you see the agony. And it couldn’t have been any more vivid. I think HBO Sports did a magnificent job of portraying our game.”

Finally, Bettman says no decision has been made to bring the show back, but he says they are very interested in doing it a second time. He said “They are interested in continuing this. And, those are discussions that we have to have. Whether or not we do it or we do it in the same form or we focus on something else is something that we’ve yet to formally discuss. I think that goes in the “debriefing” category. It was a great experience for everybody and I would anticipate that we would do it again.”

I would be shocked if the NHL and HBO don’t work on another series, and I feel with shows as high quality as these episodes are not only keep sakes, but will also win new hockey fans in the long run. If you haven’t seen the episodes yet I highly recommend you check them out. Even if you aren’t a Penguins or Capitals fan.