The National Hockey League is one of the Big 4 and easily the least popular amongst the masses. Despite being tied with the NFL for the most teams at 32, being split across 2 countries, and having the oldest (and coolest) trophy in the Stanley Cup, it’s struggled to reach the same levels of success as the MLB, NBA and NFL. While this is in part due to the nature of ice hockey and its appeal, the sport is also undoubtedly the most intense, fast-paced, and exciting of the bunch and is a hoot to watch. However, Prime Video seems to have the solution to help reach new audiences and they’re ripping a page from F1’s playbook.

There are two things in my life more important to movies than me. The first is Billy Joel, and the second is hockey. My love for Billy Joel has been said god knows how many times on this site but I haven’t gotten around to hockey yet. The sport means the world to me. It’s so ingrained in my blood, I was actually partially named after Wayne Gretzky, the Great One himself. Growing up, I couldn’t skate but I still wanted to play in the NHL for my favourite team, the Toronto Maple Leafs. I follow the sport religiously, having all the updates on my phone, listen to the Steve Dangle Podcast every single day, and concurrently manage three (maybe four soon) fantasy hockey teams. I could go on and on but the point has been made. FACEOFF: Inside The NHL takes this crazy Canadian obsession I have and mashes it with my other love (no, not Billy Joel). It’s essentially Drive To Survive for the NHL and I will gladly take ten million more episodes of this series. I watched all 6 episodes in one sitting and was dying for more by the time I was done. As an NHL superfan, this was a dream come true for me. Every hockey fan should watch this show and if you’re trying to get into the sport, this is a solid place to start.

Something that FACEOFF excels in is really opening up these players and showing us a new side to them. Hockey players are often criticized for not having any form of personality and giving the same generic media answers and personas over and over again. However, this series fleshes them out as people and you can see that the love for the game is even more real and genuine than originally thought. The familial element is very strong in. the episodes, especially during Matthew Tkachuk, Quinn Hughes, and Gabriel Landeskog’s segments, the ties to family are strong, especially with Tkachuck, who comes from NHL royalty in his legendary father Keith. It allows for the players to be more complex and layered and more than just brutish tough guys on the ice. I really loved this aspect of the show.

However, the raw emotion we see from the players is where everyone truly shines. Hockey players get a lot of flack for being bland personalities compared to other sports but this show proves me and many others wrong. Take Connor McDavid for example. For my money, McJesus is unquestionably the best player the NHL has seen since Wayne Gretzky (Crosby is a close third) and even though he hasn’t won a Stanley Cup yet, I’d say he’s the second best player of all time just based on pure talent. The man is a god on skates who somehow hasn’t peaked yet skill-wise. However, with that being said, he’s often criticized for being dry, boring, generic and robotic off the ice, and overall just having no personality. However, he throws those words right back in our face within two minutes of the first episode, showing us the captain’s mentality, slamming his teammates during the Stanley Cup Finals, a series where he put up 11 points in seven games, and a series the Oilers were originally down 0-3 in. This behind-the-scenes look was great to provide us with all the more personal moments you’d want from players and really humanizes them and gives them true feeling. It brings out the true characters in them, for better or for worse, but mostly better.

The editing style and presentation of FACEOFF is very similar to Drive to Survive, albiet only focusing on the playoffs as the show was conceived only early this year. Like the beloved F1 series, it shows the lives of the players on and off the ice. The producers also intercut between studio interviews with the players themselves and famous figures in the league and analysts. Standouts include former NHL player and host for NHL On TNT and Spittin’ Chiclets Paul “Biz Nasty” Bissonnette, Former Norris Trophy Winner P.K Subban, Toronto Sceptres superstar Sarah Nurse and analyst Pete Blackburn. Each of them, in particular Biz Nasty, provided wonderful insight into these players and their situation, giving those who might not be as familiar with the league a chance to learn more. Their commentary was never overdone and frankly, I enjoyed it just as much, if not a bit more than the actual players sometimes. As a big consumer of hockey podcasts, this format felt very up my alley and having beloved figures in the industry made the inclusion of these segments even more natural to me. It’s simple and digestible for any audience members, but even more so for those familiar with the sport.

I’ve bled blue for as long as I can remember. I was born into a Toronto Maple Leafs family and since then, I can define key moments of my life around the team. I grew up with Leafs throws and pillows, hats, jerseys, posters, you get the idea. Even now, after all those first round exits, I’ll never miss an opportunity to talk about Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and in the case of FACEOFF, William Nylander. Having the first episode dedicated partially to following him and his life was a joy. It showed some raw emotion from him, especially during his migraines in the 2024 playoffs. Some other players that were a delight to follow across the 6 episode journey

FACEOFF: Inside The NHL is a dream come true for NHL fans everywhere and also the perfect gateway for new fans to learn about hockey. The fresh looks into the world of hockey are unlike anything we’ve seen before and they could easily make more episodes of these every year, release them during the regular season plays out and during the playoffs, and I’d eat it up like a rabid animal. It’s the perfect show to kick off the hockey season and a must-watch for every single Canadian. The good ol’ hockey game is the best game you can name and FACEOFF shows you why.