Wow. Just wow.
Episode 3 is exactly what I wanted out of this HBO show. I kindof lost track of time while watching everything going on, but I'd have to estimate that 30 minutes of the show was devoted to just the Capitals/Penguins game on December 23. Absolutely amazing to see how one game, played by 2 great teams, can be covered when there are 16 cameras and an all-access pass into places that people just don't see/hear.
I'll get this out of the way now ... hearing Crosby bitch and cuss at the referees was amazing (which is nothing more than Mike Green does in the first episode), but not for the reason you think. If you've read this enough, you know I'm a Caps fan ... always have been and always will be. The reason I find the whining so amazing is because you always hear about "Crosby's compete level" ... "Crosby's passion" ... "Crosby's (insert any noun that shows how someone always wants to win)" but we haven't seen it at all in the first two episodes. We finally got to see that. We finally got to see Crosby fighting hard, wanting penalties, and getting pissy when the referee shakes him off. As a hockey fan, it's amazing ... as a Caps fan, it's funny to see what everyone in the league has been talking about for years. Oh, and on a side note ... that "trip" on Ovechkin was a makeup call for Crosby bitching that he got high sticked going to the goal.
I was hoping to see another Mike Knuble type rah rah rant from the Capitals, but it just didn't come. This team was confident ... no matter what the Pens players/coaches/families were saying about Neuvy. It was great to see Ovechkin go off on the referees after that "tripping" call. Nobody talks about how competitive Ovi is, but it comes out in that one scene ... although if you've been watching at all, it's not the first time in this series it's happened. I was saddened by the lack of fist pumping though.
This whole show was just great. HBO got away from the closet confessionals because I was either not paying attention or only saw 2 interviews. I loved how HBO allowed the Caps/Pens game to be the game. There were long stretches of show time where the narrator was just not there. HBO allowed the game to speak for itself ... the players/coaches within the game ... the announcers of the game ... and sometimes even the fans. That was really the only part I had a problem with. The fan interaction with the HBO cameras looked forced or even put on. The "We Want Pittsburgh/Crosby Sucks" chant, although spontaneous during the Devils game seemed like it was started for HBO ... either that or they brought people back to the arena to reenact it. The "OT Video Review Guy" actually scared me. And then, like HBO knew something wasn't right, they cut directly into interaction between the on ice refereeing crew and Toronto. Something else that as a hockey fan is amazing to see.
This show had the normal, family time aspect that shows before had. Which is great to see professional hockey players as normal people like you and me (just with a bunch more money obviously), but what really made the show was that one game. 50 minutes into the show I realized it was almost over, and then thought "didn't both of these teams play again that week". HBO stuffed both the Caps and the Pens games into about 4 minutes of show time, showing both games at the same time. Then added the "money shot". An amazing shot, coming through one of the section entrances at Heinz Field, with the Winter Classic rink being built right there in front of you. A fitting end to a fantastic show and an amazing intro for this weekend's game.
Episode 3 of this 4 part series was masterful. HBO glossed over some of the other games played within the week, but that's understandable. Both Andrew Gordon and Ben Lovejoy got some great praise for scoring their first NHL goals, and that welt on the side of Lovejoy's face looked awful once he got off the plane. I hope next week's show is almost all Winter Classic, and then HBO puts out a DVD box set that shows a lot more footage that just didn't make it into the shows. I'll be first in line the day that hits the shelves.
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