P.K. Subban Show? EPIX Road To Winter Classic returns reinvigorated

NEW YORK – When the NHL shifted its Winter Classic reality television series from HBO to EPIX, it lost a few things.

Like going from the network with the buzzworthy shows to one fans had trouble locating. Like the commanding narration of 24/7 voice actor Liev Schreiber. Like the soundtrack, which blended with the images to create something close to visual poetry.

Boy that last one annoyed me, as I wrote in my review of Episode 1 of EPIX’s Road To The NHL Winter Classic featuring the Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Capitals. Indie rock was out; generic, instrumental filler music was in.

And Ross Greenburg, the executive producer of the show, was annoyed that I was annoyed after the series ran last year. And just annoyed in general about us, claiming ours was the only negative review he’d read about the season.

“You’re going to be very excited, Greg,” said Greenburg on Monday, with a justifiable hint of sarcasm. “I’m pulling in some good vocals, and a good selection of music. You’ll be a very happy man.”

While president of HBO Sports, Greenburg was the mastermind of the 24/7 series that pulled back the curtain on sports like football, boxing and hockey. The NHL had three seasons of Road To The Winter Classic on HBO with significant cultural impact: From Bruce Boudreau’s foul-mouthed, sauce-faced rants to Ilya Bryzgalov’s Cosmonaut act to the humanizing of individuals like John Tortorella and Sidney Crosby. It also presented NHL game play with remarkable artistry.

Then the show moved to EPIX – for financial and distribution reasons – and seemed to lose something in the transition. Part of the problem was the Winter Classic matchup: After three seasons of following actual rivals in the weeks leading up to the outdoor game, the Blackhawks and Capitals (a retread) didn’t offer the same intensity.

Which is why Greenburg is so excited about the NHL’s second season on EPIX, which chronicles one of the most storied rivalries in sports: The Montreal Canadiens vs. the Boston Bruins.

“The avid hockey fan knows about it, but I’d argue that the average sports fan doesn’t understand that this is as intense a rivalry as exists in sports,” he said.

To underscore that rivalry’s intensity, Road To The Winter Classic will do something that’s not been done in the previous four seasons of NHL reality shows: It will begin with the rivals meeting in a regular season game, rather than waiting for the penultimate episode for the Winter Classic preview.

Viewers are literally thrown right into the action.

“Thanks to the NHL, Gary Bettman and company, our show can open with the Dec. 9 game in Montreal. We’ve set out, in the first 15 minutes of this show, to explain this rivalry in its past and present, and present the first game between these two rivals,” said Greenburg.

“We come out of the chute with a lot quicker pace than we did a year ago. It’s fun to start this way. It’s just an edge of your seat opening to the series.”

Reality shows are only as good as their characters. Both the Canadiens and the Bruins offer their share of intriguing personalities and narratives.

Another reason Greenburg’s hyped for the season? Three words: Pernell Karl Subban.

The 26-year-old superstar defenseman for the Canadiens, P.K. Subban has blown the veteran producer away with his charisma.

“The guy is one of the greatest characters I’ve ever seen in sports. The only thing we have to guard against is making this the P.K. Subban show. Because he could easily carry his own show,” said Greenburg. “P.K. never saw a camera he didn’t like. He’s just magnetic. Off the charts charismatic. Not only in Montreal, but everywhere he goes.”

He’s also a hell of a dresser, as we’ll see on the EPIX show. “We have him strutting in with a burgundy mink coat. His teammates just dump all over him,” Greenburg said.

“He’s so natural. We’re just following him. To follow him to his tailor, who’s doing his suit for the Winter Classic, you just let him go. You’re going to crack up.”

They’ll also show the philanthropic side of Subban that’s made him so endearing off the ice.

“In the second episode, we’ll be with P.K. and [Brendan] Gallagher and visit the hospital where P.K. dedicated the money to the kids,” he said.

Another compelling player for the Canadiens will see significantly less camera time: Carey Price, the reigning MVP goalie who is out with an injury for at least another month.

“I’ll be blunt with you: He’s not looking for our cameras. He’s shied away from them. I think he wants to be left alone,” said Greenburg.

“We’re having to tell his story through empty lockers and press conferences.”

The Bruins are going to have Patrice Bergeron at the forefront of the filming, especially after he and his wife recently welcomed a baby to their family. Zdeno Chara, meanwhile, will be set out into the wild during the series, a.k.a. Boston’s North End.

“One of the things we want to do with this series is bring together the special relationship between the Canadiens and Bruins and their cities,” said Greenburg.

That’s more good news for those of us that want the EPIX series to get back to the roots of what makes this kind of documentary work. Going all the way back to HBO’s “Broad Street Bullies,” the connection between players, fans and cities has always been an effective way spell out why a regular season game (even one played in a football stadium) matters to the locals.

The EPIX crew began shooting the series on Nov. 7, and then became embedded with the teams around Dec. 6. During that time, there was a major shift behind the scenes at the NHL: John Collins, the COO who helped champion ventures like this and hired Greenburg’s production company after he left HBO, departed from the League to start his own consulting firm.

“I could tell he was getting antsy, so I’m not shocked. I’m proud of him. Proud of what he did at the NHL, and thank him for allowing me in 2010 to shape a new beginning for the NHL production group,” said Greenburg.

Is he concerned the franchise might not be as supported in the new NHL power structure?

“Not at all,” he said. “I’m seeing the same kind of energy as I saw when John was there.”

There’s a different energy for this EPIX season than the last, thanks to the promise of huge personalities and an undeniable rivalry between the clubs. Which, of course, means we should get plenty of that other hallmark of the hockey reality series: Copious amounts of profanity.

“Most of the F-bombs are on the ice and in the locker rooms,” said Greenburg.

“Not the coaches this time.”

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.