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EPIX Road To The NHL Stadium Series Ep. 4: The Grand Finale (Review)

Photo via EPIX screen shot

EPIX presents “Road to the NHL Stadium Series” is over. And what did we learn about the Sharks, the Kings and the NHL’s outdoor game Feb. 21 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif?

For starters, Todd McLellan is an excellent communicator when the cameras are rolling and quite a good speech maker. We learned Darryl Sutter can disappear one episode and then magically reappear when the Kings start winning.

The narrator drills in our head that playing hockey outdoors in the evening in California is a novelty – but it’s clearly doable.

But did we see, hear or learn anything of great difference or merit? The answer is not really. Pretty much everything we saw, we already knew about both teams. Brent Burns dresses weirdly. Joe Thornton is a cool, laid back dude. Sutter isn’t very quotable outside a locker room, but can get through to athletes exceptionally well. Drew Doughty is basically the Kings’ version of Thornton.

Players like dogs. Players love their children and their families. Is it time to put an end to these types of series? It’s hard to look at it from the eye of a fan when you’ve gone into a locker room, met players and know who they are and different elements about their lives.

Also, the novelty of cursing in hockey has worn off. It’s not even funny anymore when you hear a coach or player throw out an ‘F-Bomb.’

But this series was interesting for a different reason. It showcased hockey in California and helped show us you don’t need cold weather to play and love the sport.

That’s an old viewpoint that many with the NHL have tried to destroy. Between the game at Levi’s Stadium, and the home games in San Jose and Los Angeles, it was clear West Coast fans care. And that truly came across.

Without more delay, our final review of the show.

COORS LIGHT COLD HARD FACT

Trevor Lewis got hit in the face with a puck during warm-ups for the Stadium Series game. Yikes ...

Photo via EPIX screen shot
Photo via EPIX screen shot

THIS WEEK ON TRttNHLSS

We start out with exactly the image we want to see. Tanner Pearson rehabbing his broken ankle. But that wasn’t really the best part of this opening. It was seeing his swanky house on the beach #winning.

This of course is the perfect Segway into the trio that has propelled the Kings to their current success. That 70s Line! And we get some discussion about Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli and Dwight King – the last who has replaced Pearson with the grouping and done so quite well.

Fortunately, he has the right type of number.

And about six minutes in Sutter talks in a locker room. This is important since Sutter seemed to shun the mic in the previous week’s episode. Thankfully we got to hear him and the Kings group of players in game mode.

The Kings defeat the Lightning, everyone gets to see how we do our jobs at a Sutter Press scrum (it’s never very enlightening). It’s weird because Sutter seems to connect well with players in dressing room settings. You can tell it in his speeches between periods. Us media folk? He just turns off.

Then EPIX goes to the Music City where the Sharks get pummeled by the Nashville Predators.

I don’t know how McLellan’s message can ever get stale. The way he explains the game and his general charisma and his passion for coaching are so clear. I want to run through a wall whenever he talks.

Then it’s a sad walk to the bus for the Sharks. Such walks have turned into major EPIX staples. The best will always be Marian Gaborik’s wink at the camera. On the plane, Burns again shows off his Sharks Beats.

Photo via EPIX screen shot
Photo via EPIX screen shot

The Kings are in Denver and we meet the breakfast club, led by Matt Greene. It’s a group of crafty middle hockey-aged veterans who like to eat early and head to the rink to get limber. And it’s here we learn that the NHL runs on coffee, and lots of it.

Los Angeles rips Colorado. Doughty looks like a happy kid walking to the bus. And then we see how the Kings jerseys are stitched. If you thought it was a fancy pants operation, it’s not. It’s a total mom and pop company called Bobcat Athletic. This is one of those EPIX/24/7ish gems. A find most general watchers didn’t know existed until the show began.

The Sharks struggle to beat the Stars but ultimately prevail. Marc-Edouard Vlasic explains how the win has pushed San Jose into a playoff position, despite neglecting the whole games in hand thing.

And we’re off to Levi’s Stadium. John Scott calls the 49ers locker room “super cool” and Logan Couture says it’s “wicked.” Clearly the Sharks digs are not nearly as sick.

The Sharks practice and we see that McLellan is worried about – communication in a big stadium. How did the players hear one another? Could they hear the coaches? It seems like no detail can be put past this guy. We know why he’s on the hot seat (duration of time with the Sharks and lack of Cup success) but he should find another job quickly, should he get canned, simply based on how well he came off on EPIX.

We’re in the parking lot before the game, watching tailgates going on, and sadly not seeing our own Greg Wyshynski asking Sharks fans if they’ll date Kings fans. Sigh. It was still a great video, even if EPIX didn’t capture it being filmed.

The game goes on, and unfortunately we don’t see much of the surrounding areas around the rink. The makeshift shark tank, the hills. We saw some preparations at the beginning of EPIX, but not much when it was all ready and set to go.

The game starts. McLellan and Sutter rip their players during intermission. John Scott tries to start a fight in the third period, and the game obviously ends with the Kings winning 2-1.

Personally, I thought the cleanup crews were a nice touch. It showed that a lot of humanity goes into putting the game on. The players just play. The coaches coach. But there’s a ton of grunt work involved.

JOHN SCOTT ‘GOOD GUY’ MOMENT

Playing with his kids during the Sharks skate around. Scott gave us a snark-free finale for this segment, even if it was utterly confusing as to why McLellan dressed him for the game.

IMAGES OF THE WEEK

1. Players with coffee riding to the rink. It happens more than you think.

Photo via EPIX screen shot
Photo via EPIX screen shot

2. Sharks sipping on a juice box in Dallas. It seemed so childish and cool.

Photo via EPIX screen shot
Photo via EPIX screen shot

3. Drew Doughty’s victory walk. Man’s got style.

Photo via EPIX screen shot
Photo via EPIX screen shot

MOMENT WHEN NARRATION MAKES HOCKEY FEEL SUPER SERIOUS

“They staged a hockey game without winter anywhere in sight. Afterwards how many who were there wished the nearest frozen pond was a whole lot closer?”

The real answer? Nobody. It needs to be incredibly cold for a pond to freeze. Would you take that over 75 degrees and sunny 300 days out of the year?

MISSING IN ACTION

- Dan Craig. Where was the NHLs ice whisperer?

- Melissa Etheridge and John Fogerty. Two rock icons playing at Levi’s Stadium. Both not shown by EPIX.

- Dean Lombardi. We went through the entire season without seeing the Kings’ GM. That wasn’t cool.

- Doug Wilson. Yup, we wanted to see him all season. We got nothing.   

THREE STARS

1. Todd McLellan. A back-to-back winner. He came across so well in this series.

2. Matt Greene, Los Angeles Kings. We finally got to see more of the Kings’ heart and soul.

3. Tanner Pearson. Los Angeles Kings. He’s young. He lives next to a beach. He doesn’t have to do anything right now because he’s hurt. Life is good if you’re Tanner Pearson.

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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