The NHL is getting the “Drive to Survive” treatment, with a hockey series from the creators of the popular Formula 1 show coming to Prime Video in the fall.
After getting players on board with Box to Box Films, the league is hoping for the same kind of popularity boost that F1 got by bringing in a new set of fans who were previously unfamiliar with the sport.
“We’ve seen what these shows do for a sport in terms of increasing popularity, and we realize that any chance we get to grow our sport, we’re going to do it,” said NHL Chief Content Officer and Senior Executive Vice President Steve Mayer. . “It’s something we feel will put us in front of a whole new audience. I think everyone has seen the effects that ‘Drive to Survive’ has had on Formula 1 racing, ‘Full Swing’ has done a lot for golf and obviously the narrative involved is unique and very different.”
It’s another step in the league’s evolutionary process, showcasing more player personalities in a game that has always been defined by teams rather than individuals. The series features two players in the Stanley Cup Final – Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk – along with the likes of Boston’s David Pastrnak, Vegas’ Jack Eichel, Nashville’s Filip Forsberg, Toronto’s William Nylander, Colorado’s Gabriel Landeskog and Jacob from the New York Rangers. Trouba.
Mayer said that with the help of agents like Pat Brisson and Judd Moldaver and the NHLPA, there was much more acceptance of the project from players than there had been in previous generations.
“That’s one of the things we’ve seen right now: our players are a lot more willing, a lot more open and I feel like, ‘Wow, we got the buy-in,’” Mayer said. “(Having) watched ‘Drive to Survive’ (and) ‘Full Swing,’ our players said, ‘Let’s do it,’ and they were great.”
Box to Box co-founder and executive producer Paul Martin had never been to a hockey game until last year, only knowing Wayne Gretzky “and they fight a lot” about the sport. His interest was piqued by the Los Angeles Kings’ regular-season and playoff games, and then by the Golden Knights’ Cup victory in Las Vegas last June.
This is the company’s first foray into hockey after beginning the process of a series earlier this year documenting the 2024 Major League Soccer seasonwhich will air on Apple TV.
“It seemed like a great time for us, without any real affiliation with any kind of hockey or, at that point, any real understanding of hockey, to just come in and see what kind of stories we could tell,” Martin said. “It certainly felt like the right time for us, but also maybe the right time for hockey with this new generation of players and new generation of clubs that exist now in the league.”
Recognizing that Formula 1, several years ago, was in a place that needed some kind of spark provided by documentation, Martin said he’s not sure if this will transform the NHL or if it even needs transformation. But this has also been a slightly different process, putting on a show in a sport where team priority is forever entrenched.
This has led producers and camera operators to think a little differently in crowded locker rooms and other situations.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a big change,” Martin said. “Our type of storytelling relies on individuals being able to drive that type of storytelling, so within the team environment you focus on the individuals on that team, but you have to be very respectful as it is a team sport.”
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