A gripping new six-part docuseries spotlighting life in the NHL debuts Thursday, October 4 on Amazon Prime Video. "Faceoff: Inside the NHL" peels back the curtain on the lives of the incredible athletes behind the goals, assists and saves.
Our Short Shifts team will recap each episode of the series, bringing you our favorite moments and highlights from the show.
Episode 4: “The Captains”
Players featured: Quinn Hughes, Jacob Trouba, Gabriel Landeskog
Episode synopsis: An inside look at three captains in the NHL: Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes, New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba and Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog. Each player describes the trials and tribulations of the captaincy and how leadership styles differ from one captain to the next.
Funniest moment: Landeskog asks his kids about their hockey fandom. His son, wearing an oversized Colorado Avalanche hat, gave the obvious answer. His daughter had a different idea. “My favorite is the Penguins!” she exclaimed, causing quite the reaction from her dad. “What! That’s going to be controversial,” Landeskog said after the hilarious moment.
Moving moments: Trouba dives into what it means to be a father and balancing his responsibilities as a dad and as a captain for the Rangers. “When things aren’t going well, or whatever it may be at the rink, that for sure stays at the rink and you come home and that’s your priority, to be a father, and do everything you can for him,” Trouba said. “Life isn’t only about winning and sports.”
The documentary also explores Landeskog’s challenges with balancing being a father while fulfilling the responsibilities of the captainship, and how his injury changed his perspective. “I got to experience some things with [my kids] this year that I definitely would’ve missed,” Landeskog said. “You’re just around on a consistent basis that you’re normally not.”
Quotable: Hughes discusses some of the challenges related to being a young captain when things aren’t going well for the team. “Even when things aren’t going great, it’s really important to not get too high or low and I promised myself when I became captain that I would try to do a really good job at that,” Hughes said. “But at the end of the day the most important is what you’re doing on the ice and performing.”
This is Hockey Life: Landeskog has a deep discussion about being forced to sit out the playoffs due to injury, despite leading his team to a Stanley Cup a few years prior, particularly as a captain. “It hits hard watching playoff games, man. When you’re not able to make an impact, you’re not able to really make a difference at all. … [You're] like a very invested hockey parent. You’re just so in every single play … and you just don’t have an impact.” He then agrees that he almost feels like a fan, “And I’m not good at being a fan,” he said. Early in the documentary, Landeskog acknowledges that his last meaningful hockey game was winning the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022. He’s been sidelined ever since with his injury.
Hockey Players, They’re Just Like Us: The documentary shows Hughes driving to a game and calling his dad to get some pregame advice and motivation. “I call my dad before every single game,” Hughes said. “He usually gives us a 40-second pump up.” Seems like the pregame chats with dad never get old, even at the pro level.
