"Pregaming presented by New Amsterdam Vodka" features the host of the popular reality TV series giving a mixed drink tutorial to his special guest using the Official Vodka of the NHL, then chatting about the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Joining Taffer in the first episode is Scott Gomez, a center who played 16 seasons in the NHL with the New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks, Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators and St. Louis Blues. It premiered Thursday at 5 p.m. ET, and each episode will be available for viewing on the NHL's Facebook and IGTV platforms.
Taffer and Gomez each made a Bloody Mary before talking about the Dallas Stars vs. Vegas Golden Knights Western Conference Final series, which was tied at 1 going into Game 3 on Thursday.
"That's playoff hockey at its best," Gomez said, when asked for his thoughts on the series so far. "Dallas came out. They did what they had to do. Vegas made the adjustment. They took Game 2 and now it's up in the air. It's a little different now because it's not like one team is going home to play in front of their fans, so it's going to be interesting tonight to see what happens."
Former New York Islanders legend Bryan Trottier joins Taffer for the second episode, which will air on Friday before Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final between the Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning (8 p.m. ET; USA, CBC, SN, TVAS. The Lightning lead the series 2-0.
This isn't the first time Taffer has teamed up with NHL players. Taffer, who is a big Golden Knights fan, once had forward Ryan Reaves and defenseman Nate Schmidt on an episode of "Bar Rescue," where he delivered his signature style of tough love to struggling bar owners in order to help them revive their businesses.
