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 5: “Cup or Bust Part I”
Players featured: Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman
Episode synopsis: A glimpse into the lives of Edmonton Oilers star forwards Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman as they march towards the Stanley Cup Final. Viewers are also introduced to their future Stanley Cup Final opponent, Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk.
Funniest moment: McDavid is afraid of ketchup? As the Oilers captain, his fiancée Lauren, his manager and his trainer are sitting down for dinner made by their personal chef, Lauren reveals an entertaining fun fact about McDavid's eating habits. “Connor is afraid of ketchup, so Sheridan [their personal chef] always sneakily brings it over to me because he knows I like it,” Lauren tells the dinner table.
Moving moments: The episode starts at the end for the Oilers. The team is dejected after losing the Stanley Cup in Game 7 to the Florida Panthers. McDavid is brought to tears as Draisaitl gives him a comforting pat. It’s a raw moment in the room, to come up short after coming so close.
At the end of the episode, another emotional scene is shown from Game 2 after the Oilers go down 2-0 to start the series. McDavid lets his frustration boil over as yells at his teammates that their effort isn’t good enough for the Finals and that they need to start digging in with all they got from that moment.
Quotable: When asked if he felt like the best player in the NHL, McDavid had the perfect response after a little chuckle. “When I’m at my best, it’s a tough level to match.” Now if you ask teammate Draisaitl, he has a bit of a different take. “Connor and I have been together for a long time now. Just certain nights I think I’m the best, other nights he’s definitely the best.”
This is Hockey Life: The hockey season and the playoffs take its toll on player’s bodies. Viewers get a front row seat of that toll as McDavid gets worked on by his trainer on an off day. “Sneezing and coughing is terrible, but the good news is nothing is sharp this time,” McDavid says as his trainer checks out his body.
Hockey Players, They’re Just Like Us: Being a dad comes first and foremost for Hyman who has two sons, a three-year-old and one-and-a-half year old, and another baby on the way. Like most dads, Hyman spends his free time at the park with his sons and they could care less what their dad does for a living. “My boys they don’t have the attention span for hockey right now,” Hyman says. “I don’t know what the age is, I’m sure some of the older guys, they’ll tell me what the age is when they realize ‘oh dad’s cool.’”
Draisaitl wants the fans to know he really is relatable, especially when it comes to his TV show of choice. “We don’t walk around thinking we are the Beatles, we are just like any other guy at home, eating chips or watching ‘Friends’… the show,” he said.
