Excitement builds in Episode 2 of ‘Road to the NHL Winter Classic’

Logan Thompson teases Jonathan Marchessault and the rest of his Vegas Golden Knights teammates who can’t seem to get the puck by him in practice.

“’Marchie,’ 0-for-2,” the veteran goalie lightheartedly shouts through his mask after making a stick save against the 32-year-old forward. “’C’mon, Marchie, what was that?’”

Thompson’s goading doesn’t go unnoticed by forward William Karlsson, who later turns TV critic with his own friendly dig at the goalie.

“You’re on camera and all of a sudden you’re Patrick Roy,” Karlsson tells Thompson.

That’s just one look behind the scenes in the second episode of “Road to the Discover NHL Winter Classic presented by Enterprise,” which was simulcast on TNT and Max on Wednesday in the United States (available for streaming on Max beginning Dec. 25) and premieres in Canada on Sportsnet One at 6 p.m. ET on Thursday and airs on Sportsnet at 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday.

The four-part docuseries follows the Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken as they prepare for the 2024 Discover NHL Winter Classic at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Jan. 1 (3 p.m. ET; MAX, TNT, SN, TVAS).

In the second episode, viewers get to tag along with players on and off the ice during their respective homestands.

Goalie Joey Daccord and girlfriend Lexi Dickinson are enjoying an outdoor holiday fair near Seattle’s famous Space Needle when they spot a fan wearing a Chicago Blackhawks jersey the day before the Kraken host the Blackhawks on Dec. 14.

“Go punch him,” Dickinson tells Daccord, joking.

Daccord resists and then basks in a 7-1 win against Chicago.

“We’ve obviously had our ups and downs this year as a team, I really don’t take this opportunity lightly,” he says. “I think it’s so special and I’m just so grateful that I’m here and I get to play and I’m just trying to do what I can to make the most of it.”

The camera follows Marchessault while he goes from being a player to a hockey dad as an assistant coach for his son James’ youth hockey team, with younger son William in tow.

“When there’s a day like today that I can come and be a coach and be there with my kids, that’s definitely days I look forward to,” he says. “I think it's a memory that they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.”

The homestand gives Thompson and other Golden Knights players a chance to distribute food to the Las Vegas area needy for the holidays and to think about playing in the upcoming Winter Classic.

“As a kid, I remember watching the Winter Classic games,” Thompson says. “As the Vegas Golden Knights, we’re actually competing in a Winter Classic, getting to play outside is like a dream come true. When we step out there, do a couple of practices out there. It’s going to be awesome.”

But the giddiness of playing in one of the NHL’s marquee events gives away to reality that there are several games to go before the Golden Knights and Kraken hit the ice at T-Mobile Park.

That was reinforced by Vegas’ 5-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Dec. 15, ending a four-game winning streak.

“Pucks are going to go in, players are going to score, and that’s just part of the job. I signed up for this,” Thompson says. “We’re a veteran group, practice tomorrow, move on, hit the reset button. It’s not the end of the world.”