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

Mathieu Joseph, a forward, and Pierre-Olivier Joseph, a defenseman, are the seventh pair of brothers to play for the St. Louis Blues. And whether it’s on the ice or off, the competition always is there.

“He’s my best friend, so there’s not a lot of bad vibes around the house,” Mathieu said after the two played a spirited game of ping-pong at the home they share. “I think we just like to compete and get ready for games, and I think we have a good influence on each other.”

It’s just one moment behind the scenes in the second episode of “Road to the Discover NHL Winter Classic Presented by Enterprise,” which debuts at 6:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday on TNT in the United States and at 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday on SN1 in Canada.

The four-part docuseries follows the Blackhawks and Blues as they prepare for the 2025 Discover NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Dec. 31 (5 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS).

The final episode of the series will air prior to the game Dec. 31, at 3:30 p.m. ET on TNT and 4:30 p.m. ET on Sportsnet.

The second episode features more behind-the-scenes moments with St. Louis and Chicago players, coaches and staff. It includes Blackhawks center Connor Bedard, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, marveling over the fact that NBA star LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers rarely has had a game in which he scored fewer than 10 points.

“I think it’s nine. Isn’t that the craziest stat?” Bedard said. “This guy, man. This guy, LeBron.”

It also features the Joseph brothers having Blues teammates Zack Bolduc and Alexandre Texier over to their home for an Italian dinner.

“We have a chance to play the Winter Classic in Chicago. Definitely excited to be part of that,” Mathieu said. “Sharing that experience with my brother is definitely something more special.”

Meanwhile in Chicago, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson enjoys some family time with his wife, Angelica, and daughters Willa, who will turn 2 at the end of December, and Charlotte, who’s just over a week old.

“Definitely a challenge, but when you’re at home you want to be as present as you can,” Davidson said. “But I’d be lying too if I wasn’t thinking about work, and when I’m at work also thinking about them.

“So you’re blending these two worlds that require so much of your attention. You try to give each of those as much of your bandwidth as possible. The phone never stops ringing.”

But it’s not long before Davidson’s attention is back on the Blackhawks, who have lost four in a row and are 8-16-2 following a 4-2 loss to the Boston Bruins on Dec. 4.

The next day, the Blackhawks fired coach Luke Richardson and named Anders Sorensen, coach of Rockford, their American Hockey League affiliate, their interim coach.

“I don’t have too much,” Sorensen said, addressing the Blackhawks for the first time as their coach on Friday. “I think the biggest thing is we have to get better today, right? We start with today, let’s get better today.

“I think the big thing is we need to make competing fun again. Everybody knows winning is fun, but you have to start with the competing and effort.”

As the Blackhawks try to get on track, Blues forward Dylan Holloway and defenseman Philip Broberg return to Edmonton. They each signed two-year contracts with the Blues on Aug. 20 after the Oilers did not match the offer sheets tendered by the Blues on Aug. 13.

“They allowed me to get my start in the NHL and it’s cool coming back here,” Holloway said while sitting at an Edmonton restaurant. “It’s definitely a little different but they’ll always have a special place in my heart.”

Their return doesn’t go so well, however, as the Oilers defeat the Blues 4-2 on Dec. 7. Nevertheless, it’s an opportunity to be reunited with some friends before leaving Edmonton.

“Middle of the season here. We have a lot of road games this month,” Broberg said before the Blues headed to Vancouver for a game Tuesday.

“We have the Winter Classic, which will be amazing. It’s a great game outdoors and I think everybody’s looking forward to it.”