The cameras aren’t rolling yet and Chris Pronger is stealing the show.
After an announcement yesterday confirmed that the worst kept secret in hockey — the 2011 Winter Classic — will be played between the Flyers and Rangers at Citizens Bank Park, the Flyers captain was telling reporters to stay off the outfield grass.
“Hey, off the grass, let’s go,” Pronger shouted.
Pronger will be a center of attention when the Flyers and Rangers get mic’d up for HBO’s “24/7” reality series, an all-access program that takes viewers inside each team’s locker room in the weeks leading up to the Jan. 2 game.
Both teams admit that it will take time to adjust.
“I think there will be an adjustment period at first, having a camera in your face 24/7 and having to do a little bit more interview-wise, but it’s a great opportunity for the fans to see what we’re like off the ice,” said Rangers captain Ryan Callahan.
“I don’t like being mic’d and I don’t like being taped,” Flyers coach Peter Laviolette, “but if the deal is that in order to get a Winter Classic and to be well-represented by HBO like they were [last year], the two teams and the National Hockey League, then I’m all for it.”
Last year, Washington coach Bruce Boudreau morphed into an overnight celebrity — largely due to his penchant for swearing. (He used the F-word 15 times during a speech).
So, who is primed to be this season’s breakout star? Laviolette suggested Scott Hartnell. But Pronger had a different take.
“It seems to be the coaches that seem to have the hard time with the cameras and the swearing, so I’m going to stick with the guns and say Lavvy probably,” Pronger said.
