EPIX and NHL set to follow Red Wings, Leafs en route to NHL Centennial Classic

November 21, 2016November 21, 2016 MiHockey Staff

Jimmy Howard fights through a snow spray to freeze the puck at Michigan Stadium during the 2014 NHL Winter Classic. (Photo by Jen Hefner/MiHockey)

By @StefanKubus –

Despite the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues playing in the NHL Winter Classic on Jan. 2, it’s the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs who will do battle on the traditional New Year’s Day date in the NHL Centennial Classic.

Now, fans will have the chance to follow the Wings and Leafs (and Blackhawks and Blues) in the build-up to the outdoor game, which will be played at Exhibition Field in Toronto.

Premium TV network EPIX and the NHL have announced that EPIX Presents Road to the NHL Outdoor Classics will air in the U.S. on Friday, Dec. 16 at 10 p.m. on EPIX with four weekly episodes. Additionally, the episodes will be available on EPIX.com as a simulcast and through the Red Wings’, Leafs’, Blackhawks’ and Blues’ team sites.

Produced by 53-time Emmy award winner Ross Greenburg and narrated by Bill Camp, the series will provide fans with an up-close, intimate look at the players in both their personal and professional settings.

“Just as the NHL Winter Classic has become a New Year’s tradition and annual high point of our season, the Road To series has become appointment viewing for sports fans each December,” NHL Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer Steve Mayer said in a release. “This year, the series takes it to another level, chronicling four teams instead of two as they prepare for and compete in both the NHL Winter Classic and the NHL Centennial Classic. We are looking forward to another exciting edition of the series with producer Ross Greenburg and his team, our partner EPIX and, most important, our clubs and the best athletes in all of pro sports, who provide amazing access.”

The 2017 Scotiabank NHL Centennial Classic marks a rematch of the 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, which was played in The Big House in Ann Arbor, a game that resulted in a shootout win for the Leafs. The game will be the Wings’ fourth outdoor game and the Leafs’ second.

The series schedule is as follows:

Premiere – Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 10pm ET/PT, 9C

Episode 2 – Wednesday, Dec. 23 at 10pm ET/PT, 9C (re-air on Dec. 24 at 10 p.m. ET)

Episode 3 – Wednesday, Dec. 30 at 10pm ET/PT, 9C

Episode 4 – Wednesday, January 6 at 10pm ET/PT, 9C