

(Photo by Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

As the NHL sought a new partner for its annual all-access television show chronicling the outdoor Winter Classic, two important requests sprung to the fore. “Commercial-free and unfiltered language,” said John Collins, the league’s chief operating officer.

The absence of the bleep button had been a hallmark of HBO’s “24/7” series, which ended its affiliation with the NHL last month shortly before the league announced a new series on the emerging cable network, Epix. Capitals fans learned the importance of unfettered access from 2011, when the series offered in-depth looks into Washington’s locker room, led then by the demonstrative coach Bruce Boudreau.

“While I think we’ve always taken great pains to make sure that the cursing, the language, wasn’t gratuitous,” Collins said, “it’s part of what gives fans the feeling that they’re getting access and are really inside the locker room. Those were two of the things Epix lived up to that we felt were critically important to proceed with the series.”

A familiar face will lead the coverage on the unfamiliar network, which passed out an information folder to media attending Tuesday’s announcement at Nationals Park and showed a short video explaining the network on the big screen in right-center. Ross Greenburg, a 52-time Emmy winner and the former executive producer of HBO sports who helped launch the 24/7 series, is now working for Epix and will begin filming Dec. 1.

Last season, when HBO filmed the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings, both coaches encountered issues with the cameras, at separate times kicking the crews out from the locker room. Recently, Capitals Coach Barry Trotz called the space “sacred” and understood the possible anxiety inherent with all-access filming, but ultimately said he and his players wanted to do whatever the league and team wanted.

“I think the clubs and the players understand that it’s part of the commitment, to make these events as big as we can make them,” Collins said. “I think it’s part of the promotional platform leading into the events. It helps broaden out the appeal of the game, so you don’t have to be fans of the Caps and the Blackhawks to watch the series.

“If you’re a hockey fan, chances are you’ll want to watch the series just because of that access. And I think it helps causal fans connect with hockey. People may not have had a chance to play the game. They maybe attended the game, don’t know the game very well. They get hooked into the personalities of the players, the stories, how they live their lives. It lets them see how skillful these guys are on the ice. They’re special athletes. They do things no other athletes are able to do.”

According to Collins, the eight-part series will split into two four-episode segments, first focusing on the Jan. 1 Winter Classic at Nationals Park, and the second featuring the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks as they prepare for the NHL Stadium Series game at Levi Stadium in San Francisco.

“We talked to the HBO guys about the opportunity there, but what had happened was around that time, we got to know the Epix guys, who really stepped up in two big asks that we had,” Collins said. “One is that we wanted to do an eight-episode series so we could really capture both games. That was really important, that we keep that expectation, live up to the expectation that fans have. The second is every NHL fan who wants to get the series should get the series.”

As for public access, Epix plans to offer a free pass to hockey fans without Epix in their homes.

“While HBO is working out their distribution as a premium-pay cable, [Epix is] going to make an offer to NHL fans where you come in, register, get a special code which will basically allow you to sample, not just our eight-part series but Epix programming for the entire eight-week period,” Collins said. “It’s more distribution than we’ve ever had before in the U.S.”