Seven thousand pounds.
That’s how much hockey gear Clint Reif estimates he and the rest of the Chicago Blackhawks equipment staff ensures gets onto every flight.
Never before has an episode of Road to the Winter Classic carried so much weight as it did Tuesday night, the first installment of the documentary series since Reif, a 34-year-old father of four children, was found dead at his home Sunday morning, mere hours before his team faced off against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The treatment of Reif’s life and his role with the club was presented with great class and respect in Tuesday’s 60-minute episode.
Watch Episode 3 of Road to the Winter Classic, Tuesday, Dec. 30 at 7 p.m. ET on Sportsnet. More: Winter Classic Live
Unshakable is Episode 2’s final scene, in which head coach Joel Quenneville addresses the media, eyes glazed and a lump in his throat.
“Tough day. Great guy,” Quenneville manages.
Here are 13 things we learned from Episode 2, fittingly dedicated to Clint Reif.
1. Duncan Keith can’t get his skates tight enough.
During the segment that focuses on Reif’s attention to detail and superstitions as he cares for the team’s equipment and caters to players’ peculiarities, Keith tells us that the club’s best defenceman demands “the stiffest, tightest-fitting skate in the NHL.”
So much so that Keith requests a new set of laces for every game and often asks the equipment staff to re-lace them tighter if not snug enough the first time.
2. The Capitals are also tight with their equipment staff.
In a well-constructed parallel — prior to the revelation of Reif’s death — the cameras follow Washington defencemen John Carlson and Karl Alzner treating the club’s entire equipment and training staff to a dinner out.
The theme of sharing credit and spreading good fortune pervades throughout the series.
3. Marathon shootouts are great for one-liners.
The quote of the show arrived during the longest shootout in NHL history.
After Washington’s Braden Holtby made yet another skills-competition save during the Caps and Panthers’ 20-round shootout, someone from the Capitals bench figured their goaltending coach (and Episode 1 star) Mitch Korn must be enjoying all the good stops: “Coach Korn has a pitched tent in the stands right now.”
Though Nick Bjugstad would eventually beat Holtby for the winner, Washington coach Barry Trotz gave his losing goalie praise.
“That’s a good point on the road,” Trotz told the room. “That shootout, there may never be another one like that.”
4. Florida crowds don’t film well.
We already knew the Panthers had spotty attendance. But it’s a shame more fans weren’t on hand to see that record-breaking shootout.
Capitals practice following marathon shootout loss
5. Corey Crawford doesn’t seem too stoked on this whole behind-the-scenes access thing.
Last week, the Blackahawks’ No. 1 netminder instructed the camera crew not to film his sprained ankle. This week, he came off a little gruff when approached to chat after his first post-injury practice.
“Whaddaya wanna ask me,” he blurted.
The goalie did answer the questions, however.
“I think the hardest thing is getting timing back,” he said. “Still a lot of room for improvement.”
6. Bryan Bickell has some philosopher in him.
Watching Blackahawks teammate Patrick Sharp in a funk, the big forward spills some mid-game wisdom from the bench:
“Good thoughts make good things happen.”
7. Super-slow-motion body checks never get old.
And there are plenty of them in the Blue Jackets-Capitals game. Love it.
Jonathan Toews’ New Year’s Resolution
8. Michael Latta goes bunless.
Roommates Michael Latta and Tom Wilson appear about as inseparable as Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel.
While watching the young Caps fowards enjoying lunch in Columbus, Latta learns of the connection between cucumbers and pickles, then gets called out by Joel Ward, who walks into the restaurant and teases the kid for going “bunless” on his hamburger order.
9. Coach Trotz shakes the hand of every single player after a win.
Very cool scene in the Capitals’ dressing room after they snap the Blue Jackets’ win streak at seven games.
The team is hooting and hollering like a bunch of 12-year-olds and coach Trotz goes around shaking the hand of each and every one of them. It’s such a stark contrast to the dead silence after a loss.
Viewers get a fantastic sense for how much each regular-season game means to these millionaires, and the red-hot Caps must be loving this after they endured a horrendous losing skid during the filming of 2011’s 24/7.
10. Daniel Carcillo got jokes.
As per this exchange during the Blackhawks’ family skate.
Bryan Bickell: “This is Michaela. She’s three and a half months.”
Daniel Carcillo: “She looks like me, no?”
11. Andrew Shaw won’t be quiet.
Nicknamed “The Mutt,” 5-foot-10 Chicago forward Andrew Shaw is the yappiest guy on the team, one of those guys you hate to play against but love to play with.
“My role is always the energy guy,” he explains. “Occasionally I say a few things to the other team.”
Reif describes him even better.
“Andrew Shaw doesn’t know how to shut up,” Reif says, with adoration. “It’s like somebody stuck a firecracker in him and it’s still waiting to go off.”
12. Reminder: NHLers hate going to the quiet room.
After Shaw takes an elbow to the head in a game against the Wild, the trainer instructs him to go get evaluated.
“I’m good. I’m good,” an angry Shaw insists. “I’m f—–‘ fine.” He slams his stick as he reluctantly goes to the dressing room for a quick checkup.
13. This Ovie goal never gets old.
Another piece of evidence as to why hockey highlights are the best:
Alex Ovechkin goes to a Washington Wizards game