FaceOff: Inside the NHL

Brady Tkachuk starts this season with big skates to fill as the little brother of the reigning Stanley Cup Champion, Matthew Tkachuk. He ends the season as a face of the NHL, a father, and his own man.

The hockey world experienced unimaginable devastation over the summer with the untimely deaths of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew. This episode is about how those closest to Johnny Hockey - his wife, Meredith Gaudreau, and teammates Sean Monahan and Zach Werenski - redefine what it means to be a family, a team, and a community in the face of tragedy.

Two of the league's biggest superstars (Sidney Crosby and Anže Kopitar) let us into their world with intimate access in a pivotal 2024-25 season. As we see them fight Father Time in their own way, Quinton Byfield represents the next generation of superstars, eager to learn from his elders and leave the league better than he found it.

Brendan Shanahan's master 'Shanaplan,' years in the making, is finally coming to fruition thanks to his star forward, William Nylander. This playoff-centric story allows us to witness the Toronto Maple Leafs beat their in-Province rival from Ottawa and clash with the reigning champion from Florida in the second round. If they don't deliver this season, changes could come for the team Brendan grew up rooting for.

Seth Jarvis is supposedly too small, too unserious, and out of place in the NHL. His team, the Carolina Hurricanes, have been on the verge of greatness for years - but they keep falling short. For Seth and the Hurricanes, the 2024-25 season is about proving that they indeed are good enough.

The 'Rat Kings' of the Florida Panthers are bigger, louder, and nastier than ever - and now Matthew Tkachuk and Brad Marchand are on the brink of hockey immortality. In the shadow of last year's heartbreak, Zach Hyman and the Edmonton Oilers are back on hockey's biggest stage - facing the same villains, the same wounds, and the same question: Can they rewrite the ending?