A majority of Minnesota hockey followers of some seniority probably would name “Miracle on Ice” documentaries and video segments as their favorite inside looks at the activity. The events that took place in Lake Placid, N.Y.
, in February 1980, with Herb Brooks’ underdog Yanks winning a gold medal, were certainly notable. Yet, it is my opinion that for bringing to life true hockey, this docuseries cannot be topped: HBO’s four-part 24/7 titled “Road to the NHL Winter Classic” that started in December 2011 and concluded on Jan. 5, 2012.
The combatants in this contest were the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers, meeting outdoors in the Phillies’ ballpark. The foul-mouthed ringmasters for this entertainment were Rangers coach John Tortorella and Flyers coach Peter Laviolette. Some of the locker room discussions when the coaches were feeling cranky made “Slapshot” out to be insight, not satire.
Twelve Decembers later, Tortorella, 66, is coaching his fifth NHL team and it’s the Flyers, and Laviolette is coaching his sixth NHL team and it’s the Rangers. Most big-league sports, this would seem strange — head coaches having switched teams. In the NHL, it can be a Monday after a couple of teams have a bad weekend.
When checking the coaching movements of “Torts” and Peter, this was the highlight: Laviolette replaced the fired Paul Maurice as Carolina’s coach in the 2003-04 season, won a Stanley Cup with the ‘Canes in 2006, was fired early in the .
