BOSTON — Having a camera crew follow your every move can be uncomfortable, even for the most visible of professional athletes.
The Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens have experienced just that this season, as EPIX’s “Road to the NHL Winter Classic” has documented the teams’ preparations for their New Year’s Day matchup at Gillette Stadium.
Winger Brad Marchand has been one of the more frequently featured Bruins players through Episodes 1 and 2 of the four-part documentary series (Episode 3 airs Wednesday night). And while he’s certainly not shy about sharing his opinions, he’ll be happy when there no longer are cameras around to capture each and every one of them.
“It’s very tough to forget (the cameras) are there,” Marchand said Tuesday morning, three days before the Bruins-Canadiens matchup. “They’re right there in your face. But it does change the way you do things in the room. It does change how you act when you’re always concerned about what’s going to be put on TV. Guys definitely say a lot less, and when the cameras are on, they don’t talk about certain things. Guys don’t want to seem like they’re putting on a show in front of the cameras.
“We have different personalities in this room than in other rooms, but I know a lot of guys get quiet around the cameras and don’t want to seem like they’re just talking because the cameras are around. So, it does change things around the room, and it’ll be nice to get back to normal when they’re gone.”
Bruins coach Claude Julien, however, didn’t seem to be bothered by the cameras. He noted that with crews from “Behind the B,” the Bruins’ team-produced documentary series, having followed his players for the past two seasons, the inclusion of the folks from EPIX did not make a significant difference.
“We’ve kind of gotten used to those guys, and we’ve had a little bit of experience here with ‘Behind the B’ that’s around us during the season,” Julien said. “So, it’s been an easy adjustment, to be honest with you. And they’ve been really cooperative, too. They’ve been great to work with, so that’s been good. I would say it’s not really a distraction, because to be honest with you, I haven’t even felt our team or myself thinking about the outdoor game yet.”
Those comments from Julien came before Tuesday night’s game, which the Bruins won 7-3 over the Ottawa Senators. Boston now can turn its focus toward the NHL’s marquee regular-season event, which is set for Friday afternoon in Foxboro, Mass.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@BostonGlobe
