Bruins, Blackhawks working hard on 'Road to Winter Classic'

The Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins find themselves working through respective difficulties and hoping for better fortunes in the near future as they prepare for the 2019 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on Jan. 1 (1 p.m. ET; NBC, SN, TVAS).

In first episode of the three-part docuseries "Road to the NHL Winter Classic," which premiered Wednesday in the United States on NBCSN, cameras take viewers behind the scenes in Chicago and Boston for an all-access look at where the two teams are heading into the showdown at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana.
The episode begins with a morning ride-along with 33-year-old Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton, who has been on the job since taking over for Joel Quenneville on Nov. 6. And though Chicago hasn't yet gotten the results it was looking for after the coaching change, Colliton sees reason for optimism after a solid win against the Penguins as he does a local radio spot.
Meanwhile in Boston, Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy is up for his morning workout and discusses the high-profile injuries they have had to deal with. Later in the episode, he checks in at home with his daughter Shannon, who is perfecting some gymnastics skills, and his son Cole, who is getting some ice time on the family's backyard rink.

Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford talks about his love of restoring old cars, including one he's fixing up for a charity auction.
Injured Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara is working hard to return but has to remain cautious and not rush back, risking missing more time than the month he's already been away.
Longtime Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews arrives for a game and reveals he has to mispronounce his own name to check in with security.
That night, Chicago loses in overtime to the Winnipeg Jets, but the Blackhawks are finding positives in the negative outcome.
"At the end of the day, I think we're playing better," Toews told reporters after the game. "We're getting our confidence back, so we have to start demanding more out of ourselves and we can keep driving that expectation and that standard higher and higher."