Players rave about Season 2 of 'FACEOFF: Inside the NHL'

Season 2 of 'FACEOFF: Inside the NHL' will be an amazing watch for all hockey fans.

Just ask the players who star in the behind-the-scenes series that premieres Friday on Prime Video.

"I saw a part of it, and I think they did a really good job of portraying how close we are as a group," Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski said Tuesday. "It was fun to be a part of."

Werenski and his Blue Jackets teammates are featured in Episode 2, which focuses on how the team and the Columbus community coped with the tragic deaths of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau last August.

"We got involved, just wanted to give people a sense of what was going on here last year, and kind of a tribute to Johnny and his family and how close we are in this room and in this city," Werenski said.

The second season of the show consists of six episodes, featuring Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators, Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, former Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shananan, Carolina Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis, Los Angeles Kings forwards Quinton Byfield and Anze Kopitar, Florida Panthers forwards Brad Marchand and Matthew Tkachuk and then-Edmonton Oilers forward Corey Perry.

"Growing up, I was always watching the 'Road To The Winter Classic' and seeing the behind-the-scenes and stuff like that and thinking it was the coolest thing in the world," Brady Tkachuk said. "And now being able to have this opportunity to do that for myself and have the next generation of future fans and kids now to look up to [me], and see that I'm not just a hockey player, but see how I treat my family and see how my family is so important to me and just everyday life."

Byfield, 23, who is entering sixth season with the Kings, also raved about the experience of being in front of the cameras.

"As a fan, if I had [the show] growing up, I'd be all over that and obviously watching it, so I try to look at it that way, just trying to show a side of my life being a pro athlete and what we do on a daily basis," Byfield said. "So, I think it's a good insight, and it was really cool getting to do it with 'Kopi' and all the guys here, so I'm excited for it.

"I got a sneak peek, and it looks really good."

Tkachuk, Werenski and Kopitar each agreed that while it was a bit odd having the camera crews following their every move, it was done professionally and was key to giving viewers access to things they would never usually see.

"Obviously, [I] don't really love the cameras around me all the time, but for them to show our story here in Columbus, I think is huge for this organization, the city, this team and I think they did a great job of it, so, [I'm] excited for everyone else to see," Werenski said. "They do a great job too. There's a lot of footage that they cut out and they do a great job of really telling the story with the footage that they did use. So, yeah, [I'm] really happy about it.

"I mean they're great guys and they're very professional on how they handle it. And like I said, I think it's great for our organization, our city and everyone here to kind of showcase what we're all about to the rest of the hockey world."

Brady Tkachuk, who called himself "an open book," said he's excited for fans to see the ins and outs of an NHL locker room.

"They did a great job of not being invasive and kind in your face; even in the [locker] room, you almost kind of forget that they're there sometimes," he said. "They do such a good job of respecting your space but capturing those moments.

"You know, everyone wants to see those raw, emotional moments that [show] not everything is all sunshine and rainbows sometimes. Sometimes there's emotional moments, and to capture that, to show who you are in times like that, I think they did a great job of capturing those."

Kopitar, who is entering his 20th and final season with Los Angeles, agreed.

"I think the crew did a good job," Kopitar said. "They were very respectful of the privacy if something was maybe a little bit too personal, they would check and ask and everything, so we had a good experience. The kids had fun being in front of the cameras for a little bit."

Brady Tkachuk said viewers will certainly enjoy the scenes from the 4 Nations Face-Off, especially the opening nine seconds of the United States' game against Canada when he fought Canada's Sam Bennett and his brother, Matthew, battled with Brayden Point.

"I mean, the whole episode is unreal and there's so many highlights along the way that they captured," Brady said. "I just think it's really tough to pick a favorite moment because the whole episode is awesome."

Byfield joked that Kopitar may have found his calling as a reality TV star once he retires as the end of this season.

"It might be," Byfield said. He'd be good for it."

As for Brady Tkachuk, he said he would love to do it again.

"Absolutely," he said. "Yeah, this was an amazing experience, and hopefully there's many more memories that they're going to capture.

"For me, it's an honor to be able to represent this city (Ottawa) and what it's all about, the passion, the care that everybody has in this city. I'm excited for, like I said, everybody to be a part of it and be a part of this episode, and for future things to come."

NHL.com independent correspondents Craig Merz, Dan Greenspan and Callum Fraser contributed to this report