'Quest For The Stanley Cup' premieres with Seattle mayor visit

On the ice, Edmonton Oilers forwards Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman have been putting up plenty of points in the Western Conference Second Round against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Off the ice, they get together to watch games from the Eastern Conference.

It's one of the segments that will be part of the eighth season of "Quest for the Stanley Cup."

"It's a cool little look behind the scenes of how those guys watch a game and what they look for and what they're watching," co-executive director Steve Stern said.

"There are things like that, that happen. We just always try and get as much behind-the-scenes stuff as we can. We kind of know, really, how to do it, how not to get in the way. I think the players and the coaches appreciate that."

The first episode premieres at 5 p.m. Friday on ESPN+ in the United States and YouTube.com/NHL in Canada and abroad. Episodes will also be re-aired on ESPN2, the first episode at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

Each of the seven episodes brings unparalleled access inside the second round, conference finals and Stanley Cup Final. It takes fans on the ice, the benches, in the dressing rooms and the homes of players and members of the coaching staff.

Actor Corey Stoll narrates the series and fans can join the conversation via the official hashtag #StanleyCup.

The New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs and Seattle Kraken are featured in the series for the first time this season.

Stern said "Quest for the Stanley Cup" visited Seattle mayor Bruce Harrell. The Kraken are in the Stanley Cup Playoffs after finishing 30th last season, their first in the NHL.

"It's interesting how they weren't here two years ago and now here they are," Stern said, "so that's what's been interesting to us is that there are a lot of new faces this year and a lot of new places.

"We have all different teams to work with and there's a bit of a learning curve with some of the teams, but I will say this: the League, the PR directors, the GMs, the coaches, they are well-versed in what we do and what we need to do and there's a lot of cooperation that goes on behind the scenes."

The cooperation has led to a good relationship throughout the years the series has been produced.

"Connor's a good example," Stern said of McDavid. "He knows that we know what he's there for and he knows that, 'OK, I have an off day, I can have these guys come over, I'm just going to be sitting with Leon and Zach and watching something. They can come here and watch with us.'

"We all trust each other and it's a trust that's been established over the course of four or five years."