Hey TIG subscribers! I’m lucky enough to have the opportunity to cover the Boston-based games of the PWHL Finals in person, so I thought I’d give you a little behind-the-scenes look into what’s going into that. Welcome to Day 2 of my PWHL Finals diary!
Day 2 started much the same as Day 1, although I added in some 90’s country to my already-eclectic blend from Day 1 for good measure. Gotta keep myself on my toes!
Once I arrived at the rink, I headed downstairs but this time, I had the misfortune of timing it so the entire Boston team was warming up and I didn’t dare to try to cross to the media room. So instead, I struck up a conversation with a staffer who was also trapped, and in a crazy coincidence they happened to be from Newfoundland, Canada, and I spend my summers working in Labrador. If you know anything about that province, you know how unlikely it is that I’d randomly run into someone from there while in Massachusetts (although I suppose it gets a little more likely when you add hockey to the picture).
Anyway, once the path cleared, I headed into the media room to grab some food (the selection was chicken parmesan and pasta) and chat with fellow media members for a while. Then, I headed back upstairs to conduct more interviews for my still-upcoming piece on PWHL Boston fans (to the TIG subscribers I spoke to for it- hello and thanks again!). Finally, it was time to head back to the press box for game coverage.
This is off-topic, but I feel the need to mention that the dramatic difference in photo quality between Games 1 and 2 is because I finally got a decent phone. Unfortunately though, I forgot to take pictures of the press areas to give you guys an idea of what it’s like. I’ll try to remember during Game 5 if it happens!
Now returning to the regularly scheduled programming, Game 2 was much less chaotic than Game 1. There were some confusing plays, but other than that, it was a more defensively-minded game, which the press box agreed was much more like what we expected.
After the game, we headed back down for another press conference. It was delayed a bit due to a lot of shuffling to get us all out of the video shot, but it went on as usual once it started. Unfortunately, all my questions got answered before I could ask them because I was too slow on the mic again. The mic certainly makes things smoother, but I’m much better at just shouting out questions! Hopefully, I am more on my game for Game 5 if it happens (although I have no idea what that presser will look like).
After the presser wrapped, I chatted with people for a bit again before heading back upstairs to finish my story. Then, it was time to head home, which was an ~adventure~ at the beginning thanks to road closures and one mean person not letting me in and shoving off an exit.
I selfishly hope there’s a Game 5 so I can cover the championship game in person since I’ll be covering Games 3 and 4 remotely. If that’s the case, there will be a third installment of this, so let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to know (and I’ll do my best not to forget this time)! If not, thanks again for all the support this season, and I hope you enjoyed these small behind-the-scenes looks!