For many Blackhawks, watching NHL games on TV keeps even nights off entertaining

LOS ANGELES — When MacKenzie Entwistle was growing up in the Toronto suburbs, watching the Maple Leafs on TV was something of a sacred family tradition.

“We made sure we had dinner beforehand, we put the fireplace on, and we watched the Leafs game,” the 24-year-old wing said, smiling at the memory.

Now, seven years after the Coyotes drafted him and three years since he debuted with the Blackhawks, Entwistle’s Leafs fandom has long since faded.

But his love for sitting back on the couch, booting up ESPN+ (no longer Sportsnet or TSN) and enjoying the sport has not. Being an NHL player doesn’t prevent him from being an NHL fan.

“I just love watching hockey,” he said. “I’m not a big TV show guy. I always just fall asleep. Something live, [like] live sports — that I can watch.”

The same is true for many of Entwistle’s Hawks teammates. Although following the league as a whole can be difficult, considering how often they’re playing or traveling and how little spare time is left for other life and family responsibilities, there’s no more popular activity on a rare night off.

“I probably watch hockey almost every night — every night we don’t play,” forward Philipp Kurashev said. “I come home and talk to my friends and parents, and at night, every time, I just put it on. Any game [works].”

Added forward Reese Johnson: “Maybe if you play the team in a couple days, you can do a little pre-scout, but [it’s] more for entertainment. Honestly, I feel like you can learn a ton from watching games.”

And from star forward Connor Bedard: “Even if it’s just background noise, I’ll always have a game on.”

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As a rookie, Bedard watches especially closely, hoping to notice “little moves guys do” that he can implement into his own game. What a normal person might simply see as a pretty play by, say, Oilers center Connor McDavid, Bedard sees as McDavid subtly moving his stick to create more space and slightly shifting his weight to explode into that space.

So much of Bedard’s excellence comes from not only his athleticism and talent but an ability to analyze the game faster and in greater depth than his peers. For years, he has studied what works and what doesn’t for the big stars. He watches hockey because he loves it and because it benefits him.

“[If] you watch any guy, [particularly] a lot of the top guys in the league, you can learn so much,” Bedard said. “It can be something really small, [but] I try to add little things.”

Johnson also studies what others are doing, although he focuses on different things than Bedard does. He’s particularly interested in the routes that other players take — getting to a loose puck, on the forecheck or on the backcheck — and how quickly or slowly they do so.

“Speed adaptability is a big thing,” he said. “[You’re] not always going full-speed. Sometimes [you’re] slowing things down on the rush. It’s good to use that speed dial entering the zone.”

There’s a social aspect, too, when it comes to watching other NHL games. The Hawks’ rebuild has led to enormous roster turnover in recent years, meaning former Hawks have been spread all around the league.

A relatively longer-tenured Hawk such as Entwistle is extra inclined to watch Lightning games to see how Brandon Hagel is doing, or Red Wings games to see how Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat are doing. There’s a caveat, though.

“If it’s a blowout, then I probably won’t keep it on,” Entwistle admitted. “[Or] when it’s intermission or something, I’ll just switch and go to the next game.”

Journeyman defenseman Jaycob Megna is inclined to watch Kraken and Sharks games to keep up with his most recent former teams, plus Penguins games to check in on Erik Karlsson, a close friend from their overlapping time in San Jose.

Even before and after the Hawks’ own games, the TVs in the locker room, trainers’ room and elsewhere throughout the United Center are always tuned to something interesting. After a home win last week against the Ducks, Megna walked out of the shower to catch a glimpse of a crazy back-and-forth overtime between the Kraken and the Golden Knights.

“It’s mostly entertainment at that point because I don’t really play overtime,” Megna said, laughing. “It’s so funny how you basically have to give up a chance to get a chance in overtime. If their goalie makes a save or they don’t execute, then you’re probably going to . . . go down and score. It’s fun. I wish it went longer. I don’t really like the shootout.”

Back at Hawks players’ own houses and apartments, it’s more work choosing what to watch during the prime hours when Eastern and Central Time games are wrapping up. But these guys are pros at channel-surfing just as much as they are on the ice.

“You check out which [game] is close, what good battles are going on [and] what teams have the good rivalries,” Johnson said. “And if there’s one going to OT, you’ve got to tune into those.”