My latest Chicago Tribune column is on how playing in the Winter Classic means the Chicago Blackhawks will be featured on 24/7 this year.

You also can access the column via my Twitter feed at @Sherman_Report.

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville will have to go a long way to top Bruce Boudreau in the F-bomb department. A little memory from 24/7 in 2010.

From the column:

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The Winter Classic won’t be just a one-day trip to Washington for the Blackhawks.

Rather, it will be nearly a month-long invasion of their privacy. They will be tailed by cameras in the locker room, executive meetings, and even in their homes.

Part of the Blackhawks playing in Washington for the Winter Classic on Jan. 1 is agreeing to participate in HBO’s “24/7,” a behind-the-scenes series that chronicles both teams. Team executives declined comment because an official announcement hasn’t been made about the status of this year’s “24/7.”

However, it will be coming soon, as the popular HBO series has been a huge success in terms of marketing for the NHL and in critical acclaim; last year’s “24/7” won a Sports Emmy for outstanding camera work.

The prospect of doing “24/7” was broached to Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith by the Tribune’s Chris Kuc at the NHL Awards Tuesday in Las Vegas. They weren’t aware it was part of the Winter Classic package.

“That will be our first experience to see who comes out of the woodwork to try and put on an act for the cameras,” Toews said. “We have a couple of characters that might do that.”

“That might be different,” Keith said. “I might have to hide a little bit. Nobody can know my real personality. I’ll keep quiet.”

The Blackhawks aren’t strangers to being followed by cameras. Patrick Kane was featured in a “NHL 36” film in 2011; there was a behind-the-scenes NBCSN special for last year’s Stadium Series game against Pittsburgh in Soldier Field; and the team’s in-house Blackhawks TV also captures insider access for various programming.

The HBO series, though, takes it all to another stratosphere. The “24/7” name is highly appropriate since the Blackhawks will be followed 24/7 by at least three camera crews for several weeks.