In an attempt to counter the reveal of NHL 2K10’s cover athlete, Electronic Arts have revealed the player that will adorn the cover of NHL10: Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Kane is an interesting choice. While it’s hard to deny that he’s a great player, there are many other players that are considered better. Could this be an attempt by Electronic Arts to lure in more American gamers? I don’t think so. If it were, the cover athlete would be Peyton Manning.
No, I smell a conspiracy! Sidney Crosby has yet to be featured on the cover of a hockey game, despite dominating the league since his arrival in 2005 and being one of the sport’s signature players. Alexander Ovechkin appeared on the cover of Electronic Arts’ NHL09, and will appear on his second cover with the upcoming NHL2K10. How does this all come together? Back in October of 2008, Alexander Semin of the Washington Capitals – and Ovechkin’s teammate – shared these comments about Sidney Crosby:
“What’s so special about Crosby? I don’t see anything special there. Yes, he does skate well, has a good head, good pass. But there’s nothing else. Even if you compare him to Patrick Kane from Chicago … Kane is a much more interesting player. The way he moves, his deking abilities, his thinking on the ice and his anticipation of the play is so superb.”
Could Semin be the one pulling the strings behind the athlete choices? Does he moonlight as a marketing director for Electronic Arts? Will the cover of NHL11 be a picture of him beating Marc Staal like a drum? We’ll get to the bottom of this, hockey fans!
Richard Mitchell is a video game addict living in Toronto. He has been gaming for more than two decades, and despite multiple interventions, continues to game today. He has an Xbox 360, a PS3, a Wii, a Nintendo DS, a gaming PC, and a life, and does his best to juggle them all. 