Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin to appear on cover of EA SPORTS NHL 21

A look at Alex Ovechkin teeing up a one-timer in EA SPORTS NHL 21.

For the second time in his career, Alex Ovechkin will grace the cover of an EA SPORTS NHL game.

EA SPORTS announced Monday that Ovechkin will be on the cover of NHL 21, 14 years after he was on the cover of NHL 07. Ovechkin joins Jonathan Toews as the only player to repeat as the main cover athlete in the game’s 30-year history.

“It’s a huge honor to be on the cover of NHL 21 for the second cover in my career,” Ovechkin said in a statement. “More importantly, I’m glad I’m looking just as good on the cover this year as I did in 2007!!!”

Known as one of the greatest goal scorers of all-time, Ovechkin became just the eighth player to score 700 goals earlier this year. The future Hall of Famer has led the NHL in goal scoring a record nine times, has won three Hart Trophies and led the Capitals to a Stanley Cup win in 2018.

Sportsnet has partnered with EA SPORTS to air a special reveal show for NHL 21, which features an interview with producer Sean Ramjagsingh on the evolution of the NHL cover athlete and how Ovechkin’s selection impacted the development of the new game.

NHL 21 will feature an overhauled Be A Pro mode that adds a narrative and gives players the chance to experience life as an NHL player both on and off the ice. The game also features new moves and skills for players to master, inspired by the biggest stars in the NHL.

“Our community has been asking for an invigorating Be A Pro experience that puts them in the same spotlight as their favourite NHL stars, like Alex Ovechkin,” Ramjagsingh said in a statement. “Ovechkin’s gameplay legacy, on and off the ice, is helping us to bring the next generation of EA SPORTS NHL gameplay to life with NHL 21.”

NHL 21 will launch this fall on the Playstation 4 and Xbox One.

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