By GARY MELO
sportsnet.ca
Despite winning an Olympic gold medal, the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy in the same year, Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews was still excited to add one more honour to his list of personal achievements.
Toews was unveiled as the cover athlete for the EA Sports NHL 11 video game in Toronto on Monday, just the latest accomplishment in a surreal season for the 22-year-old forward.
“Not many guys have the chance to do something like that,” Toews said of his unique hockey hat trick of achievements over the past few months.
“Winning a gold medal, that’s something when you hang up the skates at the end of your career, you can look back and be happy with so to win a Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe in the same year is really special. With the team we had in Chicago, we knew we could do it but to actually pull it off is something else. I’m definitely enjoying the moment.”
The Toews selection marks the second straight year a Blackhawk has graced the cover of the made-in-Canada title. Toews follows teammate Patrick Kane as the face of the EA Sports hockey franchise, adding another chapter to the friendly rivalry between the two young stars.
“It was something I was really jealous of last year when Kane got the cover so it’s a pretty cool thing right now,” Toews told sportsnet.ca. “I was shocked when they told me I was selected, especially after my little buddy (Kane) got it last year.”
| PAST EA SPORTS NHL COVER ATHLETES | |
| NHL ’97: John Vanbiesbrouck | NHL ’05: Markus Naslund |
| NHL ’98: Peter Forberg | NHL ’06: Vincent Lecavalier |
| NHL ’99: Eric Lindros | NHL ’07: Alex Ovechkin |
| NHL ’00: Chris Pronger | NHL ’08: Eric Staal |
| NHL ’01: Owen Nolan | NHL ’09: Dion Phaneuf |
| NHL ’02: Mario Lemieux | NHL ’10: Patrick Kane |
| NHL ’03: Jarome Iginla | NHL ’11: Jonathan Toews |
| NHL ’04: Dany Heatley/Joe Sakic | |
It may be some time, however, before Toews gets to challenge Kane to a game of NHL on his console. The Winnipeg native has a busy summer ahead of him and is just looking to make some free time to bring the Stanley Cup back to his hometown.
“I’m hoping in August,” Toews said of a possible trip back home to show off the trophy. “It’ll be the only time I have some time off. Parade it around town and take it back to the neighbourhood rink I grew up playing at. We’ll have some fun with it.”
Tyler Seguin, the top-rated North American prospect heading into Friday’s NHL Entry Draft, was also on hand to promote the next edition of the game, which will feature Canadian Hockey League teams for the first time.
Being a long-time fan of the EA Sports franchise, the Plymouth Whalers star said playing as the digital Tyler Seguin was a lot of fun but would take some getting use to.
“I’ve always played the game,” Seguin told sportsnet.ca. “The first game I bought was NHL ’97 and now I get to play as myself. We were playing in our (Plymouth) rink. It looked a little different because the rink in the NHL game is newer than our rink in Compuware but it was pretty wicked.”
Seguin has been touted as a possible No. 1 pick in this year’s draft along with Windsor Spitfires forward Taylor Hall, a debate that has raged on all hockey season but will finally be resolved Friday in Los Angeles.
“I’m just trying to have fun with everything,” Seguin said. “The draft is on Friday already and my schedule is so busy that I don’t even have time to sit back and be nervous. I’m just trying to take it all in and have fun on the ride now that it’s finally here.”
Once Seguin’s name is called out at the draft podium, his focus will then switch from controlling NHL players in the video game to actually competing with them on the ice next season.
“My goal is to have an awesome summer; get ready and focused and work harder than I ever have before. I want to come in as a rookie and be an impact player. That’s my goal for the next couple of months,” Seguin added.
The best-selling sports game in Canada since 2003, EA Sports NHL celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Over 10 million units have been sold in North America since 1994.
This year’s edition has made several game-play enhancements, introducing a new real-time physics engine that will improve features such as face-offs and allow users to play out more authentic on-ice situations.
“We’ve taken away the canned animations and allowed the real-time physics to run everything from the new face-off system, which is completely controlled by the user, right down to the broken sticks,” said Brent Nielsen, executive producer for NHL 11.
According to Nielsen, the broken sticks feature has been one of the most-common requests from fans over the last few years, but he said it was something that needed to be properly executed before introducing to the game.
“We didn’t want to just have players take a shot and have their stick break. We wanted to be able to give players the option of having your defenceman hand the forward a stick or going to the bench to get a new one or kicking the puck with your skate. We’ve integrated those capabilities in a real, authentic way that our fans have come to expect from the game,” Nielsen added.
Returning to the game is the ever-popular career and franchise modes, allowing fans to make their way through the professional ranks as a player or serve as general manager of their favourite NHL clubs. However, don’t expect Toews to make any major roster moves as virtual GM of his Blackhawks as they face the salary cap crunch heading into next season.
“I’d probably have to trade myself before anyone else,” the Blackhawks captain said, opting to take one for the team instead of demoting any of his Cup-winning teammates.
NHL 11 is expected to ship early September.
