Washington Capitals rookie phenom Alexander Ovechkin has signed on to be
the cover athlete and spokesman for NHL 07. Drafted first overall in
the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Ovechkin lived up to his potential and put
forth the third most prolific rookie campaign in NHL history. Exceeding
his freshman status, Ovechkin made his presence known by finishing the
season third overall in the League for points (106), tied for third in
goals (52), and first in shots (425).
"To me, I feel like your accomplishments have been recognized when you make the cover of a videogame," said Ovechkin. "I have been playing EA SPORTS games for years and am honored to be a part of the NHL 07 team."
Ovechkin exploded onto the scene in the 2005-06 season, playing with a
level of intensity, passion, and talent that is causing many to label
him the new face of the NHL. At the age of 20, he has already won the
Valery Kharlamov Trophy as the best Russian player in the NHL and is a
finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy for outstanding rookie. More
telling of his reputation around the League is his winning of the
Lester B. Pearson Award, an honor bestowed upon the outstanding player
as voted by his peers in the NHL Players’ Association.
The golden age of console hockey will return when NHL 07 debuts with
gameplay innovations that will allow players to feel like they are
actually on the ice. Featuring an unmatched level of freedom and
control, NHL 07 will represent a watershed moment in the history of the
console hockey when it ships throughout Canada and the United States in
September 2006. Hockey purists and casual fans alike will feel like they
can play like a pro when they pick up NHL 07.
The EA SPORTS NHL franchise is the #1 selling hockey game and is now
entering its 16th year of licensing relationships with the NHL and the
NHLPA. EA and the NHL and the NHLPA announced earlier this week that
they had further renewed their longstanding relationship through to
2012. NHL 07 is being developed under the EA SPORTS brand by talented
teams located in two of Canada’s frenzied hockey hotbeds: EA Montreal
and EA Canada in Vancouver, B.C. The game will be available for the
PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, the PSPâ„¢
(PlaystationPortable) handheld entertainment system, Xbox 360 video
game system from Microsoft, Xbox video game system from Microsoft and PC.