Trevor Zegras and Sarah Nurse on the cover of NHL 23 | Video Games – Ice Hockey
Each year, the EA Sports teams delight hockey enthusiasts by traditionally offering each September or October the new version of their hockey video game: NHL. And this year, two athletes have the honor of appearing on the cover of the game, including a woman, Sarah Nurse.
“It’s a huge honor to be the first woman on the cover of an NHL licensed game. (…) Hockey is truly a sport for everyone and I am happy that NHL 23 celebrates diversity and inclusiveness in the sport. » Those words are those of Sarah Nurse, the first woman in NHL franchise history to be on the cover of the game of hockey. Great news one year after the appearance of international women’s teams in NHL 22 and ten years after the appearance of women in the now defunct « Becoming a Legend » mode where players could play with, among others, Hayley Wickenheiser or Cammi Granato.
What’s better than one cover athlete?
Your two official #NHL23 cover athletes @tzegras11 and @nursey16 ⭐️⭐️
See the full reveal tomorrow
➡️ https://t.co/QhoZN09ldb pic.twitter.com/06XIVh92ud— EA SPORTS NHL (@EASPORTSNHL) August 24, 2022
Sarah Nurse shares the spotlight with Trevor Zegras, Anaheim Ducks player, finalist for the Calder Trophy (second in the number of votes) and recognized for his gesture which inspired many others, his famous Michigan, which has traveled the world. With 61 points in 75 games this season, Zegras is one of the NHL’s present and future players.
Nurse’s CV is also very complete. She holds the Olympic record for most points (18) and assists (13) in a women’s tournament. A performance she achieved at the Beijing Games this year. This achievement was crowned with a gold medal, news for Team Canada, against their great rivals: the United States. Consequently, Nurse became the first « Black American » woman to win a gold medal in ice hockey.
In a league struggling to marketing its stars in comparison with the three major North American leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA), this choice of EA Sports can perhaps breathe new life into the popularity of Zegras, a flamboyant young player and of course, Nurse.
Indeed, several players have been featured on the cover of the video game on several occasions: NHL 10, NHL 11and NHL 16featured Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane (who was dropped from the game’s cover a few weeks before the release of NHL 16 rape charges) and Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews was headlined by NHL 20 and NHL 22.
By putting Aleksandr Ovechkin on the cover of NHL 21 and Connor McDavid on NHL 18one could think that the instances (even if the vote of the fans was taken into account for multiple editions of the game) relied a little too much on their “predefined” stars.
Seeing two new faces for the general public should therefore not hurt. Attention gamers: NHL 23 is due out worldwide on October 14, 2022 and will be available on Playstation 5, Playstation 4, Xbox Series S/X as well as Xbox One.
