Scott Lewis: Welcome to the Show
September 10, 2008Shoppach Nearing Twenty, Lewis is Lights Out
September 11, 2008We’ve all heard the stories about the Madden Cover Jinx: when an NFL player appears on the cover of the seminal video game title, usually one of two things happens: the player suffers some kind of season-ending injury, or their team with high expectations invariably ends up in the tank.
So it is primarily with this mind-set that Columbus Blue Jackets fans will brace themselves for some kind of cosmic jolt when they go to their favorite electronics store and see their franchise on the cover of the newest installment of NHL 2K9 from 2K Sports.
It’s a weird sensation. On the one hand, there’s that feeling of pride not only that your team’s player is deemed “good” and “worthy” enough of being on the cover of the video game, but almost simultaneously there’s that sinking feeling of, “Oh crap… what horrible injury or plague is going to befall Rick Nash and/or the Blue Jackets this year?” Much like we have seen very early in the NFL season with our Browns, the weight of expectations can be crushing. Third, logic tends to say that one of the reasons Nash is on the cover is that they were able to work with him earlier since he was in fact NOT in the playoffs.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOU_1dRX8hk[/youtube]
As a fan of the CBJ, however, I choose to view this honor as a sign that, while the Blue Jackets may not be expected to be world beaters this season, they have finally arrived to the point of being relevant. There are a lot of star players that don’t make the playoffs, after all. Rick Nash is captain of the team, and through his All Star Game exploits is becoming a house-hold name in the hockey world. And he plays for our team! Honestly, the best part of his cover appearance to me is that it shows all of the young hockey fans out there that Columbus has finally gotten to the point where they deserve some national attention.
Nash became the youngest player in NHL history to lead the league in goals (41 in ’03-’04), scored a hat trick in his All Star Game appearance in ’08, and scored what is widely recognized as the “goal of the year” against Phoenix this past January. More importantly, the team around him has been bolstered to the point where the playoffs may finally be in site. And to me, Six-One’s appearance on the cover of the video game signifies that somebody out there finally noticed! According to 2K Sports president Christoph Hartmann:
[Rick] Nash is one of the marquee names in the NHL today. He is a true gamer and there is no player more fitting to represent NHL 2K9 as we bring high quality fun to hockey video games for another year.”
And he plays for our team!
Now, we just have to make sure he stays packed in bubble wrap before and after each game, so that the dreaded cover jinx injury never comes.
(For an interesting, very nerdy look at how they “capture” the features and signature movements of the players featured in video games, read this article about Nash’s motion-capture work with Visual Concepts.)
13 Comments
man…a hockey video game? the things they come up with these days…
Wouldn’t worry about a curse. They stink with or without him. Have they made the playoffs since they have entered the league?
There really is only ONE hockey video game, though, and everybody knows it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGfu41QUja4
Nicko-
No. They are, in fact, the only franchise in NHL history never to have made the playoffs.
I always want to get down there to watch a game. Every year I say it, every year I don’t go…
Is attendance still ok for the Blue Jackets?
They still do well, considering how generally poor the team is. They no longer sell out every home game, but they generally do between 12-15K per home game (capacity is around 18K, I believe).
They should do a few games at the Q every year, at least one….
DP, Ice Hockey is good, but not even close to my favorite.
*CHING CHING* BLADES OF STEEL
Also, NHL 94 on Sega Genesis is amazing. My friends and I had to have a “No Jeremy Roenick” rule because the dude was just too good in that game.
Like Vince Vaughn says in Swingers: “It’s not me so much as it’s Roenick… he’s good.” JR is up there with Video Bo Jackson from Tecmo Super Bowl.
And yes, I too played a TON of Blades of Steel. I got the NES Advantage controller with the turbo buttons, and that made the fights in B.o.S. last about .6 seconds.
Seriously, I may have to get this one. I’ve been weeining off of the EA hockey games for a few years and now I have an excuse. Hooray to the NHL for still allowing competition in their licensing for the game market.
I always found the ESPN hockey franchise to the best hockey sim out there, but they left the market after 2005, sadly. When my buddy and I get together and play video hockey, ESPN 2004 is still the game of choice.
But, a game with Nash on it probably merits me ponying up the dough.
Too bad NHL 09 is the way to go this year… 2k hasn’t made the jump to next gen hockey as well as EA… and that’s just sad.
Needs to be mentioned, this is the first NHL hockey sim that takes advantage of the Wii motion-sensing controllers. Anybody had a hands-on Wii trial yet?