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When the producers of EA Sports' long-running NHL video game franchise decided to add slicker defensive plays and more bone-jarring checks to this year's version of the game, they wanted a player who excels at both to adorn the game's box. One name came immediately to mind: Dion Phaneuf.
Sun Media can exclusively reveal that the high-scoring, hard-hitting Calgary Flames defenceman will be the cover athlete for NHL 09, slated for release in September for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 game consoles.
"There are always a lot of options for who we want on our cover, and Phaneuf was a perfect choice for us this year," said David Littman, lead producer of NHL 09. As with recent years, the game is being developed at EA Canada's sprawling studio near Vancouver.
"He was very positive, and he was pretty pumped about being able to be on the cover," Littman said of the Edmonton-born Phaneuf, 23, who has played three standout NHL seasons so far with the Flames. (He's also been romantically linked to Canuck actress-hottie Elisha Cuthbert. How much goodness does one man need?)
For young NHL players who grew up on video games, getting your picture on the box of EA's annual game is an honour akin to having your own hockey card.
"It is a status symbol among hockey players and among athletes, that they're going to be on the cover of the game that they've played since they were six years old," said Littman, who himself was a goalie in the minors and played briefly for the Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning.
"You look at some of our past cover athletes -- Mario Lemieux, Eric Lindros, (Jarome) Iginla, (Alexander) Ovechkin, (Vincent) Lecavalier -- we're talking about some of the best players ever to play the game."
Sun Media can exclusively reveal that the high-scoring, hard-hitting Calgary Flames defenceman will be the cover athlete for NHL 09, slated for release in September for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 game consoles.
"There are always a lot of options for who we want on our cover, and Phaneuf was a perfect choice for us this year," said David Littman, lead producer of NHL 09. As with recent years, the game is being developed at EA Canada's sprawling studio near Vancouver.
"He was very positive, and he was pretty pumped about being able to be on the cover," Littman said of the Edmonton-born Phaneuf, 23, who has played three standout NHL seasons so far with the Flames. (He's also been romantically linked to Canuck actress-hottie Elisha Cuthbert. How much goodness does one man need?)
For young NHL players who grew up on video games, getting your picture on the box of EA's annual game is an honour akin to having your own hockey card.
"It is a status symbol among hockey players and among athletes, that they're going to be on the cover of the game that they've played since they were six years old," said Littman, who himself was a goalie in the minors and played briefly for the Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning.
"You look at some of our past cover athletes -- Mario Lemieux, Eric Lindros, (Jarome) Iginla, (Alexander) Ovechkin, (Vincent) Lecavalier -- we're talking about some of the best players ever to play the game."
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