NHL 2K10 Mo-Cap Coverage

[2K Admin Ron]

Check out "Difficult to Watch" for mo-cap coverage of Ovechkin: http://www.tsn.ca/window/oneclip_nhl_playoffs.html#.

ESPN's video coverage of Ovechkin mo-cap: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4266954

Puck Daddy checks in: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Video-Ovechkin-brings-the-hot-stick-celebration;_ylt=AgTw_ntGFa3aSMGAmH3k2ZJ7vLYF?urn= nhl,170845

[2K Admin Ron]

Posting my first video from my watching him right now: http://www.facebook.com/Ronnie2K.

[2K Admin Ron]

IGN
June 19, 2009

On the Ice With NHL 2K10
We chat with the team behind the game during their Las Vegas motion capture event.

by Mark Bozon

June 19, 2009 - If you don't like hockey you're a loser. Sorry, it's true. I talked to Mike Rhinehart – whose actual title is "That crazy guy at 2K Sports" – about the latest offering from the company's long-standing game of puck, and if you aren't hyped for this game we're in full agreement that Alexander "The Russian Toothfairy" Ovechkin (I just made that up) is going to pay you a personal visit this fall and sort things out. I had a chance to sit down with Mike, who is hands-down the brains of the NHL 2K series, down yonder at the Las Vegas mo-cap event this week at Caesars Palace, and suffice to say it was a blast. Not only were we hanging out on the strip with brews in hand, but we had a chance to check out the latest NHL 2K offering in its very early eyes-on state, and actually step onto the rink with the likes of Alexander Ovechkin and Ryan Kessler. These guys tore it up on the synthetic ice (in 90 degree weather at night, donning full spandex mo-cap suits) while we snapped some shots, talked about the game, and watched the mo-cap happen live.

Here's how it went down…

IGN: The first question really is "What are we all doing out here at this event?" We're out here in Vegas, you're showing off the game a little bit, and the mo-cap is kicking ***…

Mike: Haha that's great. Well I got a lot of heat at work and everywhere else to pull this thing together but we're here, we're outside at Caesars Palace in Vegas, and we just witnessed hockey on the Roman plaza. We had Ovechkin out here, we had Ryan Kessler out here, and the whole goal was to get these guy's signature moves into our game, so if you score your 50th goal with Alexander Ovechkin in our game –

IGN: Which I'll do in my first game, cuz I rock. Go on…

Mike: Haha right. Well when you do you'll see his signature "stick on fire" celebration. And that's why we're here. We're here to make the game better, we're celebrating the NHL awards which are going on this week in Vegas, and we're out to have a little fun here in the Roman plaza.

IGN: So the whole idea of Signature Styles… we've seen and heard of it before, but this is the first time we're out here watching it happen. Is this something that 2K is really committing to and going to build out bigger and bigger every year? Is the ultimate goal – as lofty as it seems – to do every player in the NHL, or is that just unreal to even consider?

Mike: It's not impossible, and it's something that we can continue to build and eventually get, but there's two ways to go about doing it. We can either get all the athletes to come in and do their moves as authentic as possible – it's them doing it, so it's going to be perfect – and that's just awesome. Once we knew we could get Alex and Ryan out here we knew we had to do it. The other way is to get players and to get guys that know this sport so so well that they can come out here and replicate and act it out as perfect as possible. Obviously the preference is to get players and yeah, it's a continuing database. Every time we get the chance to get a player out here we do, but the tough part is that most of our mo-caps are done during the actual hockey season, so if you call up Kessler and say "Hey man come on down and do one of these for us…"

IGN: He says "Sure thing bro. I'll take my hour between practice and our game tonight…"

Mike: Exactly, that's just not possible during the season. "How many days do I get this month again? And you're where? California? Nevada?" No way, right? So that's the real tough part. We want to find time to do it and benefit the game, but it's not easy, so any time we sign a guy for a game, get him for the cover, or are working with him on some promotion I say "Ok, let's get you out here, get you on the ice, and get some of your moves down."

IGN: So what's up with Kessler? Alexander is here because he's the face of this year's game. He's the cover athlete. The more I chat with Kessler though it sounds like he's almost an unofficial (or official?) consultant on the game. Is he working directly with you guys on this stuff all year around?

Mike: You just nailed it, yeah. Ryan and I have been friends, and I really have to say it from a friend point of view and not a co-worker, but we met a few years back, we've been good friends since – he's a hardcore gamer and I'm a hardcore gamer – and he's a guy that has really turned into this person that I can call after a game and actually ask "Ok so why did that happen in that game? Why did the defense collapse in that 3rd period? What did that guy say to you to really **** you off?" And I can bring that over to our dev guys and say "Guys, this is what happened after the game. Here's how it's working out there right now." And it has turned into this great relationship since we're both hardcore gamers, he's living the sport every day, and he's a guy I can call up and we can just chat hockey and really break down the sport. As part of that he's really getting in closer with the game too, which is great.

IGN: That's awesome. So as far as the game specifically, you gave a small little chit-chat about the game and then had to split… you gave us a little taste there…

Mike: Haha. Yeah here's the deal with my chit-chat I gave on the game. I'm not going to hide it. I had to cut it off early since Ryan was actually coming up to the hotel and the limo driver had no idea where to drop him off, so I had to split to handle that and we had someone else just wrap it up quick. So anyways, the game is all about bringing people back to your couch and getting them in there to play along with you. We feel like hockey games have gone this one direction and they've kind of lost that whole social aspect which made hockey games so great back in the day. We all remember playing those classic NES Ice Hockey games where you could select the fat guy, skinny guy, medium guy, and whatnot. This is all about bringing the game back to the masses. The way we do that is make it a social experience, you tune the AI so that it's ready for multiplayer gaming, you get an icon like Alexander on the cover there – oh and by the way, we are the only hockey game on Wii – and we're making all come together.

And you know, I really have to bite my tongue about the Wii version specifically because there's a lot I want to tell and we just can't yet…

IGN: Oh I've heard about it off the record already, so you don't have to fill me in. The readers will hate it though, so "nah-nah I've got insider info and all that" but we want to get that stuff on the record as soon as possible…

Mike: All I have to say is Wii owners, I promise you will be blown away. Can I say that?

IGN: It's your time man. You can say whatever you want.

Mike: The truth of the matter is that the guys did as mucha s they could in their short development cycle on Wii during 2K9 and that's awesome, but now they've got a full year with the game to sit down and say "Ok. We're the only game on Wii. We need to set the bar. What don't we like, what didn't the critics and players like, and what can we do to make this an awesome experience on Nintendo's system?" And I swear that when you start hearing about the ideas and features that you're going to say "Ok, these guys care about this game, they want to set the bar, and this is a game for hardcore players, but one that everyone else will want to play as well."

IGN: That's awesome. Now as far as the features go – not just Wii, but all versions, since the word on the street is they might all apply to all systems anyways –what kind of featuers are we going to get this year. Yo mentioned multiplayer co-op franchise… what else can we expect?

Mike: We'll I'll have to say it somewhat cryptically, but we're trying to make multiplayer totally seamless and that appiles for online as well. We want something where you can always play with someone else if you want.

IGN: That sounds like you're hinting at drop-in/drop-out play huh?

Mike: Umm…

IGN: I won't make you say yes or no. I know you can't…

Mike: Well yeah. It's basically something where we can break any kind of barrier whether you're online or at home. This is going to be a multiplayer experience for sure. That's number one. Number two is that we're upping the graphics at every turn. We're talking every console, every possible way we can change it… character models, faces, animations; we're building off of 2K9. 2K10 is basically everything we wish we could have done last year, and everything our fans wanted for this version. Everything thus far sounds pretty basic I'm sure, but if you look back at the last game and at feedback you can start to piece together what we've got planned for 2K10. We've addressed and thought a lot about the game, and this was our chance to take it to the next level. If you were to build it down into a three-year plan you've got the groundwork with 2K9, we're taking it to the next level and adding a ton of functionality into 2K10, and then 2K11… who knows where we'll take it.

IGN: Sounds great. I'll let you go. If you want to make a final shout-out to the players waiting for 2K10 you've got the final word here…

Mike: People should be hyped for NHL2K10 because this is that game you're going to want to crack a soda or brew with, grab some friends, and play it all night long. It's a party in a box. Haha.

IGN: Haha, nice. Alright man, tear Kessler away from that mob and get his gamer tag so we can play some NHL when it comes out.

Mika: All right. Thanks again. We'll see ya.

http://ps2.ign.com/articles/996/996503p1.html

[2K Admin Ron]

The Globe and Mail [Blog]
June 19, 2009

Calgary to stage second outdoor game?

by Allan Maki

It’s going to take some nifty stickhandling on the NHL’s part to stage a second outdoor game this winter; some Alexander Ovechkin-like stickhandling.

The idea, as confirmed by various sources, would see the Calgary Flames play at McMahon Stadium on Jan. 1, 2010, likely against the Edmonton Oilers. The game would be held in partnership with the originally scheduled Outdoor Classic set for Fenway Park. That game is expected to have the Boston Bruins against Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals.

But having a second outdoor affair means having to solve a couple of key issues. For starters, the NHL schedule is due out in about three weeks. The league has been careful not to rush its schedule given the ongoing ownership squabble over the Phoenix Coyotes. But at some point, arenas have to be booked, games have to be slotted and tickets have to be sold.

The bigger issue for Calgary would be how to have useable ice in a city where temperature fluctuations are as common as Saddledome sellouts. While the NHL did purchase ice-making equipment to ensure last year’s game surface at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, that equipment will be used in Boston - forcing Calgary officials to find another way to maintain good ice.

Just this week, the masterminds behind NHL 2K10 had Ovechkin in Las Vegas to promote and mimic his hockey-playing actions for video-game reality. Ovechkin skated his stuff on artificial ice. The reason? Bringing in the proper ice-making equipment was deemed too expensive at $1-million US).

Those issues aside, there is still time for an outdoor game to be organized for McMahon Stadium, where the CFL’s Grey Cup game will be played on Nov. 29. But if it’s going to happen, the league and its interested parties need to get busy, and long before the snow flies, too.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/globe-on-hockey/calgary-to-stage-second-outdoor-game/article1189175/

St. Petersburg Times
19 June 2009

Move of the Day

Remember Alex Ovechkin's "fire stick" celebration at the St. Pete Times Forum when the Capitals star scored his 50th goal? The one that angered Lightning coach Rick Tocchet? Well, the video game NHL 2K10 liked the move so much that Ovechkin re-created it so it can be included when he scores a goal in the game. "It was pretty fun to score 50 goals, and I tried to celebrate," Ovechkin said. "I don't care what people say, what people think. I say life is good, life is beautiful, I'm enjoying my life." He continued that thinking when he was named NHL most valuable player Thursday night in Las Vegas, placing the Hart Trophy on the podium and twice reaching out to touch it before pulling his hands back, an homage to his celebration. "Just having fun," the 23-year-old said.

 

SI.com
June 18, 2009

NHL rolls into Sin City

by Sarah Kwak

LAS VEGAS -- In anticipation of tonight's NHL Awards show, here are some sights and sounds from the sunny Sin City.

• Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin has been quite the busy body here. After the Hart Trophy finalist was named cover guy for NHL 2K10, he participated in a motion capture demonstration in front of Caesar's Palace. Donning a spandex censor suit, Ovechkin showed off his moves, including the infamous hot stick celebration he did after scoring his 50th goal last season. Yesterday, he took it to the tables, playing in the NHL's charity shootout poker tournament. A casual poker player -- he says he plays with teammates on the road -- Ovie lasted long enough. After a little over an hour, the Caps star was getting perhaps a bit impatient. He went all-in on four straight hands before finally bowing out.

• Speaking of premature exits, Ovechkin also talked about seeing the Penguins win the Stanley Cup. Actually, he didn't. Game 7 might've been the most watched since 1973, but at least one notable stayed away. Ovie said he didn't watch a single game of the Cup final, and only found out that the Penguins won when a friend told him the final score. That's a pretty typical story for most players. "[The playoffs] are hard to watch at first," said Calgary forward Jarome Iginla. At a certain point, though, it's hard not to watch.

• As much grief as I may have given the NHL for having Chaka Khan and Robin Thicke headline the list of Hollywood names they touted earlier, they've at least secured some more current stars to appear here tonight. Among the presenters will be Kevin Connolly from Entourage, and there will be a message from New Jersey icon and director Kevin Smith. Connolly, who's currently in production on this season of the HBO show, took a couple days off from filming to make it here for this event. We hear he's a huge Islanders fan. The Islanders, or course, have nothing to celebrate here, but give it a couple days. With the first pick in this year's draft in Montreal, they'll have something to cheer about soon enough.

• A new honor to be introduced this year, the ScotiaBank Fan Fav Award, is the first fan-driven award -- the people's choice for the best overall regular season performer. Fans voted on NHL.com for their favorite performer. And there's just one big glitch here: That it's called Fan Fav (and not even "Fave") already makes it impossible to take seriously. I mean, what's next? The OMG award for amaz play? Obvi.

• Being in Vegas, naturally the topic of a potential NHL franchise coming to town came up with Commissioner Gary Bettman. Nothing new to report. Especially now, the league isn't looking into expansion or relocation at the moment, he says. But the lure of Vegas is lost on no one. That's why the awards show will be right back here next year, and the year after that.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/sarah_kwak/06/18/awards.vegas.notes/

[2K Admin Ron]

Toronto Star
Jun 18, 2009

NHL stars come out tonight
Annual awards show hits Sin City in hopes of creating serious buzz south of the border

by Paul Hunter



RYAN REMIORZ/THE CANADIAN PRESS
Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin gets ready for a motion capture session for a new video game on the strip in Las Vegas Tuesday, June 16 2009. The National Hockey League will be presenting their player awards in Vegas Thursday.

Sin City becomes Shinny City tonight.

In a move it hopes will glitz up its image and bring a little more attention to the league, the NHL's annual awards gala will unfold in Las Vegas, a city with plenty of vice but very little ice.

The hardware handout will take place at the Palms Casino Resort and there will be a little hip-hop and Hollywood mixed with hockey as the game's brightest stars try to outshine the neon on the Strip.

"They want buzz," presenter Jeremy Roenick said of the league in a recent interview with a Vegas newspaper.

"Las Vegas, there's no bigger buzz you're going to get for entertainment than here."

Even when the awards show was held in Toronto, the league always brought together an eclectic group of entertainers and presenters. This year will be no different and no less puzzling.

Chaka Khan and Robin Thicke – whose father Alan has hosted these awards in the past – will be among the entertainers.

Among those expected to walk the red carpet and make appearances during the show are Snoop Dogg (huge fan of the Anaheim Ducks) and Michael Bublé (minority owner of the WHL's Vancouver Giants), along with actors William Fichtner (Prison Break) and Tricia Helfer (Burn Notice).

There will of course be the usual array of impressive hockey legends on hand to help with the presentations, including Doug Gilmour, Mark Messier, Stan Mikita, Sergei Fedorov and Brian Leetch, but the focus will on the players up for awards.

Again this year, Alexander Ovechkin is expected to need a trailer to take home his prizes. Already assured of the Rocket Richard Trophy for leading the league with 56 goals, he is the favourite to repeat as the Hart Trophy winner and Pearson Award winner.

"It's a good time to be Ovie," the gap-toothed star said this week as he arrived in Vegas early to do a motion capture session for a video game.

Ovechkin re-enacted his goal celebrations on a plastic – appropriate for Vegas – outdoor rink while dressed in a black suit covered with motion sensors. The Washington star even recreated the infamous celebration of his 50th goal, when he bent over his stick and acted as if it was too hot to be touched.

The choreographed moment drew criticism in some quarters but Ovechkin couldn't care less.

"It was pretty fun to score 50 goals and I tried to celebrate," he said. "I don't care what people say, what people think. I say life is good, life is beautiful, I'm enjoying my life."

To celebrate tonight, Ovechkin must beat out two other Russians, Pavel Datsyuk and Evgeni Malkin, in the balloting which was done before the playoffs began. Datsyuk is up for four awards.

Some of the voting will be close. The Norris Trophy, for example, will be a tough call from among Boston's Zdeno Chara, who was terrific at both ends of the ice, Mike Green, who scored 31 goals for Washington, and six-time winner Nicklas Lidstrom of the Red Wings.

http://www.thestar.com/Sports/Hockey/article/652690

The Washington Post
18 June 2009

Ovechkin Is Hoping For a Hart Repeat

By Tarik El-Bashir

It's a good thing Alex Ovechkin is better at scoring goals than he is at playing Texas hold 'em.

The Washington Capitals star finished sixth in the NHL's charity shootout yesterday here at the Rio hotel and casino, competing on a table fashioned to look like a hockey rink against current and former players and a poker professional. But Ovechkin may redeem himself tonight at the NHL Awards Show, where he can claim something he cherishes far more than a stack of chips: a second Hart Memorial Trophy.

Ovechkin can become the NHL's first back-to-back MVP since Dominik Hasek captured the award in 1997 and 1998 as a member of the Buffalo Sabres, and the first forward to accomplish the feat since Wayne Gretzky's eight-year reign from 1980 to '87.

Moments before taking a seat the poker table, Ovechkin said he has done a lot of thinking about hockey and the way the Capitals' season ended. None of his thoughts, however, were about the Stanley Cup finals. He didn't watch them. Too painful, he said.

"Why I have to watch it?" Ovechkin said moments before taking a seat at the poker table. "No, not one game. A guy just told me that Pittsburgh won [Game 7], 2-1."

"My reaction?" he added with shrug. "I was upset because I know we could be in that situation, too. You never know what was going to happen. We deserved better."

Asked how he feels knowing his biggest rivals -- Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin -- hoisted the Cup before he did, Ovechkin grimaced and said: "It's good for them. Congrats to them. But I want to be in the same position."

For now, Ovechkin will have to settle for the chance to cash in when this year's NHL award winners are announced during the annual gala at the Palms Hotel. Seated next to Ovechkin will be teammate Mike Green, whose record-breaking regular season helped him score his first nomination for the Norris Trophy, awarded to the league's top defenseman.

Ovechkin's competition for the Hart is Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk and Malkin. Datsyuk and Malkin were key contributors for the Stanley Cup finalists, but balloting was conducted by the membership of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association before the start of the playoffs.

The Hart Trophy will be presented by Sergei Fedorov, the first Russian to win the award in 1994 and Ovechkin's teammate for the past two seasons. This is the first time that all three nominees hail from Russia. Fedorov has not re-signed with the Capitals but General Manager George McPhee said the two sides will continue to negotiate.

Ovechkin can also win his second straight Lester B. Pearson Award, the league's most valuable player as voted by his peers.

The past two days have been a blur for the bleary-eyed Ovechkin, who landed in Las Vegas following an 18-hour flight from Moscow in the wee hours Tuesday morning.

He's been on the go ever since.

Hours after arriving, the 23-year-old Russian was formally announced as the cover athlete for the NHL 2K10 video game in an event hosted by Caesar's Palace. During the unveiling, Ovechkin was outfitted in a high-tech spandex suit, which the videogame engineers used to capture Ovechkin's motions and mannerisms, including his controversial "hot stick" celebration for the game.

Yesterday, a jet-lagged and weary Ovechkin did a television interview and a photo shoot with his apparel company before joining a poker game with Eddie Olczyk, Jeremy Roenick and Mats Sundin, among others, at the Rio. Ovechkin ended up winning $2,000 for Most Valuable Kids, the charity Ovechkin partners with in Washington to purchase tickets to Capitals games for underprivileged children.

Apparently, Ovechkin plays poker the way he plays hockey -- all out, er, all in.

[2K Admin Ron]

The Globe and Mail
18 June 2009

Sinergy: Ovechkin and the continuing courtship of Vegas

BY ERIC DUHATSCHEK

LAS VEGAS -- It is just before midnight on a Tuesday, and the NHL's most marketable star is doing a very new age thing.

Outdoors, on artificial ice – the sort they roll out at Radio City Music Hall for its annual Christmas spectacular – Washington Capitals winger Alexander Ovechkin is wearing an electrode-studded, ultratight suit of body armour.

The venue is the Roman Forum at Caesars Palace. In the background, there is a mammoth (and scary-looking) 30-storey mural of Donny and Marie Osmond, headliners at the nearby Flamingo.

At half speed, because of the tricky ice conditions, Ovechkin is going through the motions of playing hockey – skating, shooting, checking – in what is known as “motion capture” for the video game, NHL 2K10, for which he will be on the cover and act as spokesman.

The Las Vegas streets are overflowing, but only a handful of curious passersby stop to peer through the wrought-iron fence as Ovechkin and Vancouver Canucks forward Ryan Kesler lay down moves that will form the basis of the video game's play.

Naturally, it would be far simpler to perform these exercises in an anonymous arena – even Las Vegas could accommodate them, since the home of the ECHL's Las Vegas Wranglers is only a few minutes away – but what would be the fun in that?

This is a chance to test Ovechkin's star power – and by extension, the NHL's – in a market that has long intrigued commissioner Gary Bettman and his commitment to a U.S. Sunbelt expansion strategy.

Even if NHL expansion is not on the front burner at the moment, the expectation is that influential Hollywood mogul Jerry Bruckheimer eventually will land a team for Vegas. In its perfect world, the league would love to welcome Bruckheimer and his stable of A-list celebrities to games – giving it a cachet basketball has, and the NHL has long coveted in its endless quest to get a foothold in the U.S. sports mainstream.

About two years ago, the race to Las Vegas seemed on in earnest. The NBA brought in its all-star game. Harrah's and the Anschutz Entertainment Group announced plans for a 20,000-seat multipurpose arena on land owned by the casino giant that could accommodate either an NHL or NBA team as an anchor tenant.

The thinking was that Las Vegas, on its own, cannot support two major-league franchises. But one? Maybe.

Provided the casinos were onboard – and gobbled up the private boxes and luxury seating to host their well-heeled clients – then even a modest season-ticket base and the odd tourist passing through might make the financial model work.

That was the theory before the economy tanked.

With the 2009 NHL awards ceremony descending on the city tonight – Ovechkin's real reason for being here – ground has yet to be broken on the arena project. The completion date of 2010, noted in the original press release, seems like a pipe dream.

Even the talk of an eventual relocation of the Phoenix Coyotes to Las Vegas – once that team's next owners discover to their chagrin that they really, really cannot make a go of it in Glendale – would depend upon the completion of a viable arena.

“I think a team in Vegas would be good,” Kesler said. “There's definitely the corporate sponsorship. If we're going to do it, we have to be the first professional sport to do it. We can't be behind the NBA or the NFL, just so we can get all the corporate stuff locked up.

“It's up to the league and the [NHL Players' Association]. I'm sure they've done a bunch of research on whether or not it would work. Obviously, it would be a good road city to come to. The home team's record would be amazing – 41-0.”

According to NHLPA executive director Paul Kelly, such research has yet to be done – and would be an important first step, along with a stable and viable ownership group, plus a state-of-the-art facility, in order to consider the possibility.

“This will be an important week to begin gauging fan interest and reception to our game in this area,” said Kelly, who spent 90 minutes watching the video game filming and even took a turn on the artificial ice himself.

So for the moment, the NHL's interest in Las Vegas is purely decorative, the first stage in a courtship that may or may not go forward.

Tonight's award ceremony, in which Ovechkin is expected to earn his second consecutive Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player, begins a three-year contractual commitment between the league and the Palms Casino Resort.

Kesler thinks it's a good move to shift the awards from their traditional home in Toronto.

“Hockey's big in Toronto already,” he said. “In Toronto, it becomes just another event. Here, it gives the game attention.

“I was walking through the [Palms] casino today. Seeing all the different guys' faces from the NHL, plastered all over the place, is good for the game. People come here to visit. It's a touristy city, so it's good to get the names out there.”

Admittedly, no place does glitz and glamour better than Las Vegas, so for that reason alone, the awards ceremony should look good, both live and on television. Red carpets, minor celebrities, young athletes in tuxedos – all at the hippest property on the strip – will certainly create the impression that, for one day anyway, the town is ready to embrace hockey.

But the larger question – can Las Vegas ever sustain a viable NHL franchise – may go unanswered for a while, no matter how many times the Great Ovie turns up in Caesars' front yard.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/sinergy-ovechkin-and-the-continuing-courtship-of-vegas/article1186500/

[2K Admin Ron]

The Globe and Mail [Blog]
June 17, 2009

Will Ovechkin's "fire stick" celebration be included in NHL 2K10?

by Matt Hartley

Somewhere out there, Don Cherry is fuming.

And we're not talking about another of the Don's garish suit jackets.

Rather, when he sees some of the footage of Russian hockey superstar Alexander Ovechkin captured this week in Las Vegas by game developers Take Two Interactive Software for next season's NHL 2K10 video game, he's likely to pop one of those six inch collars.

Remember the whole "fire stick" incident?

Back in March, Overchkin notched his 50th goal of the season in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Never one to shy away from celebratory theatrics, Mr. Ovechkin dropped his stick to the ice and pretended to warm his hands over it.

Hot hands, indeed.

Of course, Cherry slammed Ovechkin's antics on Coach's Corner as mere hot dogging, suggesting such celebrations are better off left out of the NHL.

Well, it appears that Take Two may be looking to preserve the "fire stick" celebration in video game immortality.

As the following video shows, Ovechkin was in Las Vegas this week doing some motion capture work for the next year's NHL 2K10 hockey game (he is also slated to appear on the cover) with Ryan Kesler of the Vancouver Canucks prior to the NHL awards show.

Decked out with mini-sensors all over his body to capture the way he skates and moves, Ovechkin reprised his now infamous celebration for the Take Two cameras.

Check out the video around the 40-second mark. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCKha8Tmzy8&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theglobeandmail.com%2Fblogs% 2Fglobe-on-technology%2Fwill-ovechkins-fire-stick-celebration-be-included-in-nhl-2k10%2Farticle11&feature=player_embedded)

I'll leave the debate over Ovechkin's sportsmanship and whether hockey is better or worse off with these kinds of antics to the Sports pages, but all I can say is that if this celebration is available in NHL 2K10, I'm not going to be the only one using it to mock my opponent after scoring a sick goal.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/globe-on-technology/will-ovechkins-fire-stick-celebration-be-included-in-nhl-2k10/article1185646/
 
Yahoo! Sports
Jun 17, 2009

Ovechkin brings the hot-stick celebration to video gaming

By Greg Wyshynski


When Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals was named the cover boy for NHL 2K10, we jokingly wondered: "Will virtual Don Cherry criticize his video game box celebration?"

After catching some scenes from Ovechkin's public motion capture session on the Las Vegas strip yesterday, we're really hoping that some digital avatar of Grapes is added to the game; if only to wag his finger in disapproval and say "you're above this" when virtual AO goes into his "fire stick" celebration, as video footage chronicled from his 2K Sports mo-cap session.

If you ever wanted to see Ovechkin and Ryan Kesler(notes) covered in glowing orbs on fake ice in Las Vegas ... Merry Christmas.

First, some images from the mo-cap session in Vegas yesterday.


Here are Ovechkin and Ryan Kesler of the Vancouver Canucks, and boy those new Reebok jerseys are form-fitting (/snark). Ovechkin is, as mentioned, the cover model for NHL 2K10; Kesler was on hand so producers could capture footage for the game's new Pain-In-The-*** mode (if only that were true).

Ovechkin appears to be curiously glaring at the 2K Sports guy. While it might be because he's wearing an Ovechkin T-shirt, we believe it's the first time Ovie has seen a Kansas City Royals fan.

One of the great things about the mo-cap session is pulling back the curtain on the making of these games. The tiny glowing white orbs on the suits help computers map a "digital skeleton" for the players. Judging from the dimensions of this avatar, Kyle Wellwood must have snuck onto the synthetic ice at some point.

Ovechkin surveys the fake ice in his mo-cap suit, wondering what sort of goofy fall-on-your-back-and-smack-the-puck-with-your-stick goal he'll attempt that can be executed with 27 wand shakes and button combos on the Nintendo Wii version of the game.

From the Las Vegas Sun, here's some on-site flavor from the event:

As for the simulation of their scoring skills Tuesday, however, the highlight came when Ovechkin, skating to the chants of 'Ovi, Ovi, Ovi' from beyond the iron fences, performed his much-maligned 'burning stick' routine after scoring from up close.

After scoring his 50th goal of the season in March, the 23-year-old Caps winger put his stick down on the ice and pretended to warm his hands over it as if it were on fire.

It will look identical when NHL 2K10 is released, patented gold laces and all.

"It was pretty fun to score 50 goals and I tried to celebrate," Ovechkin said. "I don't care what people say, what people think. I say life is good, life is beautiful, I'm enjoying my life."

Ovechkin toyed with the crowd some, bobbing his head to the chants at times and flashing his signature gap-toothed grin before exiting for a night of celebrating his first night out in Vegas with his entourage.

Yes indeed, the fire-stick celebration was captured on the ice. Via Leahy, here's some YouTube of the event; check out around the 40-second mark:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCKha8Tmzy8&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fsports.yahoo.com%2Fnhl%2Fblog%2F puck_daddy%2Fpost%2FVideo-Ovechkin-brings-the-hot-stick-celebration%3Furn%3Dnhl%2C170845&feature=player_embedded

And some more amateur footage of the event:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whKVsqzvg80&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fsports.yahoo.com%2Fnhl%2Fblog%2F puck_daddy%2Fpost%2FVideo-Ovechkin-brings-the-hot-stick-celebration%3Furn%3Dnhl%2C170845&feature=player_embedded

So does the inclusion of the "fire stick" thing -- assuming it makes the cut -- reaffirm that it was shameless self-promotion and somehow bad for the NHL on a sportsmanship front? Or does is it an indication that the casual, video-game purchasing hockey fan craves that sort of showmanship?

If nothing else, the NHL 2K10 at Caesars Palace is a spectacular launch for the title. Let's hope the game can approach the pre-release hype.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Video-Ovechkin-brings-the-hot-stick-celebration?urn=nhl,170845

ESPN.com
June 17, 2009

Today's Top 10 Video Highlights
ESPN.com ranks the Top 10 video highlights for June 17th, 2009

8. Alex Ovechkin: Cover Boy - Alex Ovechkin talks about being on the cover of NHL 2K10, the playoffs and the rivalry with the Penguins.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=4267123

[2K Admin Ron]

Las Vegas Sun
Jun 17, 2009

Ovechkin, Kesler take 2K10 to the Strip
Young guns perform in first ever outdoor motion capture session for upcoming hockey game

By Ryan Greene

Ryan Kesler wonders if his pals back in Livonia, Mich., will even believe him.

This fall, when playing NHL 2K10 on his Nintendo Wii, The Vancouver Canucks center will be able to point at the virtual rendering of himself -- be it scoring a goal or celebrating afterwards -- and brag that those lifelike motions were captured on a slab of synthetic ice in front of Caesars Palace.

In Las Vegas.

In the middle of June.

No joke.

2K Sports, while finishing up its annual hockey game set for a September release, put on a motion capture display for the public and media alike Tuesday night right in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip. It was the first ever outdoor motion capture session.


Kesler and Washington Capitals superstar -- and 2K10 coverboy -- Alexander Ovechkin donned skin-tight black suits covered with motion sensors and added some finishing touches to their characters for 2K's latest stick-and-puck installment.

"Skating on the Strip -- I never thought I'd be doing it," Kesler said. "But it's an opportunity I couldn't pass up.

"I'll tell my buddies when I play that I did that move on the Strip. They should be here. Write that down. They should be here and they're not."

They missed quite a scene.

To kick off a week of NHL festivities in Las Vegas, with the highlight being Thursday's NHL postseason awards ceremony at The Palms, Kesler and Ovechkin took turns scoring from various spots on the plastic and wax surface, then performing their patented celebrations for inclusion in the game.

Ovechkin, the top pick in the 2004 draft, is a finalist for the Hart and Pearson trophies, while Kesler is a Selke trophy nominee. The Hart goes to the NHL's regular season MVP, while the Pearson is awarded to the league's most outstanding player as elected by the NHLPA. Ovechkin is up against Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin and Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk for both. Kesler, a first-round selection himself in 2003, is up against Datsyuk and Philadelphia's Mike Richards for the Selke, which goes to the league's top defensive forward.

Ovechkin, the game's top young goal-scorer, finished the 2008-09 season with 110 points, including 56 goals, making him the first Capital ever to record a trio of 50-goal seasons. Kesler scored a career-high 59 points in helping lead the Canucks to the Western Conference semifinals.

As for the simulation of their scoring skills Tuesday, however, the highlight came when Ovechkin, skating to the chants of 'Ovi, Ovi, Ovi' from beyond the iron fences, performed his much-maligned 'burning stick' routine after scoring from up close.

After scoring his 50th goal of the season in March, the 23-year-old Caps winger put his stick down on the ice and pretended to warm his hands over it as if it were on fire.

It will look identical when NHL 2K10 is released, patented gold laces and all.

"It was pretty fun to score 50 goals and I tried to celebrate," Ovechkin said. "I don't care what people say, what people think. I say life is good, life is beautiful, I'm enjoying my life."

Ovechkin toyed with the crowd some, bobbing his head to the chants at times and flashing his signature gap-toothed grin before exiting for a night of celebrating his first night out in Vegas with his entourage.

2K's hope with this year's game is that it will become the life of several parties.

"I think people really just want to be able to sit on the couch, grab all their friends, open up a couple of beers and play hockey," said Jason Argent, vice president of marketing for 2K Sports. "And I think that's what we've been able to do.

"That's what gaming's about. That's how social gaming started. We all watched Swingers, right?"

Argent, of course, was referring to the Vince Vaughn flick of the mid-90s, which involved a famous scene in which Vaughn and friends get caught up in a heated game of NHL 94 -- a cult favorite among both hockey and gaming fans -- on Sega Genesis while enjoying a couple of beers before heading out for the night.

The game made NHL star Jeremy Roenick a pop culture icon, thanks to a legendary Vaughn quote from the scene.

So, which virtual player has the edge: NHL 94 Roenick or NHL 2K10 Ovechkin?

"I'm biased, but I've got to go with Ovi," said Argent, who confessed to spending countless hours in his early 20s playing NHL 94. "We're hoping it's the same vibe, but a lot, lot, lot better simulation version. I hope I can have as much fun (with 2K10) as when I played that game."

Sun reporter Ryan Greene can be reached at (702) 948-7844 or at ryan.greene@lasvegassun.com.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/jun/17/ovechkin-kesler-take-2k10-strip/

Vancouver Sun
June 17, 2009

Trophy bet's off for Canuck Kesler
Still, stalwart Selke finalist has become one of the NHL's best two-way forwards

By Iain MacIntyre



Vancouver Canucks forward Ryan Kesler wears retroreflective markers as he skates during 2K Sports' first-ever outdoor hockey motion capture for the upcoming video game ‘NHL 2K10’ at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on Tuesday. Photograph by: Ethan Miller, Getty Images

Ryan Kesler admits he isn't a betting man, which means two things: the Vancouver Canuck is keeping one hand on his wallet when he's around teammate Roberto Luongo in Las Vegas, and he won't be laying money on himself to win the Selke Trophy Thursday night.

Probably wise on both counts.

Luongo is a poker fanatic who spent Wednesday trying to win other people's money in a gambling tournament sanctioned by the National Hockey League, and Kesler is a longshot against co-finalists Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyer Mike Richards in Thursday's NHL awards ceremony in Nevada.

"If I was a betting man, I probably wouldn't bet on myself," Kesler conceded in a telephone interview. "But just to be nominated is pretty special. Obviously, I'd really like to win, but it's two great players there. I wouldn't know who to pick. I want to just enjoy the moment and take everything in."

Kesler is so not Vegas. He rarely gambles even on the ice, which is partly why the 24-year-old from suburban Detroit is the first Canuck to be voted a finalist for Frank Selke's award that goes annually to the NHL's best checking forward.

Kesler makes safe, smart plays and, driven by his speed, competitiveness and heart, has become one of the league's best two-way forwards. He was the most valuable Canuck this season as he scored 26 goals and 59 points while going plus-eight against the opposition's first line.

A smart betting man would wager that Kesler, not goaltender Luongo, will be the first Canuck to sign a long-term extension this summer.

Canuck general manager Mike Gillis said before leaving for Vegas that he'd be speaking with both to get an idea how they might like to proceed on July 1, when teams are eligible to extend contracts due to expire after next season.

Luongo is due to become an unrestricted free agent 12-and-a-half months from now. Kesler would be a restricted free agency with, likely, a load of leverage in salary arbitration. He'll make $1.75 million US next year, Luongo $7.5 million US.

"We've had some preliminary discussions with him," Gillis said of Luongo, who has said he'll stay in Vancouver if he feels the Canucks have a chance to win the Stanley Cup. "Very preliminary. It's been just sort of: 'When do you want to talk about some stuff?' We'll probably get at it this week and [next week] at the draft in Montreal. We'll find a time to get together and spend a few minutes having a chat."

Of Kesler, Gillis said: "He's a player I'm very pleased with and has a lot of features that I like. We've talked about when we're going to get together. I know he wants to be here. I think that he brings a tonne to the game. As he develops emotionally and mentally, he'll get even better."

Kesler's maturation is as impressive as his progress as a player. He still chirps constantly at opponents, but no longer gets distracted by it and has developed quickly into a leadership role. He is the team's only assistant captain under 30 and, clearly, is being groomed for bigger things.

"Early on in my career, I wanted to stay with the big club [so] I had to be responsible defensively," he said. "I couldn't be a liability. Even before that, I always wanted to be the guy out there in the last minute whether we were up or down a goal.

"I definitely think I have more to give offensively. But I'll always worry about my own zone. That's type of player I was brought up as. And if it's instilled in you early, you can never forget about it. That's the way I am."

Asked about his contract, Kesler said: "That's really between my agent and Mike." Three months ago, Kesler lectured about the need for Canuck players to accept less money and said he'd take a paycut to stay in Vancouver.

It was both honest and naive of Kesler and uncomfortable for a lot of teammates, including free-agents-to-be Daniel and Henrik Sedin, who have played since the lockout for less than full market value. The remarks earned Kesler sharp rebukes from agent Kurt Overhardt and NHL Players' Association executive Glenn Healy.

When Kesler defers contract questions to his agent, that's another sign of how far he has come. So was Kesler's invitation in Las Vegas to assist Washington Capitals' superstar Alex Ovechkin in a motion-capture exercise for a game developer.

"I think they want me to pass to him," Kesler said.

Too bad. Kesler should have been checking Ovechkin.

http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Trophy+Canuck+Kesler/1706486/story.html

[2K Admin Ron]

Canwest
17 June 2009

Cup counts most for Ovechkin; NHL awards are fine, but Washington star wants Stanley's mug

By Dan Barnes
Canwest News Service

While trumpeting his latest role as video game cover boy, Washington superstar Alexander Ovechkin declared "it's a good time to be Ovie."

Sure, he's 23, otherworldly talented, flush and in Las Vegas so he'll have a very good time indeed this week. But it's not quite the best of times for a fierce competitor like Ovechkin, who was not among the record number of viewers watching Pittsburgh beat Detroit in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final last Friday.

"I didn't watch it," Ovechkin said Tuesday. "I didn't want to see how everybody celebrated and who was going to win. It was too hard for me to do that. But I say congratulations Pittsburgh."

And if Penguins star Evgeni Malkin and Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk have to say 'congratulations Ovie' here on Thursday night as all three Russian countrymen vie for both the Hart Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Award, the premier prizes up for grabs at the National Hockey League awards show, will that help ease some of his pain?

"Not really. We have a great team this year. If I win the Hart and the Lester Pearson, of course I will be happy, but my goal was the Stanley Cup," said Ovechkin. "We get closer every year. Last year we lost in the first round, this year we lost in the second round, in Game 7. So I think anything can happen next year and the year after that. Life moves forward."

The NHL will hand out its hardware at the Pearl Concert Theater in the Palms Hotel on Thursday but Ovechkin hit the ground here early to unveil 2K Sports newest iteration of its NHL video game, NHL 2K10. The choice of Ovechkin as cover boy wasn't difficult for the company, given his back-to-back Maurice (Rocket) Richard Trophy performances as the league's top sniper and three seasons of more than 100 points.

But is the NHL reluctant to hitch its wagon to him in a bigger way? Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby's happy mug decorated more than a few newspapers last weekend -- sharing space with his buddy Stanley -- and he may well continue as the NHL's officially unofficial face despite the fact he isn't in the running for the Hart or Pearson this week.

"I don't want to think who is the face of the NHL, me or Sid or Malkin," said Ovechkin. "I don't care. I just want to be the best and continue on to win the Stanley Cup. This year we make one step forward. I hope for next year to do more."

Voting for all NHL awards was conducted prior to the playoffs began in April, so the deep runs of Malkin and Datsyuk will not be a factor. Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association vote on the Hart, bestowed upon a player judged the most valuable to his team. NHL players vote on the Pearson, which goes to the most outstanding player.

"I think you've got to give it to Malkin," New Jersey's Zach Parise said of the Hart, then he quickly waffled and made it obvious why he is up for the Lady Byng Trophy as one of the league's most sportsmanlike players. "You can take anyone. I don't know. You can't go wrong with either one of them."

On Tuesday night Ovechkin joined Vancouver's Ryan Kesler, a Selke Trophy nominee as best defensive forward, for a so-called 'hockey motion capture session' on a synthetic outdoor rink at Caesars Palace. The video game producers wanted to put Ovechkin through drills to capture his signature style. It is a rambunctious, shoot-from-everywhere game that puts opponents on their heels. St. Louis coach Andy Murray, up for the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year, said all the Hart nominees have that quality.

"It's kind of like the Bill Russell thing," said Murray, referring to the legendary basketball player. "He was so good at blocking shots. He wasn't going to block every shot but other teams thought he would so they would change their tactics and take terrible shots. With Ovechkin, Malkin and Datsyuk, guys do things differently on the ice against them because they're worried.

"Every time they're on the ice, the opposing coach's hair is standing up."

Ovechkin was the first overall selection in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2006 and is the only player to win the Rocket Richard, Hart, Pearson and Art Ross in the same season, which he did last year.

GameSpot
Jun 17, 2009

NHL 2K10: First Look and Ovechkin on (Synthetic) Ice

By Brian Ek


Las Vegas might not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of the NHL, but that's just where 2K Sports held its latest motion capture event. In support of the its upcoming annual hockey game--NHL 2K10--the developers at 2K Sports set up an open-ice mo-cap event with 2K10 cover star (and Washington Capitals All-Star winger) Alex Ovechkin.

I know what you're saying: Ice? In the middle of June? In Las Vegas? Outside? In this case, "ice" is a bit of a misnomer, as the outdoor half rink that was set up just in front of Caesar's Palace featured a synthetic ice that, at least from the look of things, skated like the real thing. During the event, mo-cap engineers looked to capture some of Ovechkin's best moves and, before the event began, 2K developers showed off an early build of their latest hockey game for the press.

The demo of the game was brief but developers gave us a good sense of what the approach is this year. Since moving development away from the now-defunct Kush and bringing NHL duties to 2K's internal Visual Concepts studio, the focus has been two-fold. Last year, it was simply getting a playable hockey game out the door on a shortened development cycle. While that game was met with lukewarm critical reception, the focus for NHL 2K10's full year development has been to continue to lower the barrier of entry for more casual hockey fans.

With NHL 2K10, opening up the game to more players includes making the game more appealing for multiplayer. As producers put it, they're looking to put the "party" back in multiplayer hockey videogames, adding a sense of fun to the game while focusing on the essentials that will please the true puckheads. A big part of that focus has gone into the game's presentation--there's a new menu system that looks like an improvement from previous years (not that that would be hard--2K Sports in-game menus have been ugly for years). In addition, the game's character models have been tweaked, including more attention on accurate player faces this year.

New presentation only goes so far, however, and the developers realize that a lot of the things that bugged players of NHL 2K9 need to be addressed. And while developers didn't spend much time in the demo talking specifics, we do know of a couple of additions that sound promising. The signature style feature, which looks to model the playing style of the athletes, will be in effect in 2K10, with signature shots, dekes, and goal celebrations (and with Ovechkin doing the mo-cap last night, there's a good chance you'll see a bunch of his signature celebrations. Too bad for you, Don Cherry).

The team is also working on new animations that will directly affect gameplay, such as stumble shot animations that will let players get off a shot even if they're being jostled by an opponent. Stumble shots won't be as accurate as a normal shot, of course, and have been added to the game based on fan reaction to NHL 2K9's preponderance of checking to prevent shots. In addition, the team is promising a some subtle improvements to the skating physics, making finesse moves easier to pull off both on offense and defense.

Though I didn't get a chance to try 2K10 for myself, I did get a sense of how the game is played by watching it during the demo. Player movement seems to be roughly the same speed as last year, and the same blistering shots from all over the ice are still in the game. Developers are promising some tweaks to the AI that will make it better adapt to the multiplayer focus the game is going for this year and, by the looks of things, the game's AI looks to be decent, with proper player spacing on defense and a good amount of hitting as well. 2K wasn't talking about game control specifics but, after watching the demo, it seems like it will continue to be a mix of face buttons and the analog stick.

The game will include support for multiplayer franchise mode and 2K Share will be implemented across all versions of the game. We expect to see more on the Wii version of the game, which wasn't showed last night, in the coming weeks.

As for Ovechkin, who last appeared on the cover of a hockey game as the star of EA Sports' NHL 07, he's a man of few words and a large entourage. Last night's mo-cap was the first time he had skated on the synthetic ice (which 2K Sports used last year for their motion-capture session with the Columbus Blue Jackets' Rick Nash. I had a brief chance to speak with Ovechkin, before he took to the ice. He doesn't strike me as the world's biggest game fan but definitely has his favorite team when he fires up a hockey game:

"Capitals. Always the Capitals." Naturally, right?

Including last night's mo-cap session, development will continue up until NHL 2K10's release in mid-September. There's lots of work yet to be done too; after sneaking a peek at the menu screen I saw the Detroit Red Wings overall team rating was 99, compared to the Pittsburgh Penguin's 93 overall. Considering the outcome of this year's Stanley Cup Finals, it looks like those ratings will need some tweaking before release…

http://www.gamespot.com/sports/blogs/sports-blog/909097139/26923383/nhl-2k10-first-look-and-ovechkin-on-synthetic-ice.html

[sharks14]

What about gameplay info? :)

[RoadDoggFL]

Holy crap, Ronnie...

[2K Admin Ron]

ESPN.com
June 16, 2009

NHL 2K10: Ovechkin puts Vegas on ice
NHL 2K10 cover athlete Alex Ovechkin takes to the "ice" in the heat of Sin City.

By Jon Robinson


Ovechkin takes part in a motion-capture session outside Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

Alex Ovechkin walks through Caesars Palace in spandex and flip-flops.

Just another night in the life of the NHL's reigning rock star.

As fans see him, they start to chant "Ovie! Ovie!" and he flashes them the grin of a hockey player who takes pride in missing his front tooth.
NHL 2K10

He's the face of the league, the LeBron James of hockey, and the cover boy of the upcoming video game "NHL 2K10."

And it's his spokesman duties for the game that find Ovechkin doing something a little unfamiliar on the Vegas strip. Ovie was ice-skating outdoors in the desert.

That's right, ice-skating outside in the Las Vegas heat.

Only thing is, the ice 2K Sports set up outside wasn't real ice, it was synthetic, and the 2K Sports folks had to spray the surface with lubricant periodically so they could capture Ovie's signature style into the video game, using motion-capture cameras that are said to be four times more powerful than the ones used just a year ago for "NHL 2K9."

As Ovechkin took to the synthetic ice, he couldn't help noticing his mug and the 2K10 cover plastered all over the plaza outside of Caesars.

"It's a pretty cool cover," Ovechkin tells me. "I like the personality. You can see emotion. You can see fun."

And it didn't take long for Ovechkin to display that emotion and what he refers to as his "very aggressive style" for the cameras, even busting out some of his celebrations for the game. As for the celebration he wants to see in "NHL 2K10" the most? "Stick on fire," he laughs, telling me that when he plays hockey video games, he actually likes to play the role of GM and build his own team from scratch (he also claims to be a champ at Wii bowling and boxing).

Back on the fake ice, Ovechkin worked himself into a fierce sweat as the night heat, even after 10, never let up. Then again, maybe it had to do with the fact that he was wearing a skintight black spandex motion-capture suit along with these crazy-looking white shin guards that could've been stolen from a stormtrooper's closet.

"I look like robber," Ovechkin says of his outfit, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

But the desert heat didn't slow Ovechkin or stop his fans from lining up to watch Washington's marquee athlete skate, shoot, and one-time his way into polygons, thanks to some great passes by Ryan Kesler of the Vancouver Canucks.

Although, as Ovie puts it: "I'd rather be in casino."

2K Sports even handed out commemorative red T-shirts to fans that sported a picture of Ovechkin on the front and the quote "Russian Train Not Break" on the back.

"Never breaks," Ovechkin laughs when I ask him about the Russian machine.

Fitting slogan for a man who can fill up a stat sheet with four goals and a broken nose on the same night.

Now if only someone would come up with a stat for missing teeth.

Ovechkin swims with Sharks
The host and emcee of the Vegas mo-cap event was San Jose Sharks play-by-play commentator Randy Hahn, who also just happens to handle the announcing duties in "NHL 2K10."

While at the event, Hahn told me a story about Ovechkin and how he actually used to follow the Sharks back in Russia.

"The Sharks were Ovechkin's favorite team when he was growing up," Hahn says. "Back in the day, we had two of the best Russian players, Igor Larionov and Sergei Makarov. Both these guys were stars back in Russia, they were like legends there, so when they came to the Sharks, a lot of young boys back in Russia all followed the Sharks, and Alex was one of them. When he was, like, 8 years old, his mother bought him a Sharks jersey, and he wore it until he wore it out."

When I asked Ovechkin about the story later that night, he flashed that grin one last time.

"I still have the jersey."

http://sports.espn.go.com/videogames/news/story?id=4273596
 

andPOP
June 17th, 2009

Alexander Ovechkin on the Cover of NHL 2K10

by David Barmak

2K Sports has chosen Alexander Ovechkin to grace the cover of NHL 2K10. In celebration, 2K Sports is holding a public outdoor motion capture session with Ovechkin himself at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. The game’s producers will be putting the hockey star through a number of drills to capture his signature style data.

Alexander Ovechkin, in case you didn’t know, plays left wing with the Washington Capitals. He was the first overall selection in the 2004 entry draft, and scored more goals this season than anybody else in the NHL. In a statement published by 2K Sports, Ovechkin says: “It’s a good time to be Ovi!”

NHL 2K10 is being developed by Visual Concepts for the Wii, Xbox 360, PS3 and PS2. It ships later this fall.

http://www.andpop.com/2009/06/17/alexander-ovechkin-on-the-cover-of-nhl-2k10/


ESPN.com
June 16, 2009

Ovechkin picked for 'NHL 2K10' cover

By Jon Robinson

"It's a good time to be Ovi!," Alex Ovechkin says after being named cover athlete of 2K Sports' upcoming video game, "NHL 2K10."

And if you're the left winger for the Washington Capitals, this is just the icing on the cake of what has been an incredible year. As the 2009 Maurice "Rocket" Richard Award winner and Hart Memorial Trophy candidate, Ovechkin has become the one of the most exciting players in all of sports with his electrifying speed and dazzling goals.

And Ovechkin hopes to help add those same moves into "NHL 2K10" with 2K Sports' first-ever outdoor hockey motion-capture session being held in the Roman Plaza at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on June 16. Ovechkin will skate on synthetic ice along with game producers and Ryan Kesler of the Vancouver Canucks as they try to capture the signature styles of each star to incorporate into the game.

"It's an incredible honor, and I look forward to working with 2K Sports to make "NHL 2K10" the most fun and amazing hockey video game experience ever," adds Ovechkin. "I can't wait to put some of my moves in there."

"NHL 2K10" is in development for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, and Wii and will be released this fall.
http://sports.espn.go.com/videogames/news/story?id=4266944

Las Vegas Sun
Jun 16, 2009

Ovechkin and Kesler lace ‘em up at Caesars
Casino rolls out the rink for NHL Awards while the Palms rolls out the red carpet

By Melissa Arseniuk

While the Palms is setting the stage and rolling out the red carpet for Thursday’s NHL Awards, Caesars Palace is rolling out the rink.

The casino has created a skating rink in advance of the annual awards, which are visiting Vegas for the first time this year.

The league has committed to handing out hockey’s highest honors here in Las Vegas for the next three years. What’s more, the NHL Players Association is also holding their annual meetings here this week.

In response, the city and some of its major casino operators are rolling out the welcome mat for the league’s players, managers and fans.

At Caesars Palace, however, the so-called welcome mat is actually a giant skating rink.

OK, technically it’s a synthetic ice surface built with sheets of special plastic, but it skates the same as the real stuff and won’t melt under the desert sun.

Temperatures are, after all, expected to hit the mid-80s today.

The casino worked in conjunction with video game company 2K Sports to create the a rink in the Roman Plaza for tonight’s public event.

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin will lace ‘em up and go for a skate tonight as part of the demonstration outside the casino’s main entrance.

Vancouver Canucks center Ryan Kesler will also take part.

Kesler is up for the Selke Trophy at this year’s awards, while Ovi, is up for two pieces of NHL hardware: The Hart and Lester B. Pearson trophies.

The synthetic skate is free to watch and will take place from 8:30 p.m. until 11:30 p.m.

2K Sports' engineers will outfit Ovechkin in a special so-called “motion capture” suit and put him through his paces to study the way the Russian sensation moves on ice.

Programmers will use the collected data to recreate Ovechkin’s signature style of skating and shooting in video form. The information will be used to recreate the left winger in the upcoming game, NHL 2K10.

While Caesars has already rolled out the ice, the Palms is getting ready to roll out the red carpet for the Awards.

Like tonight’s event at Caesars, Thursday’s red carpet arrivals at the Palms are open to the public and free to watch.

The league’s biggest stars will start shining outside the main entrance to the Palms later this week, starting at 3 p.m.

The top talent on ice will be on the red carpet that afternoon, including 2009 Stanley Cup champion Evgeni Malkin and two of the players he and his Pittsburgh Penguins defeated in Friday night’s Game 7 final, Detroit Red Wings Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom.

Ovechkin and fellow Washington Capital, Mike Green, will also be there, as will Mike Richards of the Philadelphia Flyers and NHL greats Tony Esposito, Sergei Fedorov, Doug Gilmour, Pat LaFontaine, Igor Larionov, Brian Leetch, Mark Messier, Luc Robitaille and Jeremy Roenick, among others.

In addition to some of the biggest names the NHL has to offer, the Awards will feature performances by Grammy Award-winners Robin Thicke and Chaka Khan and emerging Canadian rockers, the Arkells.

The 2009 NHL Awards will be historic in more than one way: Not only will they be the first ones to ever be held in the U.S.; this year marks the first time that the league has opened the gala to the public.

Of course, that’s not all the NHL Awards-related action: A range of parties are being planned as both players and fans gear up and take over the city’s bars, nightclubs and swanky private suites during the next few days.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/jun/16/caesars-rolls-out-welcome-skating-rink-nhl/

[2K Admin Ron]

The Sudbury Star
June 16 2009

Alex Ovechkin is the cover athlete for NHL 2K10, which will ship for the Wii, PS3 and 360 this fall.

By Wayne Chamberlain

Ask most Canadians which non-Canuck hockey player they would claim as one of their own and the answer is likely to be Alex Ovechkin.

The Russian superstar, who suits up for the Washington Capitals, plays like a Canadian - hard-nosed, tough, skilled and with passion.

The Caps sniper was introduced today as the new cover athlete for NHL 2K10.

The 2009 Maurice “Rocket” Richard Award winner will be on the cover of the Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 games.

“It's a good time to be Ovi!,” said Ovechkin, at a press conference in Las Vegas.

“It's an incredible honour and I look forward to working with 2K Sports to make NHL 2K10 the most fun and amazing hockey video game experience ever. I can't wait to put some of my moves in there.”

Ovechkin was slated to perform in a motion capture session at a rink in Las Vegas Tuesday evening. He was to be joined by Vancouver Canucks player Ryan Kesler, along with play-by-play commentator for the San Jose Sharks, Randy Hahn, who will act as host MC.

The 2009 NHL Awards take place on Thursday in Las Vegas and Ovechkin is one of three finalists that are being considered for the highly coveted Hart Memorial Trophy, an annual award given to the player judged to be the most valuable to his team.

He is also a finalist for the Lester B. Pearson Award, which honours the NHL's most outstanding player.

http://www.thesudburystar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1615437

TheHDRoom
June 16, 2009

Alex Ovechkin Scores NHL 2K10 Cover for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii

The Washington Capitals will be second-guessing themselves all summer for blowing a big playoff lead against the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

One Capital, Alex Ovechkin, will have something else on his mind to help reduce the sting. He's officially signed up to be the cover boy for 2K Sports' NHL 2K10 videogame.

"Ovi," as he's known to fans, will participate in the first-ever outdoor motion capture session to put himself into the game. The sessions takes place tonight, June 16, at Roman Plaza at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas from 8:30-11:30pm PT. Joining Ovi will be Ryan Kesler of the Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks play-by-play announcer Randy Hahn, who will act as host MC. Sadly only media will be allowed to witness the event.

NHL 2K10 is expected in stores this October for Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and Playstation 2. You can view covers for the PS3, 360 and Wii versions below.

http://www.thehdroom.com/news/Alex_Ovechkin_Scores_NHL_2K10_Cover_for_PS3_Xbox_3 60_Wii/5003

411mania
06.16.2009

Ovechkin to be Cover Athlete for NHL 2K10

by Adam Larck

Washington Capitals left winger will be participating in first-ever outdoor hockey motion capture tonight.

2K Sports announced their new cover athlete for NHL 2K10, and it is none other than Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin, who was drafted in 2004, lead the NHL this year with 56 goals, winning his second Maurice "Rocket" Richard Award. He is also up for the Hart Memorial Trophy, being announced in Las Vegas Thursday, and the Lester B. Pearson Award.

"It's a good time to be Ovi!," said Ovechkin, left winger for the Washington Capitals. "It's an incredible honor, and I look forward to working with 2K Sports to make NHL 2K10 the most fun and amazing hockey video game experience ever. I can't wait to put some of my moves in there."

While in Vegas, Ovechkin will be taking part in the first-ever outdoor motion capture session for hockey tonight. For people out in Vegas, you can see Ovechkin being put through a number of dynamic drills from 8:30-11:30 p.m. PT in the Roman Plaza at Caesars Palace. This is the same open-air rink where the LA Kings faced off against the NY Rangers in 1991, when Wayne Gretzky led the Kings to a win. Joining Ovechkin tonight will be Ryan Kesler, while Randy Hahn, the commentator for the San Jose Sharks, will be the host MC.

Only media will be allowed into the rink area, due to the synthetic ice being used to make the rink, but you still may be able to catch a glimpse as it goes on.

http://www.411mania.com/games/news/107406

Softpedia
June 16th 2009

Alexander Ovechkin Is the Cover Athlete for NHL 2K10
Also, motion captured for the game

By Andrei Dumitrescu

2K Sports has announced that it has decided who is the athlete that would be gracing the cover of the NHL 2K10 hockey simulator, which is set to be released for the PlayStation 3, the Xbox 360, the Nintendo Wii and the PlayStation 2 sometime during September.

Alexander Ovechkin, who has been playing for the Washington Capitals, will be on the cover doing one of his signatory moves, which seem to raise fear into the hearts of his opposition while also inspiring his team mates.

It's interesting that Ovechkin has been chosen by 2K Sports to be on the cover of the game, as the player did the same for NHL 07, a game created by EA Sports, the main rival of 2K Sports.

The athlete will apparently also do quite a bit of motion capture for NHL 2K10. The first session will be held at the Caesars Palace in Las Vegas next week, and 2K Sports is saying that the motion capture technology that it will use is never before seen and will lend a lot more realism to the upcoming hockey videogame. The company is also saying that the most representative moves of the cover athlete will be perfectly replicated and that players will be able to perform some of his antics in NHL 2K10.

Ovechkin is one of the most accomplished players of the NHL at the moment. He has put in constantly good performances in both league play and in international appearances and has managed to be compared with giants of the ice ring like Wayne Gretzky.

NHL 2K10 will probably draw some benefit from having such a star on the cover but the main selling point for the game will be the inevitable comparison with NHL 10. 2K Sports has not done as well as EA Sports lately, and a good year for NHL 2K10 will be more than welcome for the division.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Alexander-Ovechkin-Is-the-Cover-Athlete-for-NHL-2K10-114261.shtml

 
Examiner.com
June 14, 2009

NHL 2K10 cover

by Brian Browne
Hartford Video Games Examiner

Fans of the NHL 2K series will get to stare at Alex Ovechkin and his lovely dental work all year. The NHL leading goal scorer this past year with 56 was picked to be on the cover of the game, his third video game cover. Ovechkin will be participating in a special event next week in Las Vegas. From the 2K press release:

In celebration of the announcement, Ovechkin will be participating in a first-time-ever public outdoor hockey motion capture session Tuesday night at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas from 8:30-11:30pm PT...The event is free and open to the public to watch, as synthetic ice will be laid down to create a special hockey rink and 2K Sports' game producers will put Ovechkin through a number of dynamic drills to capture his signature style data for NHL 2K10.

While 2K definitely owns the basketball circuit, they have a lot of work to do if they want to catch EA in the hockey genre. However, adding the most exciting player in the league definitely won't hurt their chances. Look for NHL 2K10 on the shelves September 15. If you are questioning why he should be on the cover, check out the highlight video below.

http://www.examiner.com/x-2069-Hartford-Video-Games-Examiner~y2009m6d14-NHL-2K10-cover

[2K Admin Ron]

GameSpot
Jun 12, 2009

Alex Ovechkin scores NHL 2K10 cover

By Brendan Sinclair

Washington Capitals superstar laces up for 2K Sports' latest hockey game on PS3, 360, Wii, and PS2.

While scoring sensation Alexander Ovechkin has spent his entire NHL career with the Washington Capitals, hockey's human highlight reel has switched teams in a different way. 2K Sports today confirmed that it has secured Ovechkin--cover athlete of Electronic Arts' NHL 07--to front its own pucks sim, the upcoming NHL 2K10.

Ovechkin's goal celebrations are a mix of joy, anger, and perhaps a hint of terror.

Ovechkin will start promoting the game as early as next week, when he will do a public motion-capture session at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. The star will be skating on a temporary outdoor rink from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. PDT with the help of motion-capture technology that 2K Sports touts as brand new and never before used.

2K Sports says the motion-capture session will be used to capture Ovechkin's "signature style" for the game. That will be no easy task, as the four-year NHL career of "Alexander the Great" has been marked by one-of-a-kind goal after one-of-a-kind goal.

NHL2K10 is expected to hit the ice this September for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation 2.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6211956.html?part=rss&tag=gs_news&subj=6211956
 
The Ledger [Blog]
June 12, 2009

For You Video Gamers: Washington Capitals' Star Alex Ovechkin Will Grace the Cover of NHL 2K10 by 2K Sports

by Rick Brown

With apologies to my main Cover of NHL 2K10man Kyle Kennedy, who has a cool blog on video games on First Person Shooter (check out the site at videogames.theledger.com), here is something new from 2K Sports.

Maurice "Rocket" Richard Award winner and Hart Memorial Trophy candidate Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, will be featured on its new NHL game NHL 2K10.

In celebration of the announcement, Ovechkin will be participating in a first-time ever public outdoor hockey motion capture session on Tuesday at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas from 8:30-11:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public to watch.
http://blogs.theledger.com/default.asp?item=2389100

SportingNews.com [FirstCuts Blog]
June 12, 2009

NHL 2K10 Picks Alex Ovechkin for Cover

By Chris Littmann

The cover and details, via Puck Daddy:

In celebration of the announcement, Ovechkin will be participating in a first-time ever public outdoor hockey motion capture session Tuesday night at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas from 8:30-11:30pm PT. Joining Ovechkin on the ice will be Vancouver Canucks center and 2009 Selke Trophy finalist, Ryan Kesler, along with play-by-play commentator for the San Jose Sharks, Randy Hahn, who will act as host MC. The event is free and open to the public to watch, as synthetic ice will be laid down to create a special hockey rink and 2K Sports' game producers will put Ovechkin through a number of dynamic drills to capture his signature style data for NHL 2K10.

We got an invite to the motion capture event out in Vegas. But I'm not sure I'll be able to make it. Life is cruel like that sometimes!

http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/firstcuts/entry/view/25418/nhl_2k10_picks_alex_ovechkin_for_cover


Comcast SportsNet - Mid Atlantic
June 11th 2009

Ovechkin Graces Cover Of NHL 2K10 Video Game

Alex Ovechkin – with fists clenched and mouth agape in a celebratory scream – will grace the cover of 2K Sports’ NHL2K10 video game. The image captures Ovechkin in the Capitals’ road white uniforms moments after one of his league-leading 56 goals in 2008-09.

Ovechkin is a video game buff who has appeared on the cover of two hockey games before. Reached in Russia on Friday by phone, he was excited about the cover image and looking forward to next week’s trip to Las Vegas for the NHL Awards Show.

Ovechkin, who is nominated for the Hart Trophy and the Lester B. Pearson Award, will make his first appearance of the week in Las Vegas at a 2K Sports event.

Ovechkin will be participating in the company’s first public outdoor hockey motion capture session Tuesday night at Caesars Palace from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. PT. Joining Ovechkin on the “ice” – a synthetic plastic sheet – will be Vancouver Canucks center and 2009 Selke Trophy finalist, Ryan Kesler, along with play-by-play commentator for the San Jose Sharks, Randy Hahn.

The event is free and open to the public to watch. 2K Sports' game producers will put Ovechkin through a number of dynamic drills to capture his signature style data for NHL 2K10.

http://midatlantic.comcastsportsnet.com/pages/landing/?blockID=58566&feedID=287

IGN
June 19, 2009

First Look at NHL 2K10
We head to Las Vegas and play a little puck

by Mark Bozon

June 19, 2009 - This week the folks at 2K had a few journalists out to Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for an in-depth look at the motion capture technology going into the latest and greatest 2K hockey game console-wide, NHL 2K10. Amidst a few bottles of suds and plates of grub the company invited cover athlete Alexander Ovechkin and consultant "slash" NHL pro Ryan Kessler to lay down some new animations for the game on the Las Vegas strip, outside, at night. It was a pretty impressive setting for a mo-cap session. Before kicking the party off, however, 2K gave us a sneak peak at NHL 2K10 in its current state, and we had a chance to get some new details and a quick preview of what's to come later this year.

When it comes to hockey games I do have to say I'm a bit conflicted. Being from Minnesota(the state of hockey, folks) I'm love the game, played it up until high school, and frequent every game of puck out there regardless of console. Still, while both 2K and EA tend to evolve year over year in the direction of sim-like experiences I can't help but feel like we're losing the classic feeling of hockey found on systems like the Super NES or original Nintendo in the form of NHL 94, Blades of Steel, or Ice Hockey. If only there was a way to get the simple pleasure and balance of those games merged with a full-on, realistic hockey experience…

It's far too early to tell at this point, but that's exactly what 2K is going for with NHL 2K10. Don't worry, the game still looks the same (better, in fact) as far as style and realism, you've got every mode and option you expect from last year, but 2K as also mentioned that the company is essentially giving the true two year project it intended on back in 2007. Last year's game was fun and had a lot of options, but this is really a continuation off of that. If 2K9 was fun, but not quite there, it's because it was only half of the dev cycle in 2K's mind. As such, 2K10 is meant to be the fruits of two years of labor; not just a one-year quick fix update.

We didn't have a chance to go hands-on with the game just yet – still too early for that – but at first glance 2K10 is looking very nice. Just like 2K9 the game is faster, a bit more on an arcade-slant over something like EA's series, and passes, shots, crowd reactions, and speed are all there and looking/sounding great. Game intros are also looking nice, showcasing on-ice highlight reels and plenty of team-based fan service. Rather than going with the older tab system, nine boxes make up the interface screen now, with video actually playing in the selected box. It's a slick look, and makes it look very simple to get into a game fast and just play.

There are some very specific objectives 2K is going for this year with 2K10, and it's largely in part to bringing social multiplayer back into hockey. The company is still very much pushing for that "pick up and play" feel that really sets its game apart from EA, and with multiplayer being a huge focus for 2K10 there have been a lot of tweaks and additions (some of which we don't get to hear about just yet). For starters, every mode that can possibly have multiplayer in it will, and that includes the now multiplayer franchise mode. In addition, all on-ice AI is now tuned with multiplayer in mind, and while the company wouldn't go into specifics on just what that meant I did push them on the drop-in/drop-out concept and they didn't deny it. With AI tuning needed on the fly, that certainly sounds like a viable option, but nothing is confirmed yet. The plan is to take the barrier of entry in this game and really drop it, so that no matter who you are you can pick up a controller and get into the game. As part of that, we'll also see a return (and emphasis) on 2K Sharking not only on 360 and PS3, but also on the Wii version as well.

Other than that, the last year of development has really gone to fixing, tweaking, and adding to what 2K9 brought to the table. 2K mentioned that all the player models and overall presentation has been upped and oftentimes redone to make sure it looks like the next step visually – without seeing them side-by-side it was tough to tell what specifically was returning and what was all-new though – the focus on signature styles is here again this year, now adding in Kessler and Ovechkin as two of the new pros highlighted in the game (all the player-specific mo-cap will be there, so scoring a 50th goal with Alexander will spawn the "stick on fire" animation he did in front of us at Vegas), and the company has taken info from the press reviews, fan responses to 2K9, and post-mortem surveys and calls from last year's game and really tried to up the overall quality of the game. Be it gameplay, visuals, presentation, new signature styles, or the overhaul on multiplayer (which we hope to see very soon) 2K is coming with a huge amount of momentum and enthusiasm for NHL 2K10.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/996/996506p1.html

[2K Admin Ron]

Canwest News Service
June 19, 2009

OVECHKIN CASHES IN; NHL Awards; Russian star claims Hart, Lester Pearson

by Dan Barnes

Alexander Ovechkin and Pavel Datsyuk led a Russian assault on the podium at the NHL Awards last night and will be leaving Las Vegas with armloads of hardware and winning smiles.

Ovechkin copped the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player and the Lester B. Pearson as most outstanding player chosen by his peers, while Datsyuk waltzed off with the Selke Trophy as best defensive forward and the Lady Byng Trophy as the league's most gentlemanly and sportsmanlike player.

"It's pretty important when people and players give you this. I don't want to stop. I want to be the best next year," said Ovechkin, the Washington left-winger who easily outpolled countrymen Datsyuk and Evgeni Malkin for the Hart. It was a repeat win for Ovechkin and the fourth straight Lady Byng for Datsyuk and his second Selke. It was a big night worthy of celebration.

"It's six actually the Russians win. That's pretty big for our country," said Ovechkin, who also collected the Rocket Richard Trophy for his 56 goals while Malkin took the Art Ross for his 113 regular season points.

Ovechkin earned 115 first-place votes in balloting for the Hart while Malkin was second with only 12 and Datsyuk got only four. No other player earned a first-place vote, though 26 players received at least a fifth-place vote.

"Personal stats is good, personal awards is good, I just want to win one award, Stanley Cup," said Ovechkin, who has embraced Las Vegas in style. He arrived at the awards show, held at the Palms Resort and Casino, with a showgirl on each arms advertising his spot as the cover model for the NHL 2K10 video game. He had plans for a celebration, too.

"Go to pool. Couple beers. It's OK."

He showed emotion in his first appearance on stage to accept the Pearson.

"This year was very hard for my family. We lost my gram-pa," said Ovechkin. "It was especially hard. This award, I give to him and all my family."

Ovechkin received the Hart Trophy from Sergei Fedorov and the Pearson from Igor Larionov and former Red Wings defenceman Vladimir Konstantinov, who was critically injured in a limo crash after a Detroit Stanley Cup win. He said it was special to have them on stage with him.

"When I was young I met first time Igor Larionov and he told me you always have to work you always have to be better, so all my life I never stop doing what I'm doing."

He said he and his fellow Russian NHLers try to be role models not only for Russian kids but young hockey players everywhere.

"All young guys have to look at us and work like we are. You can't wake up and be a superstar or be a good player. You have to work. You can see how Malkin works, how Datsyuk works. They're great players and they're working hard."

Datsyuk was nervous on-stage when he accepted the Selke, but not because the balloting was the closest of the night. He beat Mike Richards of Philadelphia by just three points -- 945 to 942 -- despite receiving fewer first-place votes, 55, to Richards' 61. Vancouver's Ryan Kesler was a distant third in balloting with 290 points and one first-place vote.

He still struggles in English but gained composure during his second appearance at the podium.

"Now I'm more confident," he said after copping the Lady Byng. "I accept this award for the Red Wings and City of Detroit and kids who play hockey. Never give up on your dreams."

Boston became the team of the night when Tim Thomas grabbed the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goalie, Claude Julien followed it up by winning the Jack Adams as the coach of the year and Zdeno Chara added the Norris Trophy as the best defenceman.

"The goalies who have won it before are so good, it's hard to let yourself put yourself on that level in your head," said Thomas, who didn't want to raise his own expectations. "Throughout the course of my career I had so many times I got my hopes up and had them crash around me."

Julien received his award from friend and mentor Pat Burns.

"I have followed Pat's footsteps forever, having coached in Hull, Montreal, Boston and New Jersey, all the places Pat coached before me. I hope I can catch up to Pat, a couple of Jack Adams and of course a Stanley Cup," said Julien, whose competition was provided by Andy Murray of St. Louis and Todd McLellan of San Jose.

Chara out-polled Mike Green of Washington and six-time winner Nicklas Lidstrom of the Red Wings.

"Mike is such a talented guy, I'm sure in the future he will be winning the trophy. And Nick is such an icon, I look up to him so much. Every time I'm around him I'm so nervous."

It wasn't really a close race as Chara took 68 first-place votes and racked up 1,034 points to 982 for Green and 733 for Lidstrom.

Steve Mason, meanwhile, had the kind of regular season that solid National Hockey League veterans would usually only dream about. That it was also the kind of campaign that landed him the Calder Trophy as the rookie of the year makes the Mason story an incredibly impressive one.

The Columbus Blue Jackets stopper easily out-polled a pair of talented forwards, Chicago's Kris Versteeg and Anaheim's Bobby Ryan in an all-Western Conference competition. He got 121 first place votes to nine for Ryan and one for Versteeg.

Destructoid
06.18.2009

NHL's leading scorer Alex Ovechkin on NHL 2K10 box

by Samit Sarkar

He may not be a Stanley Cup winner yet like Sid the Kid, but Washington Capitals left winger Alexander Ovechkin -- three-time All-Star and winner of the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy (for leading the league in goals) in 2007-08 and 2008-09 -- is on the cover of 2K Sports’ NHL 2K10. Regarding the announcement, “Ovie” had this to say:

It's an incredible honor, and I look forward to working with 2K Sports to make NHL 2K10 the most fun and amazing hockey video game experience ever. I can't wait to put some of my moves in there.

Ovechkin presents a bit of a sore spot for me, since his Caps came back to beat my Rangers in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals this year after being down three games to one. But he’s definitely a lot of fun to watch -- check out this amazing, now-classic goal of his from 2006, for example -- and he’s already racked up an astonishing number of accolades in what seems to be destined to become a Hall-of-Fame career. In fact, he’s a finalist for this year’s Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP) and Lester B. Pearson Award (most outstanding player as determined by NHLPA), both of which he won last year; the 2009 NHL Awards will be given out tonight.

As for the game, it’s being developed by Visual Concepts for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation 2, and it’ll be out this fall. But frankly, VC has got a tough task ahead of them if they want to try and take a chunk out of the people buying NHL 10. Check out the four covers in the gallery below! Isn’t that a pretty crazy celebratory pose from Ovechkin?

[Update: Ovechkin did end up repeating as the winner of the Hart Trophy and the Pearson Award tonight!]

http://www.destructoid.com/nhl-s-leading-scorer-alex-ovechkin-on-nhl-2k10-box-update--136744.phtm

DigtalBattle
June 19 2009

2K Sports reveals NHL 2K10 box art

by Jeff Baker

The fight for the Stanley Cup is over and the Penguins have been crowned the champions so it would only make sense that a player the winning team would grace the cover of 2K Sports’ upcoming NHL 2K10, or at least a player from the competiting Red Wings, right?

Apparantly not as 2K Sports has recently come forth and revealed that the Washington Capitol’s left winger Alex Ovechkin will take the honors. Below is Ovechkin’s acceptance statement:

It’s an incredible honor, and I look forward to working with 2K Sports to make NHL 2K10 the most fun and amazing hockey video game experience ever. I can’t wait to put some of my moves in there.

Sure 2K Sports has done a good job in the past with their NHL series but will NHL 2K10 be enough to thwart NHL 10? Only it’s September release date for the Wii, PS3, PS2 and Xbox 360 will tell.

http://www.digitalbattle.com/2009/06/19/2k-sports-reveals-nhl-2k10-box-art/

Gaming Target
June 17, 2009

Alex Ovechkin covers NHL 2K10
Washington Capitals star shouts about his involvement.

by John Scalzo

2K Games has announced the next entry in their NHL 2K series, NHL 2K10, will be available this Fall for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360. The game will be developed by 2K's sport specialists, Visual Concepts.

Little else was revealed about the game, except for the announcement of the spokesman and cover athlete: Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals.

"It's a good time to be Ovi!," said Ovechkin, left winger for the Washington Capitals. "It's an incredible honor, and I look forward to working with 2K Sports to make NHL 2K10 the most fun and amazing hockey video game experience ever. I can't wait to put some of my moves in there."

2K has launched a teaser website for the game (which features a nice shot of the 2009 Maurice “Rocket” Richard Award winner and Hart Memorial Trophy candidate) at 2KSports.com/games/nhl2k10

We'll have more soon.
http://www.gamingtarget.com/article.php?artid=9972

[2K Admin Ron]

Feed Your Console
Jun 16th 2009

Ovechkin: Cover Athlete for NHL 2K10

by Matt V

Washington Capitol Alex Ovechkin - 2009: Winner of the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Award (twice) and Calder Memorial and Art Ross Trophies; Leads the league in goals, points, plus/minus and shots; tied for third in takeaways and in hits; holds the Caps record for points in a playoff season and has the best plus/minus in Caps playoff history; an Olympian and now the cover athlete for 2K's NHL 2K10. Not a bad list of achievements for a 23 year old from Moscow with only 4 years experience in the NHL.

New York, NY - June 16, 2009 - 2K Sports announced today that Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, the 2009 Maurice "Rocket" Richard Award winner and Hart Memorial Trophy candidate, will be featured as the cover athlete and spokesman for the next iteration of the popular NHL 2K franchise, NHL® 2K10. While leading the National Hockey League (NHL) in goals scored for the second consecutive season, Ovechkin has become one of the most recognizable faces of the NHL in only his fourth season, and will bring his electrifying personality and unmatched passion for the game to NHL 2K10 this year.

NHL 2K10 will be available this fall for Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3.
http://www.feedyourconsole.com/2009/06/ovechkin-cover-athlete-for-nhl-2k10.html

Inc Gamers
16 Jun 2009

Alex Ovechkin Confirmed For NHL2K10 Cover

by jameschalmers

2K Sports has today announced the Washington Capital’s left winger, Alex Ovechkin, will be the cover athlete for the next edition of the popular NHL 2K series.

Ovechkin, the leading scorer and one of the most recognised faces in the NHL, was obviously excited about the announcement.

"It's an incredible honour, and I look forward to working with 2K Sports to make NHL 2K10 the most fun and amazing hockey video game experience ever” said Ovechkin.

He will help with the motion capture in the game and will be put through a vast amount of exercises by the 2K Sports producers.

NHL 2K10 is set for an Autumn release and has been confirmed for Xbox360, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2.

http://www.incgamers.com/News/16939/

SI.com [FanNation Blog]
06.15.09

Alex Ovechkin skates onto NHL 2K10 cover

Even though the Washington Capitals got bounced by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference semifinals, there's a little more glory for Caps fans with the selection of Alex Ovechkin for the cover of 2K Sports NHL 2K10 game.
http://www.fannation.com/si_blogs/game_room

[b-Dub]

What about gameplay info? :)

In due time. Meanwhile, keep working on that patience. :D

[macpuck]

Gameplay is, after all, what is important. I'd like to see some comments which reflect that reality, even if they don't give away specific "secrets."

[Bruins fan 4 life]

After reading all of that why do I feel 2k is becoming the "I'm a mac" guy and ea is turning into the "I"m a pc" guy? Seriously good pr Ronnie.