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Yzerman, Roy, Roenick and Salming added to NHL 12’s legends list while nitpicking begins

Steve Yzerman

FILE - In this June 7, 1997, file photo, Detroit Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman skates off with the Stanley Cup in Detroit after the Red Wings swept the Philadelphia Flyers in four games. Yzerman is to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday, Nov. 9, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Tom Pidgeon, File)

AP

EA Sports is wisely generating a steady trickle of buzz for NHL 12 by slowing releasing its list of legends who will appear in the upcoming video game.

Last week, we took a look at the unveiling of the first three: Wayne Gretzky, Chris Chelios and Ray Bourque. Through various means - apparently at least one of the names leaked - we now know four more of the former NHL stars who will appear in the title: Patrick Roy, Steve Yzerman, Borje Salming and Jeremy Roenick. The speculation continues as the next two legends might be revealed, with names like Mario Lemieux, Gordie Howe and Pavel Bure surfacing the most often. (Perhaps EA Sports might have a trick up its sleeve involving legends via downloadable content or some other venue? We’ll need to wait and see.)

First, let’s look at the video of Yzerman and Salming (Again, PD reveals that Salming’s name leaked, an idea that is strengthened by the release date on this video. The actual planned release date is September 13 rather than September 9.)
[vodpod id=Video.15202544&w=425&h=350&fv=%26rel%3D0%26border%3D0%26]

Kudos to EA for showing off the fact that legends can be on any team by having Yzerman skating with the guy he recently signed, Steven Stamkos. (There’s a lot more finesse to going that way instead of having Stevie Y in a Colorado Avalanche uniform, for instance.)

Later on, EA Sports released a new legends video that featuring Roy and Roenick - a playful nod to the two players’ smack talking rivalry - which you can see below.
[vodpod id=Video.15201029&w=425&h=350&fv=%26rel%3D0%26border%3D0%26]

So, this all looks awesome, right? I think most people would agree, but as per typical with anything that’s being dissected on the Internet, the nitpicking has already begun. The sticking point, at this moment, seems to be the authenticity of the legends’ gear.

Doug Miller tackled some complaints that Yzerman was using Reebok gear rather than Easton gloves and sticks.

I didn’t even notice this myself at first, as I was more excited about the news itself, but I knew something didn’t look quite right. It is quite surprising that EA would make such a simple oversight, considering what we have seen in the few teaser trailers for Legends so far, and it looks like they went to great lengths to capture each Legend’s smallest little nuances… yet made such a simple and basic oversight when it comes to Stevie Y’s equipment.

Personally, I don’t really think it’s that big of a deal… I’m just thrilled that he’s going to be in the game, as life-long Red Wings fan. Plus, you can always go in and “edit” players in the game, so if you are really anal about this kind of thing, you can go and “fix” this little oversight by slapping on the “correct” gear. As I’ve had to do for the past two seasons with Jimmy Howard’s neck-guard. That is if this minor oversight isn’t already fixed in the game by the time it is released, via a roster update, in which they not only adjust stats, but also update equipment to be accurate, usually for goaltender’s pads.


Meanwhile, Rick Moldovanyi of Houses of the Hockey wishes that Roy’s Habs-era mask was replicated.
Not that it will matter to the gameplay at all, but it bothers us a bit that Patrick Roy’s iconic Montreal Canadiens mask was not properly duplicated for the game.

In defense of EA, the equipment quibbles might be related to the fact that these players are available to all 30 teams. Maybe the company will indeed “patch” the players’ vintage equipment, but it seems like a small quibble if the legends emulate their real-life counterparts.

We’ll keep an eye out for the final two (or maybe more?) legends who will be included in the game. Which players are you looking forward to being on the “roster” the most in NHL 12?