"Easy, Breezy, Cover Boy!"

As revealed out in Canes message board land, 850 The Buzz, and by the Canes' own Mike Sundheim, Eric Staal has been made the cover boy for the 2008 edition of Electronic Arts' NHL series of video/computer games.

Not surprisingly, there are a few crying "Curses!" at this news...and for semi-good "reason", as featured in Mike Chen's blog:

"The first game to feature just one player on the cover was NHL 97. Previously, the other games just had action shots of several players. This game was coming off of Florida's rat-tastic run to the Cup Final, so naturally, they put the John Vanbiesbrouck on the cover. While the Beezer actually had a pretty good season, his Panthers did not, bowing out in five games to Wayne Gretzky and the New York Rangers. Curse? Probably not, though his stats went way down hill the next season. But one thing to keep in mind -- a few years later, the Beezer he went nuts on a crazy racist tirade to junior players and he had to quit his job and sell his part of the team. More on this later.

The next season was NHL 98 (1997-1998) with Peter Forsberg on the cover. Forsberg actually had a great year that year -- 91 points in 72 games. However, keep in mind that a few years later, his spleen exploded and he missed an entire regular season doing some soul searching/rehabbing in Sweden.

NHL 99 (1998-1999) was the infamous Year of the Cyber Athlete with Cyber-Lindros on the cover (accompanied by Rock You Like A Hurricane on the commercials). In April 99, Lindros had a collapsed lung; the following year, he was riddled with concussions and other injuries.

NHL 2000 (1999-2000), besides being the coolest sounding hockey video game title of all time, had towering defenseman Chris Pronger on the cover. A few seasons later, Pronger missed all but five games with injuries.

NHL 2001 (2000-2001) featured one of my least favorite players Owen Nolan on the cover. Not only did Nolan miss the majority of the 2003-2004 season with a variety of injuries (in addition to the chronic back and groin issues that slowed him down post-EA Sports), he was entangled in a lengthy legal battle with the Maple Leafs.

NHL 2002 (2001-2002) came right after Mario Lemieux's amazing comeback season, so of course, it was natural to put Le Magnifique on the cover. In three of the next four seasons, various ailments -- from back problems to hip problems -- limited him to less than 30 games each. Finally, a heart condition caused him to retire for good. You see where I'm going with this?

NHL 2003 (2002-2003) featured Jarome Iginla after his breakout 52-goal season. Iginla hasn't suffered any devastating injuries yet, though his post-EA Sports total hasn't come close to his 52-goal campaign (he was pretty amazing, though, during the 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs).

NHL 2004 (2003-2004) had current NHL golden boy Dany Heatley on the cover. Shortly after the games release, Heatley was involved in the horrific car accident that claimed Dan Snyder's life. Heatley came back late in the season after serious knee injuries related to the crash, though the emotional damage caused him to request a trade.

NHL 2005 (2004-2005) was the lockout season. A game was still produced with Markus Naslund on the cover. Like Iginla, Naslund's one post-EA Sports campaign was disappointing to say the least, but at least he hasn't been hit with a freak injury.

NHL 2006 (2005-2006) put defending Stanley Cup Champion/World Cup MVP Vincent Lecavalier on the cover. Lecavalier had a disappointing season, but no crazy injuries to report."

Good news to those who are getting ready to jump on me for posting all of that: My personal take on a good chunk of the above is that a lot of it is *really* a stretch. To me, a "curse" would be solidified by the bad things happening to the cover boys in the season that their respective EA game is supposed to represent, NOT a few seasons later.

Therefore, the only ones who have actually fallen victim to the "curse", according to my rule, are Eric Lindros in 1998-99, Mario Lemieux in 2001-02, and Dany Heatley in 2003-04. And the former two of the three are *really* no shock AND should not be counted as part of the "curse", given their injury track record and all. Making the only truly freakish incident in the history of the "curse" be the infamous and life-theatening auto accident into which Heatley got himself.

So if anything comes out what turns out to be a bit a hogwash for Eric, it will most likely be another mediocre season in point production...something that will not surprise me, unfortunately, given how the Canes' lineup is currently looking at the moment. Of course, the off-season is still young...

Current Music: "Johnny, Let's Dance" - World Heroes 2 Image Album

Wii-eeeeeeeee! Part Deux

Due to the news of Kevyn Adams having been traded/the acquisition of Dennis Seidenberg still being very fresh and all, please click here for the latest news about my Nintendo Wii addiction.

Current Music: "Desert Rose" by Mo'Rockin

Edit as January 9th, 12:18 PM: Edited to remove hideous grammar.

At the Risk of Further Giving All of the Hockey Bloggers Who Link To Me Fits...

...no Random Musings and Observations for last night's Canes game vs. the Panthers 'cause FSN South AND FSN Florida/Sunshine Sports did not have said game in their broadcasting contract, bless their wittle hearts. And on top of that, as much as I love Chuck and the Letter K AND respect all he has done in the NHL/hockey radio broadcasting universe, there's something about when I listen to him that disrupts the Canes' mojo. And we just can't have that, especially right now, can we?

But, I was never bored...thanks to the big gift somewhat mentioned in the previous post: My Nintendo Revolu...er, Wii. AND my brother's Wii too...which will be covered in une momento, por favor.

In what has to be the most time I have spent with a video game system since, well, my playing Tales of Symphonia (GREAT GAME!!) on the Gamecube during the very end of last year/very beginning of this year, I am already very much in love with the Wii, its capabilities, AND ESPECIALLY the workout you can get from playing with it.

Like almost everybody else in Wii-Land, I have been getting my first Wii kicks from the Sports Package that accompanies the system. And it's been one sport that has been dominant over the others whenever I take on the Wii-mote...bowling. As someone who used to be in a Youth Bowling League, and was pretty danged good too, before a gawdawful slump hit me and made me quit after putting up with it for a couple of seasons; bowling was the obvious first pick out of the sports to try.

Well, I LOVE the bowling game...and as someone obviously very well familiar with the sport, I can safely say that it is a very well crafted game AND quite possibly the best sport in the Package. But, that's not to say that the rest of the Sports Package is chopped liver. The Package as a whole is a FANTASTIC idea on Nintendo's part, especially with all of the message board and blog posts I've read about how the Sports Package has brought families together, even the members who usually don't care for video games. I've read about even grandparents trying the bowling, golf, AND EVEN boxing games!! Now, PlayStation/Sony fanatics, PLEASE tell me how the PS3 could surpass the Wii in the regard of what I just mentioned, in addition to the price AND EVEN gameplay. PLEASE?!

Speaking of the PS3 vs. Wii wars...when watching my brother play Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess on his Wii last night, in addition to ogling the *very impressive* graphics, we kept talking about how the critics have to be smoking or drinking something good(bad?) to say that the Wii's graphics are "ok, but they just don't compare to the (insert PS3 or X-Box 360 here)". Such talk makes the Wii's currently outselling the PS3 two to one all the more hilarious AND great...the better system is winning, whether some like it or not.

But, back to the Sports Package...my only real complaint about it is that Nintendo left off two sports that could have worked quite well: Hockey and Fencing. Hockey could have been handled rather simply...just do a suped up version of that "Rapid Shot" game that was on Mickey D's Canadian site during 2002-03. Afterall, the controls would have been no different from those for Golf. And, as for Fencing, if you can control Link's sword in Zelda, then why not Fencing? That would have been awesome practice/warm-up for the sword handling in Zelda.

Another thing worth mentioning before I finally wrap up here is that the "Miis" are way more fun than I initially thought they'd be. Simply put, "Miis" are Nintendo's equivalent of Fisher-Price's Little People. When I was doing plenty of reading about the Wii, especially upon knowing I was getting one for Christmas, I wrote off the "Miis" as being something cute to attract kids and teenyboppers into Wii-Land. BIG MISTAKE. "Miis" are wonderful for showing off your fandoms on your system, in addition to the name you give your system in its own type-in box. (Guess what I named my Wii? Ten guesses... ;D) Already in the last couple of days, I've made Miis of the following people and characters...

Rod Brind'Amour
Mike Commodore (Complete with red afro!!)
Dr. Frasier Crane
Martin Crane
Dr. Niles Crane
Roz Doyle
Alphonse Elric (Pre-"Bringing Back Mother" Accident)
Edward Elric
Ron Francis
Dr. Gregory House
Inuyasha (New Moon/Human Form)
Kagome
Howie Mandel
Miroku
Daphne Moon
Hiro Nakamura
Jeff O'Neill
Penn and Teller
Sango
Shippou (Without his fox ears and tail, of course.)
Eric Staal

And THOSE are just the tip of the iceberg...I have plans to create:

More past and present Canes players.
Past and present Pittsburgh Penguins players.
Hartford Whalers players.
John Forslund
Tripp Tracy
Chuck Kaiton
Don Cherry (if only one of the "favorite colors" you could choose was plaid...)
Dr. House's "Ducklings"
The Fantastic Four (Instead of The Thing, I'll create his human form.)
The Mythbusters
Jerry Seinfeld and Friends
Larry David
Ron Burgundy and His Newsteam
Street Fighter characters
Link and Zelda

I'll go ahead and beat you to the hunch: Yes, I have absolutely no life, what-so-ever.

But seriously, it's awesome AND frightening at the same time how endless the possibilities are with the Miis. If we're not careful, they could take over the world... o_O

;)

And the only reason I've gotten into creating so many of the little things? I get a hoot out of seeing the motley crews pulling for me from the seating area of my bowling lane. Only on the Wii will you see Frasier, Brindy, and Inuyasha pulling for you one game, and then Commie, Dr. House, and the host of Deal Or No Deal the next game.

Again, I'll beat you to the hunch: Yes, I have absolutely no life, what-so-ever. But, that shouldn't stop you from getting what is quite the technological wonder when you can.

Current Music: "Yellow Pearl" by Phil Lynott (Featuring Midge Ure)

I Knew the Phillips CD-I Zelda Games Were Awful...

...but, DAMN.

Wand of Gamelon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mHw5g55oC4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaHlUlWHNTo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcSvbWvn7dg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4VHLmk5GEE

Faces of Evil

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNpLXo55yfw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imlyVV0yYKo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRoKo2LM3Rk&NR

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Deblwv3vq_c&NR

Zelda's Adventure

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du0qdTZ_ig0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpbwsvtI-1s

All of that is beyond atrocious. Where to begin? That "voice acting"? The animation that looks like it came out of a 1st grade art class? The fact that Ganon is defeated by practically the exact same method (despite different items) AND is sealed away in similar fashion in BOTH WoG and FoE?!

To say those games were/are an insult to Nintendo AND the Legend of Zelda franchise is putting it quite mildly...they make Majora's Mask look like a freakin' masterpiece. o_O

Current Music: "Sahasralah's Homecoming" - Legend of Zelda 3 OverClocked Remix

November 21st, 2006 - Canes @ Rangers: Random Musings and Observations

Well, since the Canes played like nothing last night...this RM&O will be about nothing, at least in regards to the "game"...

- The dude on the current design for Arby's medium-sized cups bears an eerie resemblance to Tripp Tracy. o_O

- Since I already know what I'm getting for Christmas from one of my folks, I can safely say the following: I cannot wait to play Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Marvel Ultimate Alliance. I also cannot wait for the Guitar Hero (2) game(s) to be released...

- Regarding Marvel Ultimate Alliance...I cannot believe I have not heard about that game until the certain system I'm getting for Christmas' release this past Sunday. From the synopses and reviews I've read and the screenshots I have seen, MUA is looking and sounding like a freakin' sweet game. AND all of the Fantastic Four, even Mr. Fantastic(!!), are playable to boot! Like they should be in a game featuring Dr. Doom as its final boss...

- Another game I'm looking forward to trying...Trauma Center: Second Opinion. It shall be a blast to get to be like Dr. House, especially with the quirky patients, BUT without the excessive grossness and/or Vicodin.

- Speaking of America's favorite sardonic as hell doctor...I don't care what the people at Television Without Pity think: The current House MD story arc is pretty darn good, especially compared to a huge chunk of what's on TV now. AND, I personally am digging how House is being towards Wilson...the latter character had it coming with the way he was to House at the beginning of this season. Then again, ever since I got into the series, I've never been all that much a fan of Wilson...when dudeman is not being a jerk of some kind, he's being a total wuss.

- All of that said, thank god for House MD coming on last night AND saving me from watching an entire game of the Canes stinking up the MSG like they forgot their Right Guard.

- Last, but certainly not least, I am already getting very, VERY SICK of Mark Messier's media whoring. The "leadership award" named after him is bad enough...but now, VS. is having Marky-Mark pimp their NHL All-Star Event/Game contest. *does her best impression of Lurch moaning*

Regarding that "leadership award"...I am more than convinced that Ron Francis, Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman, and Wayne Gretzky's* chances of getting their name on that "award" would have been better if their retirement ceremonies would(will in Yzerman's case**) have lasted practically the length of an NHL game AND/OR they went and shaved their heads.

Current Music: "Spinning Wheel" by Blood, Sweat, and Tears

* - Just to name a few.

** - I'd like to think that Stevie Y would have a little more class than having his jersey retirement last almost two hours. But given that it's the Red Wings doing the honors, who knows?