Following the recent unveiling of Wayne Gretzky, Chris Chelios, and Ray Bourque, EA Sports has now revealed the rest of the powered-up “Legends” that players can take on the ice in NHL12.
This video shows the additions of goalkeeper Patrick Roy and Jeremy Roenick. Patrick Roy was a prototype for the modern butterfly goaltender and no matter what team he was playing against, he gave his Canadians and later, Avalanche, a chance to win. Roy ended up a rare instance of a goalkeeper being named Playoff MVP in 1986; he did this as a rookie. Jeremy Roenick’s most celebrated playing days were in Chicago, helping the Blackhawks to a Stanley Cup finals appearance in 1992. He’d go on to make an impact on any team he played for, eventually becoming only the third American hockey player to score 500 NHL goals.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItKTJ8prOYI[/youtube]
The next video below reveals Detroit center Steve Yzerman and Toronto defenseman Börje Salming. One of the best leaders in the game and multiple time Stanley Cup Champion in the Motor City, Yzerman is now managing the Tampa Bay Lightning, which is probably why the producers opted to have some fun decking him out in a Bolts uniform and making plays with Stamkos. Börje “The King” Salming was a one-season teammate of Yzerman’s in Detroit, but Toronto is where he really made his mark. The NHL is now stacked with plenty of European players, but Salming was among the first huge European hockey stars to come to North America.
And EA’s last video of the bunch shows “Super” Mario Lemiuex and “Mr. Hockey” Gordie Howe. Howe served as an idol for that one guy, what was his name…oh yeah, Wayne Gretzky. A talented scorer who took no crap from anybody, he is immortalized for the “Gordie Howe Hat-Trick,” which is when a hockey player scores a goal, records an assist, and gets into a fight all in the same game; hail Howe. Mario Lemiuex powered the Pittsburgh Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cups in the early 90’s. Named the game’s most outstanding individual talent of all time by The Hockey News, Mario’s health sadly kept him from playing very many full seasons. Plagued by Hodgkin’s Disease and a disc herniation, among other chronic injuries, he retired early, but would return four years later.
Packed with these legends of the past as well as guys who will surely be in the “Legends” lineup in some hockey game 15 years from now, NHL 12 will be shipped to North American stores on September 9th and European ones on the 13th.
