NHL 09 is the 18th video game in the
NHL seriesNHL is a series of professional ice hockey simulation video games developed by EA Canada and published yearly by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports brand...
released by
EA SportsEA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
. NHL 09 was first released in North America for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 on September 10, 2008, and on September 25, 2008 Australia, and September 26, 2008 in Europe. It was released for
Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
on October 22, 2008 in North America, and October 30, 2008 in Australia. NHL 09 for the
PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
was released in North America only on November 4, 2008.
New features
NHL 09 introduced several new features from the previous year's edition of the game. Features such as the defensive skill stick, dump-and-chase, and the lift stick option played into the advanced user's demographic. The option to play using the
NHL '94NHL '94 is an ice hockey game by EA Sports for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Super Nintendo and Sega CD, as well as the first release of the "NHL Hockey" series for PC/DOS, simply titled "NHL Hockey", without the "94" in the title. The game is officially licenced from the National Hockey League and...
controls, however, makes the game easy for even a beginner to play.
This year's edition of the game has also seen the return of the alternate jersey with a verification code as well expanded rosters such as the
O2 ExtraligaThe Czech Extraliga is the highest-level ice hockey league in the Czech Republic. As of 2009, it is ranked by the IIHF as the third strongest league in Europe....
and the
Russian SuperleagueThe Russian Superleague , commonly abbreviated as RSL, was the highest division of the main professional ice hockey league in Russia. It was considered the second best league in the world, after the National Hockey League of North America...
. (Russian Superleague is currently defunct, replaced by the
Kontinental Hockey LeagueThe Kontinental Hockey League is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. As of 2009, it is ranked as the strongest hockey league in Europe....
(KHL); the game was developed before the KHL was formed)
In order to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the
Montreal CanadiensThe Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
, NHL 09 has a feature where the greatest Canadiens play as an All-Star team known as the "Centennial Canadiens", which is included on all platforms.
The North American edition of the game features former
Calgary FlamesThe Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...
' defenseman
Dion PhaneufDion Phaneuf is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League...
on the cover. The Swiss version of the game shows
New York IslandersThe New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
' defenseman
Mark StreitMark Streit is a Swiss professional ice hockey defenceman and occasional forward and captain of the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League , also captaining the Swiss national team. He is presently one of five players in the NHL from Switzerland...
on the cover. There is also a Swedish cover version showing Ottawa Senators' captain
Daniel AlfredssonDaniel Alfredsson is a Swedish professional ice hockey player. He is the captain of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League . He is considered a leader by example and has been compared to former Detroit Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman in his value to the Senators...
. The cover on the Russian version features
Washington CapitalsThe Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
forward
Alexander OvechkinAlexander Mikhaylovich Ovechkin is a Russian professional ice hockey left winger and captain of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League...
.
There is a
Be a ProThe usage of be-a-pro mode is a repackaging of the player-lock feature with a primitive evaluation system added to rate the player's performance...
Mode in NHL 09 where you create a player or use a rookie NHL player and take him in the NHL (also included in EA Sports NBA Live and FIFA Soccer/Football series and is similar to Madden's Superstar Mode), new rookie controls, European dynasty leagues, all-new tutorial videos, and authentic NHL gameplay.
Online play
Players have the ability to create a player to use in online play. Users can join online teams with friends or find players to create on. There is now a 6-on-6 online team play. Users have the ability to level up players, participate in tournaments (with brackets), and receive awards at the end of the season. Rosters have been updated, as well as slap shot power and accuracy to compliment NHL updates. As of April 15, 2009, many rosters have automatically been changed for those with online capabilities. The PC version of NHL 09 does not come with an online lobby; users must find an opponent manually and enter in their
opponent'sCompetition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...
specific
wide area networkA wide area network is a telecommunication network that covers a broad area . Business and government entities utilize WANs to relay data among employees, clients, buyers, and suppliers from various geographical locations...
IP addressThe Internet Protocol is the principal communications protocol used for relaying datagrams across an internetwork using the Internet Protocol Suite...
. As of 2011, EA has removed the online capabilities of NHL 09.
NHL 94 controls
EA SportsEA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
has added an option to use an old, nostalgic style of controls to help players get used to the game. These controls will use the face buttons to do most of the work, such as 'A' being pass and 'B' being shoot instead of using the right-analog stick.
Alternate jerseys
For the
2008–09 NHL seasonThe 2008–09 NHL season was the 92nd season of operation of the National Hockey League . It was the first season since prior to the 2004–05 lockout in which every team played each other at least once during the season, following three seasons where teams only played against two divisions in the...
, certain NHL hockey teams unveiled
third jerseyA third jersey or alternate jersey is a sports team's alternate and/or throwback design for the previously established other two jerseys, the home and away outfits. Alternate jerseys are used in all four of the North American major professional sports leagues as well as college sports, semipro...
s for the first time after the 2007-08 switch to the Rbk Edge jersey system. The new alternate jerseys for certain teams can be unlocked with a code, the same way the Rbk Edge jerseys were unlocked in
NHL 08-Soundtrack:-Easter Eggs:* Wells Greeno-McNeil is the name of a child for the Make-A-Wish Foundation whose wish was to have his name and likeness in a videogame.* The default created player names are of the game's developers....
. The
Boston BruinsThe Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
were the last team to unveil their alternate jersey on November 24, 2008. Upon a new roster update that carries the alternate jerseys and many new players, there is no longer a need to enter the code. Unfortunately, many errors were committed when designing the jerseys; the
New York IslandersThe New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
' jersey was done incorrectly in that the name and numbering on the back of the jersey in NHL 09 is orange, while in real life it is white. Also, the logo on the front of the jersey is missing the fourth orange stripe on the hockey stick which was meant to symbolize their four Stanley Cup victories. The
Buffalo SabresThe Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
' third jersey was also portrayed incorrectly, lacking silver striping on the torso. This was also the case on the
Tampa Bay LightningThe Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...
jersey as it lacks the silver striping on the torso. The St. Louis Blues' third jersey is also incorrect, as the lettering is white instead of yellow in reality. The
Ottawa SenatorsThe Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
' uniform has the stripes on the pants running down the front of the thigh, instead of its proper and traditional place on the side. The
Philadelphia FlyersThe Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
' uniform has numbering and lettering too large and dark on the back of the jerseys as well as some alternate previous jerseys (such as the ones from 1975) have numbers and names not properly centered on the jerseys.
New European elite leagues
NHL 09 now includes the German DEL, the
Czech ExtraligaThe Czech Extraliga is the highest-level ice hockey league in the Czech Republic. As of 2009, it is ranked by the IIHF as the third strongest league in Europe....
, the Swedish
ElitserienElitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden...
, the Finnish
SM-liigaThe SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...
, and the
Russian SuperleagueThe Russian Superleague , commonly abbreviated as RSL, was the highest division of the main professional ice hockey league in Russia. It was considered the second best league in the world, after the National Hockey League of North America...
, with the latter now defunct, replaced by the
Kontinental Hockey LeagueThe Kontinental Hockey League is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. As of 2009, it is ranked as the strongest hockey league in Europe....
(KHL), though not featured in the game.
PC version
Just like the previous two entries in the series, the PC version is no longer developed to be equivalent to the
Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and versions and is a port of the
PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
version. This resulted in graphics below
NHL 08-Soundtrack:-Easter Eggs:* Wells Greeno-McNeil is the name of a child for the Make-A-Wish Foundation whose wish was to have his name and likeness in a videogame.* The default created player names are of the game's developers....
s fidelity and a notable lack of support for controllers and widescreen resolutions. NHL 09 was the last
EA SportsEA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
-based hockey game released for the
PCA personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
as well as the
PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
.
Similar to
NHL 2004NHL 2004, developed by the EA Black Box studios, is an ice hockey video game. It is the successor to NHL 2003 and is widely considered to be a major turning point in the NHL series. The game adds 3 European Elite Leagues: Germany's Deutsche Eishockey Liga , Sweden's Elitserien , and Finland's...
, NHL 09 has many large modding communities due to the lack of a new EA NHL product for PC. Some of these updates are jerseys, roster updates, facepacks (player portraits), player equiptment, and cyberfaces (in-game player faces). Besides these, other mods contain new interfaces, layouts, and mods with rosters from previous seasons. Sites such as
The Breakaway.net has a large modding community for NHL 09.
Absent Teams
- American Hockey League: Abbotsford Heat
The Abbotsford Heat are a professional ice hockey team based in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. The Heat began play during 2009-10 season, and are the affiliate of the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames...
, and Texas StarsThe Texas Stars are an American Hockey League team. They play in Cedar Park, Texas, near Austin.The team is the top affiliate of the NHL Dallas Stars. In April 2008, the Iowa Stars announced that they would no longer affiliate with the Dallas Stars, and changed the team's name to Chops for the...
- Deutsche Eishockey Liga: Kassel Huskies
The Kassel Huskies were a professional ice hockey team based in Kassel, Hesse, Germany. They played the majority of their seasons in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.The club was founded as ESG Kassel in 1977 and was renamed into EC Kassel in 1987...
and EHC Munchen
- Elitserien: none
- O2 Extraliga: HC Kometa Brno
- National Hockey League: none
- Russian Superleague: Khimik Moscow Oblast
Leagues
National Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
American Hockey LeagueThe American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
Deutsche Eishockey Liga
ElitserienElitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden...
O2 Extraliga
Russian SuperleagueThe Russian Superleague , commonly abbreviated as RSL, was the highest division of the main professional ice hockey league in Russia. It was considered the second best league in the world, after the National Hockey League of North America...
SM-LiigaThe SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...
Menus and in-game
NHL 09 features 16 different songs, according to the
EA TraxEA Trax is the title of the in-game soundtracks on some of EA Games' video games featuring up and coming artists, as well as mainstream artists. Music genres featured range from hip hop to rock, depending on the game's genre...
screen.
| NHL 2009 Soundtrack |
| Artist |
Song |
| Airbourne Airbourne are an Australian hard rock band formed in Warrnambool in 2001. Mainstay members are Joel O'Keeffe on lead vocals and lead guitar, his brother, Ryan O'Keeffe on drums, and David Roads on rhythm guitar and backing vocals. They were later joined by Justin Street on bass guitar and backing...
|
"Runnin' Wild" |
| Apocalyptica Apocalyptica is a band from Helsinki, Finland, formed in 1993. The band is composed of classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso and drummer Mikko Sirén...
featuring Tomoyasu Hoteiis a Japanese musician, guitarist and actor. In 2003, HMV Japan ranked Hotei at number 70 on their list of the 100 most important Japanese pop acts.- Life and career :...
|
"Grace "Grace" is a song by the Finnish cello metal band Apocalyptica, featuring Tomoyasu Hotei on guitar.The song is featured in NHL 09 video game.-Music video:...
" |
| Avenged Sevenfold Avenged Sevenfold is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California. Formed in 1999, the group consists of vocalist M. Shadows, lead guitarist Synyster Gates, rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance, bassist Johnny Christ....
|
"Afterlife "Afterlife" is a song by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. The is released as the third single from their self-titled album. The song itself features a string orchestra and was written by the band's drummer, The Rev. It was voted the best song of the new album on the band's homepage...
" |
Billy TalentBilly Talent is a Canadian post-hardcore band from Streetsville, Ontario. They formed in 1993 with Ben Kowalewicz as the lead vocalist, Ian D'Sa on lead guitar, bassist Jon Gallant and drummer Aaron Solowoniuk ....
featuring Anti-FlagAnti-Flag is a punk rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States, formed in 1988. The band is well known for its outspoken political views. Much of the band's lyrics have focused on fervent anti-war activism, criticism of United States foreign policy, corporatism, U.S. wealth...
|
"Turn Your Back "Turn Your Back" is the first demo single by Billy Talent from their third studio album, Billy Talent III. The song debuted live at The Norwegian Wood Festival in Oslo, Norway, on June 14, 2008 during their performance. Later performances of the song would be accompanied by Justin Sane and Chris #2...
" |
| Black Tide Black Tide is an American heavy metal band from Miami, Florida. Formed in 2004, the group is currently signed to Interscope Records and is composed of Gabriel Garcia , Austin Diaz , Zachary Sandler , and Steven Spence...
|
"Warriors of Time" |
Bullet for My ValentineBullet for My Valentine are a Welsh heavy metal band from Bridgend, formed in 1998. The band is composed of Matt Tuck , Michael Paget , Jason James , and Michael Thomas . They were formed under the name Jeff Killed John and started their music career by covering songs by Metallica and Nirvana...
|
"Hearts Burst into Fire "Hearts Burst into Fire" is a song by heavy metal band Bullet for My Valentine. The song was released as the second single from their second album, Scream Aim Fire....
" |
Coheed and CambriaCoheed and Cambria is an American progressive rock band from Nyack, New York. Formed in 1995, the group incorporates aspects of progressive rock, punk rock, metal and post-hardcore....
|
"The Running Free" |
| From First to Last From First to Last was an American rock band based out of Los Angeles, originally hailing from Valdosta, Georgia and Tampa, Florida. The band released their first EP titled Aesthetic in 2003 with vocalist Phillip Reardon, followed by Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has a Body Count in 2004 and Heroine in...
|
"Two As One" |
| Johnossi Johnossi is a rock duo from Saltsjöbaden, Stockholm, Sweden, consisting of songwriter, singer, guitarist John Engelbert and drummer, percussionist, singer Oskar "Ossi" Bonde...
|
"Execution Song" |
| Millencolin Millencolin is a punk rock band that was formed in October 1992 by Nikola Šarčević, Mathias Färm, and Erik Ohlsson in Örebro, Sweden. In early 1993, drummer Fredrik Larzon joined the band...
|
"Done Is Done" |
| Panic! at the Disco Panic! at the Disco is an American alternative rock duo, formed in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2005. Since its split, the band's line-up includes Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith . Former members Ryan Ross and Jon Walker left the group in 2009...
|
"Nine in the Afternoon"Nine in the Afternoon" is the first single from the second album by Panic! at the Disco, Pretty. Odd. It is the band's first song release that did not include the exclamation mark at the end of the "Panic" in their name, and was also the first song written for the album. The video was filmed on...
" |
| Phantom Planet Phantom Planet are an American alternative rock band from Southern California. Formed in 1994 in Los Angeles, the band consists of Alex Greenwald , Darren Robinson , Sam Farrar and Jeff Conrad . The band is best known for its track "California", which became the theme song for the Fox TV series,...
|
"Do the Panic" |
| Protest the Hero Protest the Hero is a Canadian progressive metal band from Whitby, Ontario. Originally named Happy Go Lucky, the band line-up has remained the same since their formation in 1999. The band changed their name to Protest the Hero shortly before releasing their debut EP, Search for the Truth, in 2002...
|
"The Dissentience" |
| Sons and Daughters Sons and Daughters are a rock band from Glasgow, Scotland.-Biography:Conceived while on tour with Arab Strap in 2001, Sons and Daughters was initially Adele Bethel's creation...
|
"Gilt Complex" |
| The Elms The Elms were an American rock and roll band known for their breed of rootsy, blues-based rock, with the essence of the music of the 60's and 70's. Although the band had been in existence since 2000, 2001 saw the release of their first full-length album, with the first musical contribution from...
|
"The Shake The Great American Midrange is the fourth and final original full-length album from American rock band The Elms. The album was released via the band's own Trust, Inc., label on September 15, 2009, and is the highest-charting album of The Elms' career, entering the Billboard Heatseekers chart at #18...
" |
| The Kills The Kills is a rock band formed by American singer Alison Mosshart and British guitarist Jamie Hince . Their first three albums, Keep On Your Mean Side, No Wow, and Midnight Boom, have garnered much critical praise...
|
"Cheap and Cheerful" |
In-game only
The game also features songs that are played only during whistles during games, and cannot be seen in the EA Trax screen.
- August Frost - "Krickets"
- August Frost - "Mask"
- August Frost - "Necessary Dissection"
- August Frost - "Strange Grace"
- TV Heart Attack - "Don't Walk Away"
- TV Heart Attack - "Hypnotic Eyes"
- TV Heart Attack - "Jane Doe"
- Young Dre The Truth
Andre Terry, usually known by his stage name Young Dre the Truth, is a rap artist and actor from Los Angeles, California, best known for his collaborations with EA Games soundtracks on games like Fight Night Round 4, Madden 09, Madden 10, The Sims 3, NBA Live 09 and NBA Live 10.-Music career:Andre...
- "I Love L.A."
Custom soundtracks can be imported to the game, but only on the
Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
versions.
Commentary
Jim HughsonJim Hughson is a Canadian sportscaster, best known for his play-by-play of professional ice hockey and baseball.-Biography:...
and
Craig SimpsonCraig Andrew Simpson is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey winger who played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers and the Buffalo Sabres...
provide commentary on the PC and PlayStation 2 versions.
Gary ThorneGary Thorne is a play-by-play announcer for ESPN and ABC, working Major League Baseball, College football and Frozen Four hockey contests. He is also the television play-by-play voice of the Baltimore Orioles...
and
Bill Clement are on the console versions.
Demo
A demo was released on the PlayStation Network on August 28, 2008, followed by the release of the same demo on the
Xbox Live MarketplaceThe Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content...
on September 3, 2008 at 5:00am ET. The demo includes tutorials for shooting, deking, and defensive moves while playing as 2008
Conn Smythe TrophyThe Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded annually to the player judged most valuable to his team during the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup playoffs. The Conn Smythe Trophy has been awarded 46 times to 40 players since the 1964–65 NHL season...
winner
Henrik ZetterbergHenrik “Zäta" Zetterberg is a Swedish professional ice hockey center and alternate captain currently playing for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League...
. Once the player finishes the tutorial (or the user can exit the tutorial via the pause menu), the user then has access to a single 3rd period game between the
Pittsburgh PenguinsThe Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
and
Detroit Red WingsThe Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
, symbolizing the
2008 Stanley Cup FinalThe 2008 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven playoff series that determined the National Hockey League champion for the 2007–08 season. As a culmination of the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings defeated the Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh...
, where the player may choose which team to play as. If the game remains a tie once the period is over, the game will immediately go to a shootout. The "Be a Pro" mode is also available in the demo for a single 3rd period game also between Pittsburgh and Detroit.
Henrik ZetterbergHenrik “Zäta" Zetterberg is a Swedish professional ice hockey center and alternate captain currently playing for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League...
and
Sidney CrosbySidney Patrick Crosby ONS is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League . Crosby was drafted first overall by the Penguins out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League...
are the only players available for the "Be a Pro" mode.
Easter eggs
- Sabrina Ladha, a female goalie, is listed as a free agent in the game with overall stats of 98 (70, with the latest roster update, 90 for Playstation 2 version as the highest-rated combined-style (hybrid-style) goaltender). She was entered into the game because her father won a charity auction with a winning bid of $7,000. The opportunity to be placed in NHL 09 was sold to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501 non-profit organization founded in the United States that grants wishes to children who have life-threatening medical conditions. The charity now operates in forty-seven countries around the world through thirty-six affiliate offices.The president & CEO of this...
.
Reception
Awards
- IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
Best of 2008:
- Best Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
Sports Game
- GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
Best of 2008:
- Best Sports Game
- Nominated for Game of the Year
- Nominated for Cooperative Multiplayer Game
- Spike TV Video Game Awards:
- GameTrailers
GameTrailers is a media website that specializes in video game related content. It provides free access to original programming , game trailers and recorded game play. Along with standard definition , many of the video clips are offered in a higher resolution .Users can upload videos, create...
Game of the Year Awards:
- Best Sports Game
- Nominated for Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
Game of the Year
External links