Sarah Nurse says the timing couldn’t be better to be the first woman to grace the cover of EA Sports’ NHL 23.
The 27-year-old from Hamilton joined Anaheim Ducks centre Trevor Zegras as the faces of the video game’s next edition unveiled Thursday.
Nurse, who contributed a goal and an assist in Canada’s 4-1 win to open the women’s world hockey championship Thursday in Denmark, says it’s another step for the visibility of women’s game.
“I think there’s a lot to be celebrated with women’s hockey, especially right now,” Nurse said in Herning. “To have it come out just before the world championship is also bringing another spotlight on our tournament here.”
Nurse was named to the Olympic tournament’s all-star team in Beijing in February. She set a tournament points record with five goals and 18 assists. Nurse scored the first goal of the final won 3-2 by Canada over the U.S.
She has a career 14 goals and 27 assists in 58 games played for Canada.
Hockey Hall of Famers Hayley Wickenheiser and Angela Ruggiero were the first women to be featured on EA Sports game rosters in 2012.
When EA added International Ice Hockey Federation content to NHL 22, entire women’s hockey teams became playable for the first time.
EA Sports NHL 23 will launch Oct. 14 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 25, 2022.
The Canadian Press
