Chicago Blackhawks’ Jonathan Toews to grace cover of NHL 11 video game

Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews was today (June 21) announced as the athlete on the cover of the North American edition of EA Sports’ NHL 11, to be released in September.

Toews’s teammate Patrick Kane was featured on NHL 10. This is the first time that EA Sports has used players from the same team in back-to-back years.

The 22-year-old captain of the Blackhawks led his team to its first Stanley Cup victory since 1961, and took the Conn Smythe Trophy—awarded to the most valuable player in the NHL playoffs—while doing so.

That happened mere months after Toews helped Canada’s men’s team win gold at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Toews is the youngest member of the Triple Gold Club—those who have won gold in a World Championship, the Winter Olympics, and a Stanley Cup—that includes notable players such as Joe Sakic and Scott Niedermayer.

In a press release, Toews said he was excited to be on the cover of NHL 11. “It’s been an amazing year for me and the team, and it’s nice to end it by being a part of a game I played growing up. The NHL games have always been great, so it’s an honour for me to be a part of the EA Sports family.”

NHL 11, for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, includes gameplay innovations including broken sticks and a new face-off system, to go along with the board and fighting improvements that were introduced in NHL 10.