The next iteration of the NHL video game series from EA Sports, NHL 24, will have a new cover athlete and it’s a superstar born and raised in Calgary, Alberta. Now one of the NHL’s premier defencemen, Cale Makar has been announced as the latest cover athlete for the long-time NHL series.
Cale Makar adds another bullet point to his resume
The 24-year-old has appeared in 238 career NHL games, putting up 65 goals and 181 assists for 246 total points. He’s also made 61 playoff appearances where he’s put up a more impressive 16 goals and 49 assists for 65 points.
Picking up the Calder Trophy in his first season in 2019–20, Makar went on to have a career year for the ages in 2021–22. Of course, this was the year the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup after finishing first in the Western Conference. On top of winning the Cup, the defenceman won the Norris Trophy for his regular season campaign and the Conn Smythe for his playoff efforts.
The Avalanche played just 20 total games en route to their Cup victory—sweeping the Nashville Predators and Edmonton Oilers, while winning in Game 6 versus the St. Louis Blues and Tampa Bay Lightning. In those 20 games, Makar scored eight goals and 21 assists for 29 total points, leading the team with Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon, and Gabriel Landeskog following with 25, 24, and 22 points, respectively.
Now being selected as the NHL 24 cover athlete, Makar joins an exclusive club that less than 40 NHLers have ever gotten the honours for. For Colorado, Makar joins Joe Sakic (NHL 2004) and Peter Forsberg (NHL 98) as the franchise’s cover athletes.
Calgary ties to the NHL series
As for ties to Calgary, Makar becomes the first Calgarian player to be on the cover. In past editions, Calgary Flames Dion Phaneuf (NHL 09) and Jarome Iginla (NHL 2003) have been featured as cover athletes. Coincidentally, both were born in Edmonton, Alberta and were the last Albertan products to cover athletes.
Now with Makar, the cover athlete once again hails from Alberta and the city of Calgary gets additional bragging rights. Who knows, maybe Makar will be spotted floating down the Bow River with the game raised high above his head soon enough.
Featured image from EA Sports.
