2K Sports: NHL 2K10 – Alex Ovechkin

From/De: BHPR

2K Sports Signs NHL Superstar Alex Ovechkin Of The Washington Capitals As Cover Athlete For NHL 2K10
“Ovi” and friends hold first-ever public outdoor motion capture session tonight at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas

New York, NY – June 16, 2009 – 2K Sports announced today that Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, the 2009 Maurice “Rocket” Richard Award winner and Hart Memorial Trophy candidate, will be featured as the cover athlete and spokesman for the next iteration of the popular NHL 2K franchise, NHL® 2K10. While leading the National Hockey League (NHL) in goals scored for the second consecutive season, Ovechkin has become one of the most recognizable faces of the NHL in only his fourth season, and will bring his electrifying personality and unmatched passion for the game to NHL 2K10 this year.

“It’s a good time to be Ovi!,” said Ovechkin, left winger for the Washington Capitals. “It’s an incredible honour, and I look forward to working with 2K Sports to make NHL 2K10 the most fun and amazing hockey video game experience ever. I can’t wait to put some of my moves in there.”

In celebration of the announcement, Ovechkin will be participating in the first-ever public outdoor hockey motion capture session tonight at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas from 8:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. PT. Joining Ovechkin on the ice will be the Vancouver Canucks’ centre and 2009 Selke Trophy finalist, Ryan Kesler. Randy Hahn, the play-by-play commentator for the San Jose Sharks, will also participate in the session and serve as its host. Synthetic ice will be laid down at Caesars Palace to create a special hockey rink where 2K Sports’ game producers will put Ovechkin through a number of dynamic drills to capture his signature style data for NHL 2K10. The event will be free and open to the public to watch.

The 2009 NHL Awards™ will take place on Thursday, June 18 at 4:00 p.m. PT at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Ovechkin is one of three finalists that are being considered for the highly coveted Hart Memorial Trophy, an annual award given to the player judged to be the most valuable to his team. The winner is selected via a poll of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association in all NHL cities held at the end of the regular season. Ovechkin is also a finalist for the Lester B. Pearson Award, which honors the NHL’s most outstanding player as selected by the members of the NHL Players’ Association. Ovechkin was the winner of both awards last year, and has already received this year’s Maurice “Rocket” Richard Award for leading the NHL in goals scored during the regular season.

Ovechkin, also known to fans as “Ovi”, was the first overall selection in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft and is one of the most heart-pumping players to watch in the NHL today. After winning the Calder Memorial Trophy for Rookie of the Year in 2005-06, Ovechkin went on to lead the NHL during the 2007–08 season with 65 goals and 112 points to capture the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Award and Art Ross Trophy. That season, he also won the Lester B. Pearson Award and the Hart Memorial Trophy. He is the first player to win all four awards in the same season, and has participated in the NHL All-Star game in 2007, 2008, and 2009. This past season, Ovechkin led the NHL again with 56 goals, winning his second Maurice “Rocket” Richard Award in as many years, joining Jarome Iginla and Pavel Bure as only the third player to win the award twice, and the second player after Bure (2000–2001) to win the award in back-to-back seasons.

Developed by Visual Concepts, NHL® 2K10 is not yet rated by the ESRB and will be available this Autumn for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, and Wii™ system from Nintendo. For more information, please visit www.2ksports.com/games/nhl2k10.

2K Sports is a division of 2K, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).

About Take-Two Interactive Software
Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a global developer, marketer, distributor and publisher of interactive entertainment software games for the PC, PLAYSTATION®3 and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment systems, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Wii™ and Nintendo DS™. The Company publishes and develops products through its wholly owned labels Rockstar Games and 2K, which publishes its titles under 2K Games, 2K Sports and 2K Play. Take-Two also distributes software, hardware and accessories in North America through its Jack of All Games subsidiary. The Company’s common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol TTWO. For more corporate and product information please visit our website at www.take2games.com.

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NHL 2K10 is an Officially Licensed Product of the NHLPA. NHLPA, National Hockey League Players’ Association and the NHLPA logo are trademarks of the NHLPA. © NHLPA.

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