RHL '23 Cover Athlete Unveiled

October 9, 2022 by Hieronymous MacMillan

We've come a long way in the history of hockey on console gaming. 

I can vividly recall going down to the local mall and walking past the Radio Shack (some of you might not remember these as I'm not sure they exist anymore). To attract shoppers they'd have a tv hooked up to a console at the entrance. The game would change from week to week, a sample version that would let you play a level or two before returning to the main menu screen. It was here for the first time I played NHL Hockey. 

That's right. NHL Hockey. I am "no year after NHL" hockey years old. And it was glorious. I was hooked. I didn't own a Sega Genesis/MegaDrive at the time, so best believe I went down to Radio Shack as often as I could to play the one period it allowed you. 
And the NHL superstar who graced the cover of that first ever EA NHL game, the one that spawned a franchise that still exists and is thriving to this day? Glenn Healy. Glenn fucking Healy. Glenn Healy in a Los Angeles Kings jersey, despite the fact he played for the Islanders the season before. 

I never thought much about Glenn Healy as a player. I won't go into my feelings of him present day as an on-screen hockey personality (simply put, NOT a fan). But someone at EA thought Healy would be the player who would be their cover athlete. I can think of about 735 players who would have been a better choice. Hell, I would have preferred a puck. But I digress. 

Some true legends of the game have been on the cover since then. Peter Forsberg, Mario Lemieux, Jarome Iginla, Martin Brodeur, plus Alex Ovechkin and Auston Matthews who are just so good they've booked the gig twice. 
The correlation seems to be that if you're really good at hockey, at some point you'll get your mug on the cover. With the exception of Glenn Healy....

Now at this point you might be wondering where I'm going with all of this. Well, RHL '23 is set to be released in very short order. And what would a hockey game be without its cover athlete? There'd be no shortage of good options after this past year in the RHL. Conn Smythe and Vezina winner Jakob Markstrom, league MVP and Art Ross winner Mikko Rantanen, or young superstars like reigning Norris trophy winner Cale Makar and Calder winner Kirill Kaprizov. 

But in this era of participation awards where no one goes home without a ribbon and our desire for nostalgia it seems only fitting who was chosen. An unofficial passing of the torch for an unofficial game, from one goalie to another. 
Your RHL '23 cover athlete is........  Jakub Skarek. 

It's his reward for enduring a season of pain for him and Chicago fans. In 61 starts he posted an .876 SP%, 3.78 GAA and a measly 7 in the wins column (for comparison, Chicago's backup David Tendeck started 21 games and had 5 wins). On top of that, the Blackhawks went out and acquired Robin Lehner and Brian Elliot to share net duties so Skarek won't even get the chance to improve upon his abysmal stats from last year. 

So, Jakub Skarek, we honour you by making you the poster boy for what will undoubtedly become an annual league tradition. It may not always be the worst goalie in the league, but this year it is. From Glenn (ugh) Healy to Jakub Skarek, a tradition is born.