EA Sports has announced that Patrick Kane, the 20-year old right winger for the Chicago Blackhawks, has been picked to grace the cover of the upcoming NHL 10. At 20, Kane, the 2008 Calder Trophy winner for Rookie of the Year, is the youngest player to be named to the cover of an NHL game. Hockey fans out there (both of them) already know that Kane is one of the NHL's most promising young prospects, having scored over 70 points in both of his first two seaons, and further, having led the previously lowly Blackhawks to this year's Western Conference Finals.

Kane was happy to get the cover, and set down his non-alcoholic champagne long enough to give this quote, "It’s exciting to be on the cover of my favorite videogame after playing just my second year as a professional. When you look back at some of the great players who have had this opportunity, it’s an honor to be a part of the EA SPORTS family and contribute to a game I’ve been playing for more than 10 years.”

I think it's probably fair to say that Kane never really said those words, they sound a bit too PR-ish to me. But I can imagine that the increased exposure and paycheck he'll be getting for being the cover athlete are reason enough for him to get excited. With 2K nailing down Alexander Ovechkin for their upcoming NHL game, I'm a bit surprised that EA didn't go with a slightly bigger name for their cover. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that Sidney Crosby, one of the league's biggest stars and Stanley Cup champion, would move a lot more units than Patrick Kane. Although since NHL 09 was such a great game, maybe EA is convinced this will sell no matter what.