Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Did the EA cover jinx catch up with Kane?

You may have heard of the Madden Curse, where the NFL player gracing the cover of the popular video game often befalls an injury-ridden or otherwise dubious season that year. The jinx isn't limited to football. A number of NHL cover boys have befallen sad fates, including the most recent, Patrick Kane.
  • 2010 - Patrick Kane and his cousin James were arrested for attacking a cab driver in his hometown Buffalo.
  • 2009 - Dion Phaneuf had the worst season of his young career, turning out his lowest goal (11) and point (47) totals as well as his first minus year (-11). While that's still better than most NHL defenseman, he was the only one called out for enjoying Sean Avery's sloppy seconds.
  • 2008 - Eric Staal, his brother Jordan and 12 others were arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct after enjoying Eric's bachelor party a little too much.
  • 2005 - Markus Naslund has the dubious distinction of gracing the cover during the lockout year, but that didn't make him immune from the jinx. His point total declined every since the lockout despite the more "open" game.
  • 2004 - Dany Heatley crashed his Ferrari into a wall four days after the game's release. Teammate Dan Snyder died in the accident and Heatley was seriously injured. EA replaced Heatley on the cover with Joe Sakic. Joe Thorton was the original cover choice but was replaced by Heatley after being charged with assaulting police.
  • 2003 - Jarome Iginla dropped out of the top 30 scorers after leading the league in 2001-02.
  • 2002 - Mario Lemieux cut his injury plagued season short after winning gold at the Olympics in Salt Lake City.
  • 2001 - Owen Nolan played just 57 games in an injury-riddled season.
  • 1999 - Eric Lindros put up 93 points in 71 games, but his season ended abruptly after suffering a collapsed lung.
So who's escaped the jinx? John Vanbiesbrouck (1997), Peter Forsberg (1998), Chris Pronger (2000), Vincent Lecavalier (2006), and Alexander Ovechkin (2007).

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