The Problem with NHL 11

Every year EA Sports turns out an updated edition of its popular NHL video game series. And every year, a handful of Icethetics readers scour their brand new copies for uniform "leaks." I get a lot of emails, some with information that turns out to be true and some that doesn't. The same is true this year with NHL 11.

"But Chris, EA is a licensed partner of the NHL and they have access to every aspect of every NHL uniform," you say, "why shouldn't we trust them?"

Leafs jersey in NHL 11This is why.

A reader recently sent in this photo from the game, showing Tomas Kaberle in the new Toronto Maple Leafs road jersey. Only problem is that the shoulder patch is the vintage third jersey logo — not the new patch unveiled this summer.

Will this be corrected in a software update? I don't know. But it just proves to me that while EA is good at making video games, they are not necessarily an accurate source for jersey news.

Now, having said that first, another reader wrote in about a change to the Minnesota Wild's road jersey in NHL 11. According to the game, they're getting a new shoulder patch.

Wild jersey in NHL 11So how accurate is this alteration? We won't know for sure until the team says something official or until the new season begins in October.

Of course if there is something new, we may get a sneak peek later this month when preseason action gets under way. In any event, this patch does match a new logo recently posted to one of our favorite sites, SportsLogos.net.

They're usually pretty good about accuracy, but the site says nothing about this being a shoulder patch. We'll keep an eye on it as the season gets started.

This patch would replace the script logo which has been in existence since the team's name was first revealed more than 10 years ago. It was designed by Rob Leuschke who was featured in a blog post back in October.