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It's real: All 60 CHL teams to appear in NHL 2011

by: Ben Berry -
More On: NHL 2011
I woke up this morning and expected to see snow on the ground. Why you may ask would I expect to see snow on the ground in Boston, MA on 5/22?

Because appearantly, it's freaking Christmas day and no one told me.

We've been hearing rumors for weeks that EA had acquired the rights to include the 60 junior teams that comprise the Canadian Hockey League. Yesterday, as if bestowing on us a magical mid-May Christmas gift, the CHL announced that it isn't just rumor, but reality. This closes one of the last major holes in the development of hockey players throughout their career. It's easy to imagine exactly how this will work: create your Be a Pro player, and into juniors he goes. I hope he has to go through a draft as opposed to picking your team, but either way is mostly ok. Work your way up the junior ranks to catch the eyes of NHL scouts. Then get drafted and play in Juniors until you either earn an NHL sport, or are old enough to play in the AHL, which the game already has.

If they get this right and continue to tweak and improve last years game, there's no doubt NHL 2011 will be the clear frontrunner for Sports Game of the Year ... again.