The Problem with NHL 11
Saturday · Sep 11 · 2010 | 7:07 AM PDTEvery 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.
Reader Comments (28)
The jerseys in NHL games are never accurate upon launch. They get updated after the season starts.
correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Edmonton say they will make a white version of their new home jersey, also Nashville still has their old jerseys from last year and there is no sign of the new white version.
Wow that is one ugly shoulder patch for the Wild, I believe that's a first for them !
I noticed that Minnesota logo at first... I would've sent something in about it, but suspected Chris had already gotten like 80 e-mails about it.
this is also true about the sabres. one minor thing i have noticed is that the font style on the vintage jersey, and the current home and winter classic (and ill just assume new away and 3rd) are wrong. the number font in the game is like chicagos but on the real jerseys its more like edmontons. so for the sabres, they usually get the jersey design right, but the style of the numbers wrong.
They screwed up the Hawks third jersey when the alternate jersey code came out last year. The font is 3 colors (black on red on tan) but they made it two colors (black on tan). Also the helmet logos were wrong, and the numbers on the back and sleeves were placed too high.
Also I think they screwed up Buffalo's thirds last year. (this season's home jersey)
also you cannot unlock the new predators uniforms, alot of people are gunna be mad
The Flyers don't have a black jersey as an alternative listed either. Idk if thats news or not, but it appears they dropped black finally..thank goodness
And let's not forget, we played NHL '96 the entire year with the Quebec Nordiques!
One other jersey mistake I saw in this game was when I played with the Flames. I went with the new retro alternates they introduced last year. The colors and the front of the jersey is accurate. Where they messed up bigtime was the number and letter fonts which are the ones from their standard road and home jerseys. I don't have a pic but if you play the game and pick Calgary you'll see exactly what I mean. Epic fail on EA's part there for not checking for jersey accuracy.
On a personal note, as a Thrashers fan I've been hoping for the last few years that they would put their original navy blue road uniforms in there but to no avail. A big plus though is getting the option to use the Whalers jerseys for the Canes. About time! :)
They also called the Memorial Cup the "OHL championship trophy" which is laughably inaccurate. Perfectionists they are not.
They don't have any creativity in the matter, if the art they get for creating is incorrect then there is nothing they can really do about it. Ya it sucks but hopefully they can patch it for the users connected to live or the network.
I'm pretty sure they have fixed the leafs shoulder patch as well as other small things like that. There was recently an article about the game in the Toronto Star, and the images show the correct shoulder patch. I think this problem was limited to the pre release version or something like that.
FYI, the Kaberle image looks like it is from the main menu of the game, where they normally just put stock photographs of players... not at all up-to-date
The Wild patch looks to be from the in-game jerseys, which EA goes through meticulously to try and get accurate
One of my Pet-Peaves with the NHL games is how you cant ever use the international teams jerseys they are just generic made and it drives me crazy. Does anybody know why they never have the real ones?
@KARIM I wished the Oilers would swich but it wont happen this year, living in Edmonton orange and blue is marketed a lot here and for what its worth copper and blue jerseys are a lot cheeper at stores than the orange and blue ones mabye hinting at a swich in the future? One can hope!
That Minnesota Wild one looks atrocious, I don't understand what was so wrong about their first one? The encircled Wild text with NHL Hockey inscripted in the circle. Hopefully that logo there is inaccurate.
The Leafs one on the other hand is obvious. I love their new jerseys, well shall I say "Old New" LOL. Glad they got the stripes and Leafs back on the jerseys.
Top notch stuff again Icethetics you never cease to amaze me!
Cheers,
LL
NHL 11 is sold out at every store in my county. I bought 2K11 instead a lot worse. For starters the controls don't work half the time. The wireless signal drops in and out. And some teams have extra jerseys others don't. The Sabres have there winter classic jersey and their 92 home jersey. Besides the 92 season patch it's the same jersey. Yet Montreal has none of their 100 year jerseys.
I wouldn't trust their renditions of anything. They still haven't updated the Phoenix gloves to all red, and I can't comprehend how they don't see the royal vs. navy mistakes they keep making with Buffalo.
Just be thankful you guys have got NHL 11, its not coming out in the UK until the 17th of this month. humph!
I haven't got the new version yet but ever since the Sharks changed their jersey 4 seasons ago they've had the wrong logo on the shoulder, they simply reused the main logo in the triangle instead of the one with the tail. I know they are very similar but as a Sharks fan it drives me crazy. Doubt they fixed it.
I can tell you that there is some merchandise showing up at the team store that has that style of "Wild" on the shoulder patch. Of course that doesn't mean the patch is real.
All the international teams are the generic EA jerseys and logos, EXCEPT team Finland! The have the SOUMI (or whatever it is) and the lion shield.
@ Pedro
They don't use the real International jerseys because they need to get a lisence from the IIFH. Very expensive, and i don't think the IIHF is really cooperating with EA. There was rumor that they were/are suppossed to get it with in the next few years. i don't understand them having Finlands jerseys in NHL11 tho. Unless finland international team made their own agreement with EA.
The Hershey Bears new throwback third jersey is on the game. It is supposed fairly accurate to what the actual jersey will look like. The only big differences will probably be font and piping. But the Skating Bear is back!
Pedro- They don't have the real International jerseys because they don't have the IIHF contract. I know, it stinks...especially for as much money as EA puts into their games, you would think they could afford the IIHF contract.
The only thing I can say about the Wild's away jersey is that they have all of them for sale at $99.00 at the hockey lodge and all other locations that sell the jerseys. My guess is they must be doing some changes to their white jerseys. I sure hope it isn't the ugly patch that EA has on NHL 11!
I really want to know what is up with the Hershey Bear's alternate jerseys. I love them (being a Bears fan and all), but they haven't announced a jersey yet (they should be sometime soon because of the 75th Anniversary games this year). Besides, as far as I know, their alternate jersey is similar to the Dallas jerseys, with Hershey arched over the player's number. So, unless they are dropping that for the one that is in NHL 11, they have yet to say so.
All teams that play in the old cities...Providence, Cleveland (Lake Erie), Hershey, Rochester, Springfield, and Syracuse...are going to have 75th anniversary throwbacks. Only Springfield and Syracuse have announced theirs though.
The Maples Leafs Jersey problem was already fixed by a patch at the day of release