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NHL 15 coming to next-gen consoles; cover vote announced

EA Sports

The release of NHL 15 by EA Sports is still months away, but on Monday we got our first bits of info for the next edition of the videogame. First, yes, the game will be coming to PS4 and XBOX ONE, along with PS3 and XBOX 360 sometime this fall.

Next, the NHL 15 cover boy will once again be chosen via a fan vote featuring Drew Doughty, Patrice Bergeron, Erik Karlsson, P.K. Subban, T.J. Oshie, Phil Kessel, Logan Couture and Matt Duchene. After three rounds of voting, which kicks off today, the winner will be announced during the 2014 NHL Awards on June 24 in Las Vegas.

Here's the teaser trailer for the game:

From EA Sports (some of these features are for next-gen consoles only):

12 Player NHL Collision Physics – For the first time, real-world physics affect every player through every on-ice collision with the new 12 Player NHL Collision Physics. Utilizing the power of the new consoles, and building off the critically-acclaimed NHL Collision Physics system, every player on the ice is governed by physics at all times. Feel the hard-hitting chaos of NHL hockey through true-to-life secondary collisions, net scrambles and player pileups, capturing the desperation of every shift.

Real Puck Physics – The puck is one of the most complex items in the game to authentically replicate and it finally gets its due in NHL 15. Completely rebuilt puck physics result in a more realistic feel to every puck interaction. Everything on the ice, including the ice surface itself, is live which leads to the unpredictable and authentic puck spins, rolls and bounces seen in a real NHL game.

Authentic Player & Equipment Models – The Next Generation Hockey Player has been rebuilt from the ice up. Now player models have three distinct layers - the body, equipment, and jersey. Each layer interacts independently, making every contact with the puck or other players even more realistic. Dynamic Cloth technology adds an extra layer of realism as it reacts to the player’s movement as they explode up the ice, helping bring the speed of the game to life.  

Over 9,000 Crowd Models – NHL 15 sets a new standard in videogames with more than 9,000 individual crowd models with 4x the animations of previous generations. Take a look through the glass and you’ll see fans hold up signs with your name on them, costume wearing superfans, or even sections full of team rivals rooting against you.

Authentic Arenas – There is no feeling like being there, and we are giving you the best seats in the house.  The power of the next-gen consoles finally allows the NHL franchise to capture every detail of an NHL arena. Unique arena elements from more than 19,000 seat capacities to lighting and player entrance tunnels are captured with a level of detail not possible on the previous generation.  Now those home games will truly feel like home.

NHL 15 also says goodbye to the play-by-play duo of Gary Thorne and Bill Clement. EA has partnered with NBC Sports and will not only revamp their in-game presentation, but will also introduce Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk as the commentary team with TSN's Ray Ferraro playing the "Inside the Glass" role.

The fact that NHL 15 includes Canadian Hockey League teams makes us sad that Pierre McGuire won't have a role in the game. How will we know where our second-round draft pick played junior hockey? Or who his teammates were in college?

OK, we're just looking for another excuse to play the Pierre McGuire Drinking Game...

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Sean Leahy

is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!