2K Sports announced today that Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, the 2009 Maurice “Rocket” Richard Award winner and Hart Memorial Trophy candidate, will be featured as the cover athlete and spokesman for the next iteration of the NHL 2K10. While leading the National Hockey League (NHL) in goals scored for the second consecutive season, Ovechkin has become one of the most recognizable faces of the NHL in only his fourth season, and will bring his electrifying personality and unmatched passion for the game to NHL 2K10 this year.
 
Ovechkin will be participating in the first-ever public outdoor hockey motion capture session tonight at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas from 8:30 p.m. - 11:30 p.m. PT. Joining Ovechkin on the ice will be the Vancouver Canucks’ centre and 2009 Selke Trophy finalist, Ryan Kesler. Randy Hahn, the play-by-play commentator for the San Jose Sharks, will also participate in the session and serve as its host. Synthetic ice will be laid down at Caesars Palace to create a special hockey rink where 2K Sports’ game producers will put Ovechkin through a number of dynamic drills to capture his signature style data for NHL 2K10. The event will be free and open to the public to watch.

Ovechkin, also known to fans as “Ovi”, was the first overall selection in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft and is one of the most heart-pumping players to watch in the NHL today. After winning the Calder Memorial Trophy for Rookie of the Year in 2005-06, Ovechkin went on to lead the NHL during the 2007–08 season with 65 goals and 112 points to capture the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Award and Art Ross Trophy. That season, he also won the Lester B. Pearson Award and the Hart Memorial Trophy. He is the first player to win all four awards in the same season, and has participated in the NHL All-Star game in 2007, 2008, and 2009. This past season, Ovechkin led the NHL again with 56 goals, winning his second Maurice “Rocket” Richard Award in as many years, joining Jarome Iginla and Pavel Bure as only the third player to win the award twice, and the second player after Bure (2000–2001) to win the award in back-to-back seasons.

Developed by Visual Concepts, NHL 2K10 is not yet rated by the ESRB and will be available this Autumn for Xbox 360, PS 3, PS 2, and Wii.