CHL, EA Sports cut four-year deal

The CHL announced Friday that it has entered into a four-year agreement with EA Sports and that it will be part of NHL11, which is due to hit the stores on Sept. 7.
That announcement highlighted a news conference Friday at the 2010 MasterCard Memorial Cup.
First out of the chute will be games for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
“We’re delighted to be associated with the leader in the sports video industry worldwide and to showcase our product alongside our partners at the National Hockey League,” said Ron Robison, the WHL commissioner and CHL vice-president.
Andy Agostini, an associate producer with EA Sports, added that the agreement “will allow the best junior hockey players in the world to be in the EA Sports NHL series of video games.”
He added that “the excitement level when people heard that this might be coming into NHL 11 has surpassed even our expectations.”
He said all three leagues and all 60 teams will be included, as will authentic Reebok jerseys and authentic venues.
“We’ll have it in the Play Now, which is our exhibition games, so you can play two CHL teams against each other,” he said.
“We’ll have Season Mode so you can take a team from any of the leagues, go through a season and work your way to the Memorial Cup.
“You can take your team through the Playoff Mode — you won’t have to do the whole season — and a MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament.
“We also have every player associated with their proper NHL franchise if they have been drafted. If you have not been drafted, you will be eligible in our Be A GM Mode.”
Agostini said EA Sports has about eight weeks left in game development.
Robison said the CHL isn’t looking this as a commercial venture, so no money will be flowing towards players.
“We view this purely as a promotional exercise. There is really no financial benefit to the Canadian Hockey League or our teams or players. We were just delighted to be asked to be part of it. . . . No, it’s not a commercial venture; it’s really a promotional venture from our standpoint to elevate the awareness of our program.
“Also, it’s evident that we need to connect with the younger fan-base demographic . . . the youths in this country and abroad, and we think this is a great way to get there.”