The Edmonton Oilers captain was announced as EA Sports' first 99-rated hockey player, despite the fact that several others have received 99 or above ratings in past editions of the popular video game franchise.
It has been three years since Connor McDavid won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player. But that didn't stop EA Sports from declaring the Edmonton Oilers captain as the best player — perhaps ever — in its latest NHL 97 video game.
On Monday, the popular hockey game franchise announced that McDavid had joined the "NHL 99 Club" and declared that he was "its first-ever member."
Except, he isn't.
As some fans were quick to point out, there have been several players (at least 10) who have earned a 99 rating in the past. Mario Lemieux reportedly received a perfect 100 rating in NHL 94, something that Sergei Fedorov, Dominik Hasek, Eric Lindros, and Jaromir Jagr all received in NHL 98.
"This is utter nonsense," tweeted @miketgould on X. "Anyway, this is another instance of EA forgetting about its own history."
"Can say I’m surprised you guys forgot your own history," tweeted @BluColarTweaker.
EA Sports' NHL franchise has undergone several significant changes to its game play engine over the years, so maybe the 99 rating is specific to this "version" of the game. If so, McDavid is the first 99-rated player in the so-called modern era of the PS4 and PS5 versions of the game.
Either way, it's a stick tap to a player who despite not having won a Stanley Cup, is overwhelmingly considered the most talented player in the NHL. That it comes at a time when 20-year-old Macklin Celebrini was chosen as the cover athlete is a suggestion that McDavid's reign is not coming to an end.
If anything, it could be a sign that this upcoming season could be McDavid's most successful yet.
"A 99 OVR is the ceiling of our rating system, representing a standard that few reach," EA Sports said in a release. "It is reserved for players who demonstrate mastery across almost every facet of the game."
According to EA Sports, McDavid's video game avatar will have several features that distinguishes him from other players in the game, such as:
- Explosive Speed: Create separation and attack defenders off the rush.
- Elite Vision: Find passing lanes and opportunities others can’t.
- Unmatched Puck Control: Attack at speed and weave through traffic without slowing down.
A lot of those attributes are familiar to anyone who has watched McDavid dominate over the years. And yet, some fans wondered why it took EA Sports this long to give McDavid the 99 rating.
"No one is disputing that Connor deserves the honour; quite frankly, he probably should have been a 99 overall player after his 153-point season in 2022-23," wrote Avry Lewis-McDougall. "But what the 99 Club *should* have been was a celebration of all players receiving the honour, for a wider celebration of the mark."
Indeed, this was a missed opportunity for EA Sports to acknowledge all of the Hall of Fame players who have earned a 99 or above rating in previous years. As McDougall wrote, EA Sports could have honored their past — and looked ahead to its present and future by naming all of those who have earned the special rating.
Maybe the video game franchise will do that once Celebrini, who is the highest-paid player in the NHL, receives his 99 rating next year. Or maybe he'll surpass McDavid and get a 100 rating.
If so, he won't be the first.
