989 Sports® Strikes Gold Naming Olympic Gold Medalist and NHL Defenseman Rob Blake Cover Athlete for NHL FaceOff™ 2003
Four-Time NHL All-Star and Former Stanley Cup Champion Brings Gritty, Hard-Hitting Style to the Newest Edition of the FaceOff Franchise
PRNewswire
FOSTER CITY, Calif.
09/18/2002
Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. announced today that NHL All-Star defenseman Rob Blake has signed a deal to join the 989 Sports® team as the cover athlete for NHL FaceOff™ 2003. A member of the 2002 Gold Medalist Canadian Olympic Hockey Team, Blake becomes the newest member to join the elite list of 989 Sports cover athletes. NHL FaceOff 2003, available for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, will be in stores in October.
(Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000510/SFW104-a )
A 12-year veteran of the NHL, Blake is a former Norris Trophy winner (given annually to the League's top defenseman) and was a member of the 2001 Stanley Cup® Champion Colorado Avalanche. The six-foot, four-inch, 225 pounder is known for his strong two-way play using his size to dominate opponents in his own zone and using his strong puck handling ability to control the play offensively. Last season, the Simcoe, Ontario native led the Avalanche to the Western Conference Finals as he was among the leaders of NHL defenseman in points, plus/minus, and powerplay points. Before joining the Avalanche in 2001, Blake spent 10 seasons with the Los Angeles Kings where he was twice named team MVP and helped the club reach the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history. During his years in Los Angeles, Blake was also a leader in the community receiving the Kings Care Foundation's Community Service Award three times, and he was selected by The Sporting News as one of their "Good Guys in Sports" which is awarded to professional athletes who are active in their community.
"We are thrilled that Rob Blake has become the newest member of our heralded 989 Sports team," said Ami Blaire, director, product marketing, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "Blake is a tremendous fit with our organization as he continues our commitment to athletes that excel both in their sport and in their community. His tenacious defense and his strong slap-shot are a perfect fit for the high-flying, exciting NHL action replicated in NHL FaceOff 2003, the most authentic hockey game available for the PlayStation 2.
NHL FaceOff 2003 brings all the thunderous checks, precision passing, and hard slap-shots that are a staple of NHL hockey to the PlayStation 2 entertainment system. The franchise, long known for delivering a realistic hockey simulation featuring fast gameplay combined with tight, intuitive play controls, includes an all-new Career Mode this year allowing gamers to live the life of a General Manager and build their team from scratch. With all 30 NHL arenas recreated in lifelike detail, down to the championship banners hanging from the rafters, players will feel the intensity of playoff hockey all season long.
The independent Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rates NHL FaceOff 2003 "E" for Everyone. For more information about the ESRB visit http://www.esrb.org/.
About 989 Sports
989 Sports® is the sports software brand of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Known for its top-selling sports franchise titles such as NFL GameDay™, MLB™, NBA ShootOut, NHL FaceOff™, NCAA® Final Four® and NCAA® GameBreaker™, 989 Sports is committed to developing authentic and innovative sports games to appeal to both the professional athlete and hard-core sports videogame fan.
About Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.
Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. continues to redefine the entertainment lifestyle with its PlayStation® and PS one™ game console, and the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. The PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system is set to revolutionize the home entertainment market, offering the most compelling interactive content and the capability to be used as a network terminal in the coming broadband era.
Recognized as the undisputed industry leader, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. markets the PlayStation family of products and develops, publishes, markets and distributes software for the PSOne game console and the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system for the North American market. Based in Foster City, Calif. Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. serves as headquarters for all North American operations and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000510/SFW104-aAP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, 1-888-776-6555 or +1-212-782-2840
SOURCE: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.
CONTACT: Ron Eagle, +1-858-824-5585, or ron_eagle@playstation.sony.com,
or Ben Schechter, +1-858-824-5689, or ben_schechter@playstation.sony.com, both
of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.; or Rick Heineman,
+1-310-274-7800, or rheineman@bncpr.com, for Sony Computer Entertainment
America Inc.
Web site: http://www.esrb.org/
Web site: http://www.989sports.com/
Web site: http://www.playstation.com/