Toronto Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews named cover athlete for EA Sports NHL 20

Auston Matthews was the only Toronto Maple Leafs player to make an appearance at the 2019 NHL Awards as he was named the cover athlete for EA Sports NHL 20.

There wasn’t a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs that took home hardware at the 2019 NHL Awards, but a prominent member of the team did receive another distinction.

Auston Matthews was named as the cover athlete for the upcoming NHL 20 video game.

Unfortunately for Leafs fans that were on social media ahead of the show, the announcement didn’t come as a surprise.

Just hours before the announcement, Wal Mart Canada accidentally jumped the gun and had the cover on their site to preorder copies of the game.

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Cover votes in sports have become an annual event signalling the newest edition of a franchise. In the NFL, it’s looked at a little differently, as the “Madden Curse” has come into the spotlight.

The curse was more prevalent in the 2000s and early 2010s, with the likes of Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk, Michael Vick, Ray Lewis, Donovan McNabb, Brett Favre, and Larry Fitzgerald all going through rough seasons after gracing the cover of Madden.

In the NHL, it’s a different story, as the players on the cover have generally found success despite receiving the honour.

Matthews is coming off a campaign that saw him score over 35 goals for the second time in his career and finish with 73 points in 68 contests. In the playoffs, he was the driving force behind the Leafs’ offence, scoring five goals in the team’s first-round defeat at the hands of the Boston Bruins.

He’ll be the first Maple Leaf to be on the cover of a video game. Toronto has had several players on their rosters that were previous cover athletes. Eric Lindros (NHL ’99) and Owen Nolan (NHL ’01)  each made appearances while with the Philadelphia Flyers and San Jose Sharks, respectively.

The most recent example former captain Dion Phaneuf, who was the NHL ’09 cover athlete while he was still with the Calgary Flames.

Fans will be able to get their hands on the game on September 13. Details of the game should be released within the coming weeks.