Image Courtesy of PGH
Things like this don’t usually make me too mad, because video game ratings don’t really matter, but after some stats from EA’s NHL 2010 leaked (HT PGH via JapersRink) I felt like I had to chime in. According to their screenshots from this year’s installment, Mike Green, Norris Trophy runner-up was rated an 84 Overall. This isn’t completely unheard of considering that EA’s NHL ratings are far stricter than their other professional sports titles. For example, Madden regularly has a few 98s and 99s overall, while the top three forwards in hockey (Crosby, Malkin and Ovi) received a 94, 93, and 92 overall rating respectively. I’m not even going to rant about the fact that the two-time reigning MVP doesn’t at least match the ratings of his Steel City Counterparts (because according to burghers, he doesn’t play any defense, pass, or look like a guy that could win homecoming king). The reality is that Malkin and Crosby are great players and deserve the credit they receive. However, Greenie was absolutely robbed by the game designers. Green was CONSISTENTLY the highest rated player among all NHL defenders according to TSN.ca, and had a record-breaking season in 2008-2009. Green is not the most defensively responsible blueliner, but he’s one of, if not the league’s biggest gamebreaker at the position. Let’s compare Mike to two of the Pittsburgh defenders that were also leaked.
| Player | Age | Overall | Off. Awareness | Def. Awareness | Speed | Agility | Discipline |
| Mike Green | 23 | 84 | 89 | 80 | 84 | 83 | 78 |
| Sergei Gonchar | 35 | 87 | 95 | 82 | 85 | 84 | 79 |
| Alex Goligoski | 24 | 79 | 84 | 75 | 84 | 84 | 84 |
No one can question the value that Sarge had to the Penguins down the stretch last season. The guy will always be one of my favorite Caps, and it’s hard to get down on him. He’s been one of the most consistent offensive defensemen in the league for many years now, and he still has a few good ones left in him if he can stay healthy. I would say that 87 is a pretty fair assessment of where he falls overall. Goligoski is a guy that hasn’t been able to crack the Pens roster full time but is very highly regarded by the organization. His Overall is also fairly accurate considering his potential. However, when you throw Green into the mix, how do you give him an offensive awareness rating that is closer to GoGo’s than Gonchar’s? I can’t deny the impact Gonch can have on offense, but he’s never had the kind of impact that Greenie did this past season. Green has proven himself to be a more swift and maneuverable skater in only two seasons in a starring role, so I also don’t feel as though he doesn’t deserve to be placed below both or tied with them in speed and agility. I also find it pretty questionable that two veterans have a significantly lower discipline rating than a guy that only has 48 games of NHL experience. Anyway, what I think I’m getting at is that Mike Green was completely short-changed by EA, and I certainly hope that he proves them wrong this year with an even better campaign than his last. Get ‘em Greenie.
