Number 97 is a 99. Electronic Arts (EA) announced earlier this week that Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid will be rated 99 overall (OVR) in NHL 27, the latest installment in the 35-year-old video game franchise, slated to be available to gamers on Sept. 11. The maker of the long-running NHL video game series said on Monday it’s the first time a player has reached the ceiling of its rating system, even though other players have been rated 99 or even 100 in 1990s versions of the game, including Mario Lemieux, Ray Bourque, Joe Sakic, Dominik Hasek, Jaromir Jagr, Teemu Selanne, Peter Forsberg, Martin Brodeur and Paul Kariya. NHL legend Wayne Gretzky, the NHL’s all-time leading scorer by a wide margin who wore No. 99, was never rated 99 in any of the EA Sports games he appeared in, although his scoring heyday came in the 1980s with the Oilers. He retired in 1999 with 2,857 regular-season points, which is still more than 900 points than No. 2 Jagr on the all-time NHL scoring list. EA Sports said on Monday that the “real-world dominance” by McDavid, last season’s NHL leading scorer, “translates directly to how he plays in NHL 27,” highlighting the superstar’s explosive speed that creates separation from opponents, elite vision that helps him find passing lanes and scoring opportunities, and “unmatched” puck control that allows him to weave through on-ice traffic at full speed. “A 99 OVR is the ceiling of our rating system, representing a standard that few reach,” EA Sports said. “It is reserved for players who demonstrate mastery across almost every facet of the game.”
