NHL hockey is a sport of big hits, but I just didn’t know the hits could get this big.
A viral video of EA Sports hockey game NHL 13 (available now for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 for $59.99) shows all-star defenseman Zdeno Chára laying an ungodly check on superstar center Sydney Crosby. The hit sends the young Canadian flying over the glass and into the stands. You can find the original “Hercules Check” on 2BC Production’s YouTube channel (but EA shows the important bit in the video below.)
While the 6-foot 9-inch, 255-pound Chara has the ability to really destroy a player with his hits, even he is probably not capable of such a superhuman act.
Well, EA Sports has release a video of their own that explains the painstaking procedures the development team adheres to in order to maintain authenticity:
OK, well, that’s obviously a joke.
EA’s video shows the development team working in its motion-capture studio. One of the producers appears on screen to explain how when a big guy hits a small guy, the small guy should go flying. The point is punctuated by one of the motion-capture actors hitting a dummy who then flies several yards up and away.