As another summer comes to a close, another NHL game from EA appears in the shape of the cunningly-titled NHL 09. New features abound in this update of the much admired series, including the funky fresh Be A Pro mode, wherein you create a player for an entire career. Earn trophies and your very own hockey card as your coach rates you in 60 categories. Play well, or you might get traded. NHL 09 has a feature that has crept into a number of EA Sports titles - you can take your newly-created player online, join a team, and become one of the first to experience massively multiplayer online play in a sports video game. Featuring live 6 versus 6 team play, you can try to become the first great name in online hockey. There's also a new defensive Skill Stick. NHL 08 provided true offensive prowess with the Skill Stick - now you have the power to stop it. Block passing lanes with 360 degree control of your stick or disrupt an opponent's one-timer by lifting their stick just before they receive a pass. Those NHL vets who look back to a simpler time will delight in the inclusion of a simplified version of the game that harks back to the two-button system of NHL 94, and with the addition of the Czech, Russian and German leagues, NHL 09 has truly gone global.