With the Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks poised to meet in the Stanley Cup Final, the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) in association with Electronic Arts announced a four year agreement that will see the league included in EA SPORTS NHL products. The three regional leagues that make up the CHL, including the Western Hockey League (WHL), the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), will all have their teams and players represented in EA SPORTS NHL 11 when it becomes available in retail stores this September.

Electronic Arts will introduce Online Pass content for EA Sports games starting with the launch of Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 11. The new program rewards game owners with a game-specific, one-time-use registration code for online services, features and bonus content. Each title-specific Online Pass may be used with upcoming releases of EA Sports simulation games on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

EA Sports used the 75th NFL Draft to crown its football cover athlete. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has been chosen by fans to be featured on the cover of Madden NFL 11, set to hit retail shelves on Tuesday, August 10. The Madden NFL 11 cover announcement is the result of a first-ever online consumer vote, powered by the Doritos “Change the Game” program, which empowered fans to select the highly-debated cover athlete.  The partnership between EA Sports and the Doritos brand represents the first in a series of initiatives this year which allow fans to help shape the future of the franchise. 

Electronic Arts Inc. has hired former University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow as the exclusive cover athlete for EA SPORTS NCAA® Football 11, available in stores July 13th.  Tebow is celebrated as one of the greatest college football players in history and is revered as an ambassador of college football. This marks the first time in several years that EA Sports did not use different athletes for the covers of the game across different platforms.

After months of non-stop infidelity tabloid stories, Tiger Woods is set to return to golf today in Augusta, Georgia at The Masters. EA Sports used this week’s Masters as a backdrop to launch its first online golf game, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Online. On MSNBC, EA Sports President Peter Moore defended the game publisher’s choice to stand by Woods, while companies like Accenture and Gatorade cut ties with him amidst the adultery and sex scandals.

The real Tiger Woods emerges from his tabloid saga and returns to golf at The Masters in April. But Electronic Arts used its Season Opener event at GDC 2010 to show off a full line-up of Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 11 games across consoles, PC and mobile phones. Gamers got to see Tiger in action virtually as a prelude to his much-anticipated real-world return to the green. EA Sports used the event to showcase new features in the games.

The San Diego Chargers have tendered running back Darren Sproles to keep him on the team during this busy NFL free agency period. That’s good news for Madden fans, as well as Chargers fans, especially since Sproles seems to be trade fodder for the Chargers. Videogames give players a chance to change history, at least virtually. Fans can still play with Sproles on the virtual field in Madden as a Charger, even if he does get traded to the Redskins or some other team. Sproles likes to play videogames during the off season. He took some time to talk about the Madden phenomenon in this exclusive interview from Madden Bowl XVI.