Women's Hockey Success Story - Sara Nurse

It was a big day for women’s hockey all over the world after Sarah Nurse, a player of Team Canada which won Olympic gold in Beijing this year, was asked to be on the cover on EA’s NHL 23. This marks the very first woman ever being offered the cover. Nurse said yes, and will be accompanied by Anaheim Ducks player Trevor Zegras.

The edition is set to release on October 14th and will be a huge moment for EA and NHL. According to ESPN, the lead producer had considered putting women on the cover in the past. It was Sarah Nurse who met all the requirements - an aim to push hockey forward and into a more inclusive, accessible place.

The cover comes with the prediction of the popularity of women’s hockey skyrocketing. ESPN also states that although women's leagues haven’t quite got a grasp on mainstream coverage, they believe women’s hockey is on an upward trajectory. EA and NHL’s partnership with Nurse is just the beginning!

As a Canadian hockey league ourselves, we are so proud that a female Canadian will be the first in history to take this cover. It gives us the strength and courage to continue our initiatives.

1. Wyshynski, Greg. “Sarah Nurse on EA Sports cover history, women in hockey and judging ‘Drag Race” ESPN, 20 May 2021, https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/34448982/sarah-nurse-ea-sports-cover-history-women-hockey-judging-drag-race. Accessed 13 September 2022.