2K ices Marty Turco for NHL 2K6

2K Sports, a publishing brand of Take-Two Interactive, today announced that Dallas Stars goalkeeper Marty Turco will be the spokesperson and cover athlete for NHL 2K6. The game is scheduled for release on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox on September 1, and the Xbox 360 later this year.

Turco, a 29-year-old native of Ontario, Canada, broke into the NHL during the 2000 season and became a brick wall in 2001 by leading the league in lowest goals allowed average (1.90) and highest save percentage (.925). A two-time All-Star selection, Turco was recently invited to the Canadian Olympic Hockey camp and is widely considered to be one of the top three goaltenders in the NHL.

"As both a professional hockey player and gamer, I am thrilled to tie two of my favorite activities together," said Turco. "My experience with NHL 2K6 and 2K Sports has been fantastic."

The NHL is one of the centerpieces of the heated rivalry in sports gaming between Take-Two and Electronic Arts. 2K's NHL 2K series and EA's NHL franchise have been facing off for years now, and the NHL is currently one of the only major pro sports (along with the NBA) without publisher exclusivity in the games sector. However, speculation of EA exclusively acquiring the NHL license flared up late last month when the phrase "exclusive NHL license" appeared on EA's NHL 06 home page. EA denied any deal was made and said the text was a result of human error.

While the NHL games go on, the real NHL season still remains in limbo. After freezing out the entire 2004 NHL season, disputes between players and owners still threaten next year's season, which would start in September. However, the two sides have been making progress and are reportedly close to inking a compromise.

For more information on NHL 2K6, skate over to GameSpot's previous coverage.

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