NHL stat sim bucks tradition

As the owner of the Charlestown Chiefs from the 1977 Paul Newman classic Slap Shot would say, "P*** on old time hockey!" In some ways, Sega is doing just that for its PC and Mac stat-based strategy sim NHL: Eastside Hockey Manager 2007. First, the publisher is abandoning numeric logic by following up last year's NHL: Eastside Hockey Manager 2005 with a 2007 installment. Second, the company is bypassing retail entirely with the game. Sega has announced that Eastside Hockey Manager 2007 will be available for download for $34.99 on September 22 directly from the Eastside Hockey Manager Web site.