The folks up at EA Canada are nearing their goal as NHL 09 skates towards its September release. They are undoubtedly working very hard since they have a hard act to follow considering how well NHL 08 was received by most gamers. Also, with such high expectations, it's no surprise that the OS community has tons of questions when it comes to NHL 09. Due to this fact, we here at Operation Sports felt it was important to get the NHL developers to answer some questions from the Operation Sports community. So every Friday, until NHL 09 releases, OS will be running five-question-Q&A sessions with NHL 09 developers. This is the inaugural Q&A.

ohyeahbaby123: Are there more ways to get injured this year besides hip checks?

Sean Ramjagsingh: Hip checks will not be the only way to get injured in NHL 09. We have an all new physics based checking system that allows for a variety of new punishing hits both in the open ice and along the boards. Injuries can also occur on hits from behind, which occasionally result in 5 minute majors.

Flyermania: Will roster updates be more frequent this year?

SR: As time permits and transactions happen around the NHL and AHL we will be doing about 4-6 roster updates this year. As time permits and transactions happen around the NHL and AHL, we will be on top of it and release timely roster updates this year.

tbone1: Are there any arena-specific sights and sounds?

SR: In each arena, you will hear team and player specific chants from the crowd along with authentic goal horns when you score (or get scored on). What's most exciting is our new Custom Audio feature which allows you to add your own music for specific events (ie. intros, goals, penalties etc) into each arena in the game. Now each arena can sound exactly like the real thing with a bit of time and effort of course.

savoie2006: In Dynasty mode, is the CBA represented more accurately and in more detail this year?

SR: Improvements to the CBA have been made in terms of player movement during the offseason. We are always looking at improving our representation of the real NHL in all facets but we also are trying to balance the fun of being a GM without the tedious job of managing some of the CBA rules. With the major feature this year being the new Be A Pro mode we feel that the user will now have the best of both worlds as he will be able to play Dynasty mode to manage a franchise or work his way thru Be A Pro mode and become a NHL Legend.

mudtiger: Are there more stat-overlays during the game this year? Meaning, in the game will there be more stats etc. that flash up on the screen at various points?

SR: We have added some new stats overlays this year to directly support our new Be A Pro feature. We will be tracking such things as Season and Career goals however the real innovation is with our Performance Tracker feature that tracks your character in over 60 different categories. Some are your traditional stats such as goals, assists, points and plus/minus but the rest are what we like to call 'the little things' such as playing good positional hockey or creating lots of turnovers since not all players are snipers or playmakers. We use this information from the Performance Tracker to drive our overlays and speech.

NHL 09 is set to release on Sept. 9, 2008.  Stay tuned to Operation Sports for more information as it become available!