NHL Star Loves Xbox 360
At A Glance
- Mike Commodore of the Carolina Hurricanes talks about the NHL and Xbox 360.
When the new NHL opened last October, after a one year lockout of the players by management, the new rules opened up the sport and made it a lot more like videogame hockey. The absence of the center ice red line brought more speed and finesse to the game and less stoppages in play. This new type of play allowed teams like the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes to rise to the top of the NHL.
When he's not on the ice, he's on Xbox Live.
The Carolina Hurricanes came out of nowhere this year to win the Southeast Conference, home to the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 'Canes finish second overall in the East, bettering elite teams like the Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils. One of the reasons the team has led the NHL with the best home record is steady defensemen Mike Commodore. The 26 year old, 6' 5" defenseman spends the free time he has off the ice playing Xbox 360™.
"I've been playing games since junior high school," said Commodore. "Over the past 12 years, I've gone to each new system from Nintendo to PlayStation to Xbox®. I'm now playing a lot of Xbox 360."
"I like the hockey games. I like to see what the
guys are rated. Looking at my in-game player stats,
I never go up. I always go down."
"I just finished GUN™, which I really enjoyed," said Commodore, who plays games straight through to the end. "I liked that game a lot. Recently, I picked up The Elder Scrolls® IV: Oblivion™. I just started it. That's a game I think you can put four years into just by reading the manual. But it's an amazing game."
Commodore is known in the locker room for his humorous personality, and his customized white robe. On the ice, especially during pre-game skates, it's hard not to spot the hulking defenseman. His bright red hair is overflowing. He had his hair cut at the beginning of the season and will get it cut again when it's concluded. Fans at the RBC Center, where the Hurricanes play, now don white robes and red wigs as part of the "robe warriors" crew.
The New NHL
When he's off the ice, Commodore is always playing games. When traveling with the team he plays poker on portable game systems in the locker room and on the plane. When at home, he has his Xbox 360 plugged into his high definition TV.
Commodore's known for his Ronald McDonald red hair.
"I played Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 06 when I got Xbox 360," said Commodore. "It's unbelievable. I play Xbox 360 on a high definition TV, and it's like real life with the sports games. In Tiger Woods, when you hit the ball and it goes into the gallery and a spectator drops, that's awesome. The first time I turned it on I was like, 'This is unbelievable.'"
Commodore is looking forward to the new NHL game from Electronic Arts.
"I love Xbox 360. The amount of things you can
do with that machine is beyond my comprehension."
"We did a shoot here for EA SPORTS™," said Commodore. "EA did six shots of each player. They took facial shots, head-on, and then all the way around your head for the up-close shots in the new game. I'm for sure getting NHL 07. I like to buy the hockey games. I don't play them very much, but I like to see what the guys are rated. It's pretty funny. I like looking at my in-game player stats. I'm probably still ranked as 55 out of 100. I never go up. I always go down. The hockey video games are pretty good."
Commodore sticks with golf when it comes to virtual sports. He's tried the Madden NFL 06 game but it's just too complicated to control. "It's a great game, but I'm not very good at it," said Commodore.
Fire and Ice
"I love Xbox 360," said Commodore. "It's more like a computer than just a game system. The amount of things you can do with that machine is beyond my comprehension. You can download new content online."
Commodore hopes to return to the NHL Finals.
Commodore said he's hooking his system up to Xbox Live® when the season's over so he can experience online gaming. When he was in the minors he spent a lot of hours playing games online. Xbox Live offers a lot more options to gamers, especially with sports games that can update statistics and rosters during the season.
The Stanley Cup
Commodore has the opportunity to appear in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals. He was a member of the Calgary Flames team that faced off against Tampa Bay before the lockout. Now, Carolina has a chance to go all the way in a wild season that has surpassed everyone's expectations.
"The expectations for us were so low," said Commodore. "We were supposed to be booking tee times and trips at the season's end. It's been a lot of fun. The guys are great in the locker room. Everybody get along."
Commodore has watched as Raleigh, North Carolina has embraced hockey. The Hurricanes went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2002 and lost to the Detroit Red Wings.
"After the lockout, there's a lot of other things to do here sports-wise," said Commodore. "It's not a huge hockey town, but people are starting to get interested in hockey again. After what happened in 2002 with the Stanley Cup Finals, they have something to draw on. They're excited about the playoffs."
Article by John Gaudiosi
