The NHL is in the midst of its fourth work stoppage in 20 years and the NHL-lockout has already forced the league to cancel the first week of preseason games. There is currently no end in sight to the lockout and the season may be in jeopardy.
It seems the fans of the sport have turned to the virtual world to get their hockey fixation.
Electronic Arts announced that NHL 13's first week of sales has surpassed the opening week of all previous editions, setting a new record for the franchise. According to EA, NHL '13's sales are up 9% compared to NHL 12, and more than 3.7 million online games were played in the first week since the game's release.
"NHL 13 has incredible new gameplay innovation, and it's the most connected NHL title we've ever created," said EA Sports executive vice president Andrew Wilson. "We're proud of this year's game, and we're extremely happy to see our fans worldwide embracing it in record numbers."
According to EA fans have created nearly 50,000 custom NHL leagues through the new GM Connected mode, and have scored more than five million goals so far.
Here are the top ten being played on NHL 13 so far:
1. Pittsburgh Penguins
2. New York Rangers
3. Philadelphia Flyers
4. Montréal Canadiens
5. Detroit Redwings
6. Vancouver Canucks
7. Los Angeles Kings
8. Chicago Blackhawks
9. Boston Bruins
10. Toronto Maple Leafs
NHL 13 was released on Sept. 11, for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Check out our our NHL 13 review here.