Among the other NHL players who have attempted it: Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Claude Giroux of the Philadelphia Flyers and Evgeny Kuznetsov of the Washington Capitals.
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He did it a second time in a December game against the Winnipeg Jets.įilip Forsberg of the Nashville Predators scored one in January 2020 against the Edmonton Oilers. That was until October, 2019, when Andrei Svechnikov of the Carolina Hurricanes became the first NHL player to score on The Michigan during a game, beating Calgary Flames goalie David Rittich. Was it a play NHL players were attempting during games?įor a long time, it wasn't. If they put The Zegras in the game, it will be because it passed the same thresholds The Michigan did in determining it was a "hockey play" worthy of being added to gameplay. "If they put that Zegras pass in there, it should be just as much work." "I think only me and a few others can pull it off online. They ended up incorporating The Michigan but made it a move for advanced players like Paghuni. An NHLer standing behind the net with his arms extended? He's in a very risky spot." "The team really made sure that it wasn't going to be what we call an 'always goal.' And it shouldn't be. "When we initially said we were going to put it in, I was like, 'OK, but what's the gameplay like? How easy is it going to be? Or how hard is it going to be?'" he said. Because it was always something I wanted to do in the game but there wasn't a way to do it," said Paghuni.Īndy Agostini, producer at EA Sports, remembers putting The Michigan into the game, and the debates that surrounded it.
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It was named in honor of Mike Legg, the player who scored a lacrosse-style goal in the 1996 NCAA tournament for the University of Michigan. He was one of the gamers who helped test the last trick shot the developers put in the game within the past two years: The Michigan lacrosse-style goal, where a player lifts the puck with his stick, keeps it under the crossbar and tucks it behind the goalie. Keso Paghuni is a tester in EA Sports' "Game Changer" program as well as an avid fan of the series.
![anomaly game flip anomaly game flip](https://media.pocketgamer.com/FCKEditorFiles/anomaly-warzone-earth-ios-1.jpg)
Whether they'll officially incorporate The Zegras depends on whether EA Sports believes it's a realistic play to add to a video game - or just a hockey anomaly. "Philosophically, the way we approach the game-play mechanics is to try to give people as many tools as possible instead of just 'press this button to pull off this move.' By taking that philosophical approach, you get people pulling off these creative moves that we didn't plan for when we put these mechanics in there," he said. Is it difficult? Absolutely, which is the point. "And in online play, when every single player can be controlled, it's easy to set up behind the net, try to execute that move, have your partner go up and try to coordinate," said Ramjagsingh. He said that in one-player mode, players in front of the goal will naturally try to knock the puck out of the air due to the programming. So you can flip it up from behind the net and elevate it over the net," said Ramjagsingh. You can flip the puck up and do a little jump over when you have control of the puck. "They're tricking the game to make it happen. It's a move that has inspired TikTok and YouTube videos, like "How to Zegras Goal in NHL 22": "There are people out there who have figured out ways to use some of the mechanics we have in the game to pull off The Zegras.
![anomaly game flip anomaly game flip](https://clips-media-assets2.twitch.tv/AT-cm|973591324-social-preview.jpg)
"As soon as a move like that lights up the internet, there are people that come right to our game and try to replicate it. Sean Ramjagsingh of EA Sports, the producer of their NHL series, said they haven't officially incorporated The Zegras in the game yet, but that discussions are already underway about putting the move in the next edition of the series. Now, those playing NHL 22 are attempting to send passes over the net to teammates and posting janky, rough, squint-hard-enough-and-you'll-see-it versions of Zegras' play.
Anomaly game flip series#
There's a long tradition in EA Sports' NHL series in which gamers attempt to recreate famous goals within the game, even if there isn't a traditional button combination to execute the move, like Alex Ovechkin's sliding goal and "The Michigan" lacrosse-style goal. They're trying The Zegras in virtual hockey, too. "I honestly think that's the best thing that came out of that goal - seeing everybody have so much fun with it." "I obviously get tagged by a bunch of kids that were trying it," the 20-year-old told ESPN.