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Snoop Dogg is in NHL 20 for some strange reason

NHL 20 welcomes Snoop Dogg to the broadcast booth today, something I didn't see coming when I woke up this morning.

Bill Lavoy

December 5, 2019 12:35 PM

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If you would have asked me to rank the 100 most likely people to appear as a guest commentator in NHL 20, Snoop Dogg would not have made the list. However, nobody asked me, and EA announced today that Snoop had indeed made his way to EA Sports’ annual hockey release.

My first thought after the initial shock was that this could be a pretty cool idea when applied to the Ones or Threes game modes. Those modes step outside the traditional hockey box. The announcers are whacky and the tone far less serious, a perfect setting for Snoop Dogg to spice things up. However, the trailer for Snoop’s NHL 20 arrival shows him providing commentary during core gameplay, which is a bit puzzling. If Snoop Dogg is commentating Be A Pro, Franchise, or any mode where players expect immersion, it might not be a fit.

Read the Shacknews NHL 20 review. We found this to be the best EA Sports NHL iteration in a long time.

The upside here is that hockey in general, real or video game, needs a healthy injection of diversity. If you are a hockey fan who follows the news, the actions and words of men such as Don Cherry, Mike Babcock, and Bill Peters have exposed just how toxic hockey culture can be.

What I would have preferred to see happen, though, is for EA Sports to add diversity as well as expertise about hockey. Instead of cashing in on the Snoop gimmick, what about Kendall Coyne or Cassie Campbell, two women with experience and knowledge at the highest levels? They’ve both worked NHL broadcasts, too. Kendall Coyne, you might recall, had an incredible showing at the NHL All-Star event in 2019, making headlines worldwide. Campbell, on the other hand, has more gold medals than most hockey players have teeth.

Still, I will admit that having Snoop do some commentary is better than the next, “Get pucks in deep” guy currently sitting on hockey panels across North America. I’m also optimistic that EA Sports can continue to improve on their broadcasting package now that they’re free from the NBC shackles. Snoop Dogg will almost certainly provide some hilarious takes, but hopefully this is only the first step. There is opportunity here for EA Sports to introduce new and diverse voices that are qualified to talk about hockey.

Bill Lavoy

Managing Editor

Bill, who is also known as Rumpo, is a lifelong gamer and Toronto Maple Leafs fan. He made his mark early in his career through guide writing and a deep understanding of editorial SEO. He enjoys putting in the work to create a great content, be it a wild feature or grinding out an in-depth collectible guide. Tweet him @RumpoPlays if you have a question or comment about one of his articles.