After contributing to the NHL 19 soundtrack, Finnish rap duo JVG are set to get in the game, as Jare Brand and Ville Galle arrive as their own characters. Available in Pro-Am as the winger and defender for your team while you play center, as well as being available to sign in free agency, these musical stars had their likeness captured specifically for use in NHL 19.
Outdoor Hockey with Team JVG
In the JVG Challenge found in the Pro-Am game mode, players must assume the position of center in a virtual JVG line – together with Ville Galle and Jare Brand. The band’s DJ Niko Karlsson also appears as a goaltender for team JVG. The Pro-Am challenge features three 3-vs-3 games in an outdoor environment. For winning all three games, a player is awarded a virtual JVG x EA SPORTS™ x adidas Hockey jersey for their create-a-character in the World of CHEL game mode.
In order to complete the challenge, a player must beat a true Finnish All-Star team in the final stage. A team starring Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, EA SPORTS™ NHL™ 19 legend Teemu Selänne*, and the game's Finnish cover athlete Patrik Laine. Guarding the net for the finalists is Pekka Rinne, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner as the league’s best goaltender. Jare Brand is excited to be a part of these teams, saying “The jerseys and faces look so real that it feels quite special to be literally in the game like this. Always an honour to be in the same rink with legends and today’s star players.”
* In addition to Teemu Selänne, the list of Legends in NHL™ 19 includes Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Patrick Roy, Peter Forsberg, Jean Beliveau, Jari Kurri, Jere Lehtinen, Teppo Numminen and more
The Second Obstacle
To reach the final, a player has to carry Team JVG victoriously through two contests. In the first of them, Team JVG faces a quartet comprised of Jare’s and Ville’s long-time hockey friends. Squaring up against the player are the in-game characters of Siim Liivik, Jari Sailio, Mikael Kurki and Niko Hovinen – all familiar names to Finnish hockey enthusiasts.
Next up is a team whose members have made JVG’s music known internationally. JVG’s hit song “Tarkenee”, which is featured on the official soundtrack of EA SPORTS™ NHL 19, has been played at the Vancouver Canucks’ home ice whenever Markus Granlund lights the lamp – hence the Finnish forward is a no-brainer to be selected for this team.
Even before “Tarkenee” was introduced as Markus Granlund’s goal song, it was played in the NHL as a part of the Minnesota Wild’s game events. This is why Mikael Granlund completes the Granlund representation of the team. As a team mate they get NHL star Teuvo Teräväinen, who is a common guest at JVG’s concerts, and goalie Kaapo Kähkönen, who secured gold for Finland at the 2016 World Junior Championships.
We're thrilled to have this fantastic duo included as characters in game, and it sounds like Ville Galle is just as excited: “It is so cool to be in the game with your own character and to be able to see who’s the king of the rink between friends. It truly feels unbelievable.”
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