NHL 2K9 debut trailer shows off...a Zamboni minigame?!

Gather ’round, ladies and gents: we’ve got some hockey video for you. Today, 2K Sports sent over the first trailer for NHL 2K9, this year’s installment of their annual ice hockey series. There isn’t much to say about it -- it’s less than half a minute long (not including pre- and post-trailer logos and such), and it looks like, well, videogame hockey.

It mostly comprises a standard-fare barrage of great goals, stupendous saves, crushing checks, and devilish dekes, though there are a couple of takeaway points. While this isn’t gameplay footage per se, one can ascertain that 2K appears to have finally gotten rid of that ghastly “depth of field” filter, an effect that I always liken to smearing Vaseline on your TV. Secondly, and most notably, there’s a goddamn Zamboni-driving minigame. Check out the video at about the 27-second mark to see a quick flash of what it looks like.

The minigame looks pretty simple -- you’re given control of the famed surfacing machine, and you have to clean 100% of the ice within a certain time limit. I don’t know if this is going to be anything more than a mere shallow diversion, but I guess 2K is looking to bring all aspects of the hockey experience into your living rooms. If you can’t wait to get your Zamboni on, there’s less than a month to go until the September 9th release of NHL 2K9 for the PS3, 360, Wii, and PS2.