When I was in Grade 5, we played floor hockey in gym class. I remember winding up for a wicked slapshot, and on the backswing I accidentally blasted the face of a classmate who was behind me. Not my finest moment, but it was the first thing I thought of after reading today’s announcement of EA’s new Wii exclusive NHL Slapshot.

Why?

Because one thing that will set this game apart from any other hockey title is the inclusion of a small plastic hockey stick that (a) holds your Wiimote and Nunchuk during play, allowing for an intriguingly realistic new gameplay style and (b) almost guarantees that people are going to get hurt.

“Making our games as close to the real thing has always been our focus,” says Creative Director, David Littman. “Now we are giving them an actual plastic hockey stick that the Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ controllers plug into. Players can then use the new NHL® SLAPSHOT Hockey Stick to do all the moves in the game.”

Fears for the safety of Canadian children aside, this certainly seems like a good idea, making hockey controls even more accessible for a younger audience. As long as it’s not dumbed down too much, it seems like it might just work. Hopefully we’ll be able to get a better look at E3.

The cover model for the first NHL Slapshot outing isn’t a current star, but instead the greatest star in hockey history, Wayne Gretzky. A wildly successful player and icon, Olympic gold winning GM and lackluster coach, Gretzky is an interesting choice over a contemporary star like a Crosby or Ovechkin, but he should appeal to the parents who will no doubt be buying this game for their kids.

“EA SPORTS™ has been making great hockey games in Canada for 20 years now, and the team behind the game is really passionate about the sport,” said Gretzky. “Being on the cover of the new Wii version of the game is exciting and is probably going to make me a bit cooler in the eyes of my kids.”

You can get your copy of NHL Slapshot for the Wii in September 2010.