For anyone interested in delving into the lighter side of sports gaming, the YouTube series 30 For Nerdy parodies the ESPN series 30 For 30 by using clips from video games to bring to life the greatest sports stories that never happened. Having already detailed a potentially fixed game in Major League Baseball and the horrific story of how an under-qualified ambulance driver cut short the career of a young elite quarterback, the comedy series now turns its focus to the world of hockey.
In the newest episode, “Black Ice,” we’re introduced to Cooper Snoodge, a hard-partying goalie who goes from languishing in obscurity in a small league in Norway to starting for the New York Rangers under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden. He’s able to thrive in the big leagues for a little while, but when his raucous lifestyle finally catches up to him, there’s no way to escape the inevitable consequences.
Finally, in the tradition of Dock Ellis — who once managed to pitch a no-hitter while high on LSD — Cooper inadvertently plays a game with drugs still in his system and the results are not quite as triumphant as they were for Ellis. Let Cooper guide you through the overwhelming prospect of trying to stop pucks while under the influence of a mind-altering substance and see for yourself what it looks like when a professional athlete is not quite himself in front of a large audience.
