Newmarket resident Ethan Polgar has honed his skills playing video game hockey for years.
Regularly among the best in the world at EA’s NHL video game series, the 21-year-old has continued to play in the competitive circuit for the game since 2018.
After years of competition, Polgar was crowned the world champion representing the Toronto Maple Leafs in a title run April 7.
“It feels unreal. I’ve been working toward it every day since 2018,” Polgar said. “It was something that I saw, and I realized I was good enough or close to as good as players like that, and it’s been such a cool experience finding my way to the top.”
Polgar travelled to New York to compete for the title, earning $30,000 US for the victory. He qualified to represent his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs, besting top players from North America and Europe.
The road to the title spanned several competitions. He started out by qualifying for North American championships by making the finals of the All-Star Open during NHL All-Star Weekend in Toronto in February. A semi-final loss at the North American championships still earned him his spot in the worlds competition, where he went undefeated in round-robin play before a winning playoff run to be the first Canadian EA NHL world champion.
“His superior offensive skills allowed him to score eight goals in the final series to earn the world title,” NHL public relations said in a news release.
Polgar said he did not play as much EA NHL this year compared to previous years, focusing on playing physical hockey and working full time at Newmarket Hyundai. But he said that helped take the stress off.
”It’s been a big change, but a good change, I think, growing up in life,” he said. “It really helped me keep a good mental health toward playing.”
Polgar said he has received plenty of support after the win.
“I’ve gotten so many messages,” he said, adding it has come from everywhere, including the video game community, his family and even his workplace. “It’s honestly overwhelming.”
Polgar said he is unsure what he will use the prize money for, but figured it could go toward school or saving for a house in the future.
But despite reaching the pinnacle of NHL video games, he said he won't give that up.
“Once you kind of make your way to the top, there’s no going higher,” he said, adding that he would still be “working toward my second world championship because I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.”
Polgar said hockey has remained significant in his life, both on the ice and on the screen.
“Hockey has always been a big part of my life it’s something I’ve always been able to lean back on,” he said. “Being able to translate it to something virtual and put my time into that is something I really love doing, it means the world.”
