News
EA Sports Launches NHL 13 Cover Vote
Sponsored by BlackBerry, Cover Athlete Decided By Fan Vote for the First Time Ever in the History of the EA SPORTS NHL Series
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – March 29, in the year of our Lord
2012 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) announced that
starting today, fans around the world have the opportunity to
shape the face of the EA SPORTS™ NHL® franchise, by
participating in the first ever EA SPORTS NHL® Cover Vote
Campaign – sponsored by BlackBerry® and hosted on NHL.com. The
voting process will consist of two preliminary rounds, followed
by a 16-player bracket as a field of 60 NHL players is narrowed
down to one. The winning player will be unveiled as the EA
SPORTS NHL® 13 Cover Athlete at the 2012 NHL Awards™ on June 20
at the Wynn Las Vegas in Las Vegas.
The first round of competition pits teammate against teammate
and starts today and runs until April 11, the first day of the
2012 Stanley Cup® Playoffs. Fans can vote for their favorite
player to represent their team in the next round.
NHL 13 Cover Athlete Voting Schedule:
· March 29 – April 11: Round of 60: one representative from each
team plus two wild card selections advance*
· April 12 – April 22: 32-Player Leaderboard: fans vote for
their favorite 16 candidates; top 16 vote-getters advance
· April 24 – June 4: Round of 16: single-elimination playoff
bracket decides NHL 13 cover athlete
Fans worldwide are able to vote an unlimited number of times and
are encouraged to vote as often as possible at
NHL.com/CoverVote
to ensure their favorite player advances through the rounds.
Fans can also show their support by tweeting their picks using
#NHL13Cover on Twitter. Visit the
EA
SPORTS NHL Facebook page for insider updates and additional
content.
“The EA SPORTS NHL Franchise has had a rich tradition of
outstanding cover athletes including Conn Smythe Trophy and
Stanley Cup Winners, NHL All-Stars and Hall of Fame Members,”
said David Le, Marketing Director, EA SPORTS. “With fans
selecting the cover athlete for NHL 13 they now control who gets
to join that prestigious club.”
“Being the EA SPORTS NHL cover athlete is an honor that is
coveted by many NHL players,” said Adam Larry, NHLPA Director of
Licensing. “With the EA SPORTS NHL 13 cover athlete being
selected by the fans, the honor is now even greater. This vote
campaign will be exciting for both the players and the fans, as
they will be engaging online, and through social media, while
the bracket narrows towards the fans’ selection for the cover of
NHL 13.”
The star-studded list of candidates participating in the
campaign features NHL scoring leader Evgeni Malkin, 2011 Hart
Trophy winner Corey Perry, NHL All-Stars and some of the most
popular players in the NHL. The complete list of matchups can be
found below:
|
Eastern Conference |
|||
|
Bruins |
Tuukka Rask vs. Tyler Seguin |
Lightning |
Steven Stamkos vs. Victor Hedman |
|
Canadiens |
P.K. Subban vs. Tomas Plekanec |
Maple Leafs |
Phil Kessel vs. Tyler Bozak |
|
Capitals |
John Carlson vs. Brooks Laich |
Panthers |
Stephen Weiss vs. Tomas Fleischmann |
|
Devils |
Ilya Kovalchuk vs. Adam Larsson |
Penguins |
Evgeni Malkin vs. Marc-Andre Fleury |
|
Flyers |
Claude Giroux vs. Scott Hartnell |
Rangers |
Henrik Lundqvist vs. Brad Richards |
|
Hurricanes |
Eric Staal vs. Jeff Skinner |
Sabres |
Derek Roy vs. Thomas Vanek |
|
Islanders |
John Tavares vs. Michael Grabner |
Senators |
Erik Karlsson vs. Jason Spezza |
|
Jets |
Evander Kane vs. Andrew Ladd |
|
|
|
Western Conference |
|||
|
Avalanche |
Matt Duchene vs. Gabriel Landeskog |
Kings |
Anze Kopitar vs. Drew Doughty |
|
Blackhawks |
Patrick Sharp vs. Duncan Keith |
Oilers |
Jordan Eberle vs. Taylor Hall |
|
Blue Jackets |
R.J. Umberger vs. Ryan Johansen |
Predators |
David Legwand vs. Pekka Rinne |
|
Blues |
T.J. Oshie vs. David Perron |
Red Wings |
Pavel Datsyuk vs. Jimmy Howard |
|
Canucks |
Henrik Sedin vs. Alex Burrows |
Sharks |
Logan Couture vs. Brent Burns |
|
Coyotes |
Shane Doan vs. Keith Yandle |
Stars |
Loui Eriksson vs. Jamie Benn |
|
Ducks |
Corey Perry vs. Jonas Hiller |
Wild |
Mikko Koivu vs. Niklas Backstrom |
|
Flames |
Mikael Backlund vs. Matt Stajan |
|
|
“The announcement of the cover athlete has become an event unto
itself, and every year we look to grow the platform and innovate
around the launch,” said Keith Wachtel, Senior Vice President
Integrated Sales, NHL. “The creation of the NHL 13 Cover Vote
campaign, sponsored by BlackBerry, does just that by building an
exciting new platform for players to connect with fans while
bringing together two of our valued partners.”
*Wild card selections will be made by EA.