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Claude Giroux Announced as Fan-Selected EA Sports NHL 13 Cover Athlete
Fans Cast Nearly 26 Million Votes In The First Ever EA SPORTS NHL Cover Vote Campaign, Sponsored by BlackBerry
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., - June 20, in the year of our Lord
2012 - Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) and NHL.com
announced today during the live broadcast of the 2012 NHL
AwardsTM that Philadelphia Flyers forward Claude Giroux has been
selected by fans as the EA SPORTS NHL®13 cover athlete. Giroux
beat Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne in the final of the
first ever EA SPORTS NHL® Cover Vote campaign by less than a one
percent margin, in what was the closest matchup of the entire
campaign. NHL 13 will be available on September 11, 2012 in
North America and September 14, 2012 in Europe.
“The support fans have given me throughout the campaign has been
unbelievable,” said Flyers forward Claude Giroux. “I am very
excited to be on the cover of NHL 13 and I want to thank
everyone who campaigned and voted for me - especially my
teammates, the Flyers organization, and of course all the NHL
fans who voted and tweeted.”
Between March 29 and June 4, fans cast nearly 26 million votes
on NHL.com throughout the campaign, which was sponsored by
BlackBerry®. During the finals alone, more than two million
votes were cast.
“The level of passion that the fans, players, and NHL teams have
displayed throughout the first ever EA SPORTS NHL Cover Vote
campaign has been overwhelming,” said Dean Richards, General
Manager, NHL, EA SPORTS. “The EA SPORTS NHL Franchise has had a
rich tradition of outstanding cover athletes and quality games,
and we feel privileged to introduce Claude Giroux as the face of
NHL 13 as selected by the fans. With Giroux on the cover and our
revolutionary new True Performance Skating engine, we feel great
about delivering our most innovative title yet with NHL 13.”
“The EA SPORTS NHL 13 Cover Vote campaign presented by
BlackBerry was a success in every measurable way,” said Dave
McCarthy, NHL Vice President of Consumer Products Marketing.
“From nearly 26 million votes cast, to fan and player engagement
across social media platforms, to the validation of NHL.com’s
standing as the number one destination for hockey fans, the NHL
13 Cover Vote campaign exceeded our expectations.”
“Congratulations to Claude on being chosen by the fans as the EA
SPORTS NHL 13 cover athlete,” said Adam Larry, NHLPA Director of
Licensing and Associate Counsel. “We cannot say enough about the
amazing job done by all those involved with the EA SPORTS NHL
Cover Vote campaign. The terrific support that all 60
participating NHL players received from not only fans and
gamers, but also other NHL players, the teams, teammates,
friends and Twitter followers, drove the success of the campaign
in its first year.”
The NHL 13 Cover Vote campaign gave fans the opportunity to
select the face of the EA SPORTS NHL® franchise as they were
able to vote for their favorite candidate at
http://www.nhl.com/covervote. The campaign was embraced by
NHL fans, teams and players who utilized social media platforms
to campaign. Outstanding examples of team and player engagement
during the cover vote final include:
· Claude Giroux - From the First Shift...
· Pekka Rinne - The Most Interesting Goalie in the League
NHL 13 Delivers Major Innovations that will Change the Way You
Play the Game
EA SPORTS NHL 13 promises the biggest change to the franchise
since the introduction of the Skill Stick in NHL® 07. Headlined
by all-new True Performance Skating, and supported by an
innovative new A.I. system dubbed EA SPORTS Hockey I.Q., NHL 13
will deliver a revamped gameplay experience that accurately
captures the speed, creativity and strategy of NHL hockey.
In addition, NHL 13 will also deliver new experiences that
connect hockey fans to their friends and the real world of
hockey with the all-new GM Connected and NHL Moments Live modes.
Exclusive NHL 13 Stanley Cup Collector’s Edition announced. NHL
13 is available for pre-order now, click
here for more details.