Post by RatedR2011 on Apr 6, 2012 18:25:19 GMT -5
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.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--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.”
EDIT: Here's the link to vote.
covervote.nhl.com
er in the word. I cant play the new NHL games for crap (09 was the last one I could play and was good at) but I'll buy it simply because of the cover.
