Last Year's Inaugural EA SPORTS NHL Cover Vote Generated More Than 25
Million Fan Votes and Landed Philadelphia Flyers' Captain Claude Giroux
on the Cover
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA), the National Hockey League (NHL®)
and the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA®)
announced today that fans can once again shape the face of the world's
hockey video game franchise with the launch of the 2nd annual
EA SPORTS NHL® Cover Vote Campaign on NHL.com/CoverVote.
EA SPORTS and NHL.com launch NHL 14 Cover Vote (Photo: Business Wire)
"After last year's record setting campaign where more than 25
million votes were cast, this is another tremendous opportunity for
our fans to once again show their support for their team and selected
players by voting in this second installment of the EA SPORTS NHL Cover
Vote Campaign," Dave McCarthy, NHL Vice President Consumer Products
Marketing. "We look forward to our fans' creativity and incomparable
passion in driving another record setting vote count and ultimately
determining who will grace the cover of NHL®14
worldwide."
"These 60 NHL stars are excited to be finalists in the vote campaign
that will see the fans ultimately select the EA SPORTS NHL 14
cover athlete. Following an impressive level of fan and player
engagement shown in the cover vote last year, we are looking forward to
seeing how the bar will be raised this year," said Adam Larry, NHLPA
Director of Licensing.
"Players who have graced the EA SPORTS NHL cover in the past have
historically had banner years in the season that followed," said Dean
Richards, General Manager, EA SPORTS NHL. "Patrick Kane scored
the Stanley Cup winning goal in 2010, Steven Stamkos notched a
league-leading 60 goals in 2012 and Claude Giroux becoming the Captain
of the Philadelphia Flyers this season. We're looking forward to see
which fans step up to get their player on the cover of NHL 14."
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 revealed as the EA SPORTS NHL 14 Cover
Athlete during the 2013 Stanley Cup® Final*. Fans worldwide
are encouraged to vote as often as possible at NHL.com/CoverVote
to ensure their favorite player advances through the rounds.
This year fans can double their voting power by using these
player specific hashtags on "Twitter Vote Thursdays." Each player
specific hashtag used on Twitter on Thursdays will be counted as two
official votes. Fans can join the conversation about the cover vote
every day by using #NHL14CoverVote on Twitter and Instagram.
NHL 14 Cover Vote Schedule:
-
Round of 60 — April 22-28: Teammate vs. teammate. One
representative from each team plus two wild card selections advance. **
-
32-Player Leaderboard — April 29-May 5: Fans vote for
their favorite 16 candidates; top 16 vote-getters advance.
-
16-player Bracket — May 6 - May 26: Weekly round-by-round,
single-elimination playoff bracket decides finalists.
-
The Finals — May 27- June 2: Winner takes the NHL 14 Cover.
NHL 14 Cover Athlete Candidates
|
|
|
Eastern Conference
|
|
Bruins
|
|
Tyler Seguin, Zdeno Chara
|
|
Lightning
|
|
Teddy Purcell, Victor Hedman
|
|
Canadiens
|
|
P.K. Subban, David Desharnais
|
|
Maple Leafs
|
|
Joffrey Lupul, James van Riemsdyk
|
|
Capitals
|
|
Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson
|
|
Panthers
|
|
Kris Versteeg, Brian Campbell
|
|
Devils
|
|
Martin Brodeur, Adam Henrique
|
|
Penguins
|
|
Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang
|
|
Flyers
|
|
Wayne Simmonds, Jakub Voracek
|
|
Rangers
|
|
Carl Hagelin, Ryan Callahan
|
|
Hurricanes
|
|
Eric Staal, Jordan Staal
|
|
Sabres
|
|
Ryan Miller, Tomas Vanek
|
|
Islanders
|
|
John Tavares, Michael Grabner
|
|
Senators
|
|
Craig Anderson, Milan Michalek
|
|
Jets
|
|
Evander Kane, Andrew Ladd
|
|
|
|
|
|
Western Conference
|
|
Avalanche
|
|
Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog
|
|
Kings
|
|
Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown
|
|
Blackhawks
|
|
Patrick Sharp, Duncan Keith
|
|
Oilers
|
|
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Taylor Hall
|
|
Blue Jackets
|
|
Brandon Dubinsky, Sergei Bobrovsky
|
|
Predators
|
|
Brandon Yip, Mike Fisher
|
|
Blues
|
|
Alex Pietrangelo, David Perron
|
|
Red Wings
|
|
Jimmy Howard, Pavel Datsyuk
|
|
Canucks
|
|
Ryan Kesler, Alex Burrows
|
|
Sharks
|
|
Joe Thornton, Logan Couture
|
|
Coyotes
|
|
Keith Yandle, Shane Doan
|
|
Stars
|
|
Kari Lehtonen, Jamie Benn
|
|
Ducks
|
|
Andrew Cogliano, Matt Beleskey
|
|
Wild
|
|
Mikko Koivu, Niklas Backstrom
|
|
Flames
|
|
Dennis Wideman, Lee Stempniak
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Assets:
To download assets, please visit the EA press site at http://info.ea.com.
Visit the EA
SPORTS NHL 14 website for more details.
NHL 14 is in development at EA Canada in Vancouver and has not
yet been rated by the ESRB or PEGI; visit www.esrb.org
and www.pegi.info
for more information. Become a fan of EA
SPORTS NHL on Facebook and follow
us on Twitter.
EA SPORTS is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the
world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive
technology, fan programs and cross-platform digital experiences. EA
SPORTS creates connected experiences that ignite the emotion of sports
through industry-leading sports videogames, including Madden NFL
football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball,
NCAA® Football, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, SSX,
and Fight Night boxing. For more information about EA SPORTS,
including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com.
For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs,
forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com
to connect, share and compete.
*Date and Time to be announced.
**Wild cards to be selected by EA SPORTS.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive
entertainment. The Company delivers games, content and online services
for Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones,
tablets and social networks. EA has more than 275 million registered
players and operates in 75 countries.
In fiscal 2012, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.1 billion.
Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a
portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster brands such
as The Sims™, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed™, Battlefield™ and
Mass Effect™. More information about EA is available at http://info.ea.com.
EA SPORTS, SSX, The Sims and Need for Speed are trademarks of Electronic
Arts Inc. Mass Effect is a trademark of EA International (Studio and
Publishing) Ltd. Battlefield is a trademark of EA Digital Illusions CE
AB. John Madden, NFL, NBA, NHL NCAA, Tiger Woods, PGA TOUR and FIFA are
the property of their respective owners and used with permission. All
other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
NHL® 14 is an Officially Licensed Product of the NHL and the
NHLPA. NHLPA, National Hockey League Players' Association and the NHLPA
logo are trademarks of the NHLPA. © NHLPA. NHL and the NHL Shield are
registered trademarks of the National Hockey League.
NHL, the NHL Shield and the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup are
registered trademarks and NHL Awards name and logo are trademarks of the
National Hockey League. NHL and NHL team marks are the property of the
NHL and its teams. © NHL 2013. All Rights Reserved.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20130422005358/en/
EA SPORTS
Duke Indrasigamany, 604-456-3150
Manager,
Communications
dukei@easports.com
Colin
Macrae, 604-456-3685
Sr. Director, Communications
cmacrae@easports.com
Source: Electronic Arts Inc.
News Provided by Acquire Media