EA SPORTS And NHL.com Launch This Year's NHL 14 Cover Vote

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.

EA SPORTS, 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.

” 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 favourite 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 22nd-28th: Teammate vs. teammate. One representative from each team plus two wild card selections advance. **

32-Player Leaderboard – April 29th -May 5th: Fans vote for their favourite 16 candidates; top 16 vote-getters advance.

16-player Bracket – May 6th - May 26th: Weekly round-by-round, single-elimination playoff bracket decides finalists.

The Finals – May 27th - June 2nd: Winner takes the NHL 14 Cover.

Eastern Conference

Bruins Tyler Seguin, Zdeno Chara
Canadiens P.K. Subban, David Desharnais
Capitals Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson
Devils Martin Brodeur, Adam Henrique
Flyers Wayne Simmonds, Jakub Voracek
Hurricanes Eric Staal, Jordan Staal
Islanders John Tavares, Michael Grabner
Jets Evander Kane, Andrew Ladd
Lightning Teddy Purcell, Victor Hedman
Maple Leafs Joffrey Lupul, James van Riemsdyk
Panthers Kris Versteeg, Brian Campbell
Penguins Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang
Rangers Carl Hagelin, Ryan Callahan
Sabres Ryan Miller, Tomas Vanek
Senators Craig Anderson, Milan Michalek

Western Conference

Avalanche Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog
Blackhawks Patrick Sharp, Duncan Keith
Blue Jackets Brandon Dubinsky, Sergei Bobrovsky
Blues Alex Pietrangelo, David Perron
Canucks Ryan Kesler, Alex Burrows
Coyotes Keith Yandle, Shane Doan
Ducks Andrew Cogliano, Matt Beleskey
Flames Dennis Wideman, Lee Stempniak
Kings Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown
Oilers Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Taylor Hall
Predators Brandon Yip, Mike Fisher
Red Wings Jimmy Howard, Pavel Datsyuk
Sharks Joe Thornton, Logan Couture
Stars Kari Lehtonen, Jamie Benn
Wild Mikko Koivu, Niklas Backstrom