They may never play for the Stanley Cup, but the best EA Sports NHL 18 players in North America will soon play for a different prize.
That prize is the Snider Hockey Cup, named in memory of former Philadelphia Flyers owner Ed Snider, and those adept gamers can earn up to $17,500 in prizes. The tournament is sponsored by Xbox and powered by World Gaming, and money raised through will go towards the Snider Youth Hockey Foundation.
“Ed Snider was a visionary. What better way to honor Ed than to be the first foundation to embrace the esport industry with this tournament that will ultimately benefit the student-athletes of the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation,” Scott Tharp, the president of the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation, said in a statement.
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Registration and competitive play began last week and will extend through March 7 with a live final at Xfinity Live!, an entertainment complex across from the Wells Fargo Center, where Snider’s former team plays its games. Qualifying rounds will last until Feb. 10, and a playoff will occur over two days from Feb. 17-18. American and Canadian players age 14 and over can compete on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, according to an overview of the tournament; players from Arizona, Maryland, Tennessee, and New Jersey are excluded.
During the qualifying rounds, there will be twice-weekly 16-player brackets. The top two players in each bracket will move to the Online Playoffs. There will also be leaderboards for both Xbox One and PS4, with the top four players on each console moving to the Online Playoffs and winning a cash prize. During the playoffs, qualifiers will be divided into groups for a tournament on each system, and on the second day, the top eight players will compete in a single elimination tournament, according to the tournament overview website.
From there, the top two players on each console will advance to the Live Final and receive travel to and accommodation in Philadelphia.
The $17,500 prize will be split between cash, tickets, apparel, and other rewards. The finalists will also enjoy a game the night after playing in the championship; they’ll walk across the street to see the Flyers face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins, it was announced.
The first place winner will receive $4,000, a signed Flyers jersey, and a suite seat for the Flyers-Penguins contest; the second place winner will get those same perks with less cash ($1,600). The third and fourth placers will receive $750 and signed apparel, and those in fifth through eighth place will take home $250 and signed memorabilia.