The Philadelphia Flyers’ Claude Giroux will be on the cover of EA Sports’ NHL 13 video game.
Giroux defeated Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne in the final fan vote, EA Sports announced Wednesday night at the NHL Awards Show in Las Vegas.
The company left it up to fans for the first time, with 60 players initially in the running before the competition was narrowed down to a 16-man, head-to-head tournament. More than 26 million votes were cast from March 26-June 4, EA Sports said in a press release.
Giroux and Rinne watched as the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Steven Stamkos, featured on last year’s cover, unveiled a giant version the new one with Giroux on it.
“The support fans have given me throughout the campaign has been unbelievable,” Giroux said in quotes provided by EA Sports. “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.”
