How to Play

WHAT ARE THE START AND END DATES?

Tournament registration starts at 9:00 AM Eastern Standard Time ("EST") on September 17, 2008 and ends at 11:59 PM EST on October 14, 2008 (Registration Period). Qualification play starts at 12:01 AM EST on October 7, 2008 and ends at 11:59 PM EST on October 31, 2008 (Qualification Period).

Tournament play starts at 12:00 PM EST on November 1, 2008 and ends at 10:00 pm EST on November 17, 2008 (Tournament Period) The Finals Event will be hosted at the 2009 NHL All Star Game in Montreal, Canada on January 25th, 2009 (Finals Period)

HOW DO I REGISTER?

If you wish to participate in the Tournament, in accordance with section 2, you must download the contest Gamer Pic from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace ("Gamer Pic") at no cost during the Registration Period.

You may only compete using a single Gamertag. If you are found to have competed under multiple identities or Gamertags, you will be automatically disqualified from the Tournament and could be disqualified from participating in future Xbox Live competitions.

HOW DO I PLAY?

On October 7th, 2008 EST the Xbox Live leaderboards will be reset. During the Tournament Qualifying Period, online NHL 2K9 matches must be "ranked" to affect players' leaderboard position. In the event of a tie, the player with the most total games played will advance to the Tournament Playoff. (RANKED TEAM-UP Matches will NOT count)

On October 31st, 2008, the top 256 players with at least fifteen (15) completed games during the Qualifying Period will be eligible for the MICROSOFT XBOX LIVE NHL 2K9 HHOF TOURNAMENT Online Playoff Period ("Playoff Period"). The top 256 players who qualify for the Tournament will be contacted by Sponsor and their names will be posted on the Site on October 31, 2008. Players are responsible for checking the Site on October 31, 2008 to see if they qualified for the Playoff Period.

The Playoff Period will commence on November 1, 2008 and end on November 17, 2008 at which time the two (2) Finalists will be determined. There will be eight (8) rounds of play to determine winners.

To qualify for the Finals in Montreal on January 25th, 2009, NHL 2K9 HHOF TOURNAMENT registrants, after Qualification Period, must participate in the NHL 2K9 HHOF TOURNAMENT online playoffs.

Tournament Playoffs: Schedule and Format

At the conclusion of the Qualification Period, the top 256 registrants on the NHL 2K9 HHOF leaderboard will be invited to participate in the NHL 2K9 HHOF TOURNAMENT online playoffs. Each registrant will be assigned an NHL team. Team assignments will be based on a lottery system with the highest-ranking registrant choosing their favorite team to compete with throughout each playoff round. These registrants will be placed and scheduled into 16, 16 -person single elimination online tournament brackets. The winners from each match advance to the next round of the Tournament. The loser of each match is eliminated from the Tournament. The winner from each 16-person tournament brackets will be placed into two (2) 8-person single elimination tournament brackets. The two winners from each 8-person tournament bracket will advance to the FINALS in Montreal.