Top video gamers face off to contest Snider Hockey Cup

North America’s top hockey video gamers are facing off in the inaugural Snider Hockey Cup.

It’s the first tournament using the made-in-Canada EA Sports “NHL 18’’ title for WorldGaming, although the gaming platform has put on hockey events since 2010 under its previous guise as Virgin Gaming.

“We have the NHL supporting and blessing this all along the way,’’ said WorldGaming general manager Wim Stocks.

The NHL is expected to ramp up its connections to esports, with the NBA and MLS having already announced plans for their own esports leagues. WorldGaming hopes to be part of that.

“Our goal is to have a significant involvement with the NHL game with a more structured sports type of approach,’’ said Stocks. “The NHL is very interested in how it brings a tighter engagement to players, how it works as a marketing tool to broaden interest in the game on a global basis,’’ he added.

It’s also the first major WorldGaming competition with a tie-in to a benevolent group, in this case the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation, which was created by the late Philadelphia Flyers owner to build lives and unite communities through hockey.

“Ed Snider was a visionary. What better way to honour Ed than to be the first foundation to embrace the esports industry with this tournament that will ultimately benefit the studentathletes of the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation,’’ foundation president Scott Tharp said.