EASTERN CONFERENCE BRACKET
WESTERN CONFERENCE BRACKET
NCAA March Madness is a couple weeks away but here at USA Hockey Magazine we want to let you, our fans and readers, participate in the hockey madness.
Starting Tuesday March 5, we will kick off USA Hockey Magazine’s American Fan Favorite Tournament featuring 36 of the top active American players in the NHL.
USA Hockey Magazine wants you to help us determine who the most popular American player in the NHL is by voting on our Facebook Page or through our Twitter Account (@usahmagazine) using the hashtag #hockeymarchmadness.
Unfortunately, just like the NCAA Tournament there will certainly be players who did not make it to our 36-player field that may have been worthy. There are simply too many good players to choose from.
We decided to break our tourney into two, 16-player brackets, with two play-in games, representing the NHL’s Eastern and Western Conference with every team receiving one automatic bid. The seedings were determined by the USA Hockey Magazine editorial staff and factored in a player’s current performance this season as well as their career statistics.
Support your favorite players, share with us your opinions and recruit your friends to help us determine who the top American in the NHL is.
How Fans Can Vote
· Fans can vote on the USA Hockey Magazine Facebook Page on the matchups photo in the comment section or on Twitter using the hashtag #hockeymarchmadness and tweeting at @usahmagazine.
· Results will be posted on the USA Hockey Magazine social media channels and on usahockeymagazine.com as soon as they become available.
Tournament Format
· Each NHL team receives one automatic bid.
· Player must be either born in the United States or have represented the U.S. in international competition. Any players that were born in the U.S. but have represented other countries are not eligible.
· Some teams have more than one player due to their skill level/popularity. Therefore, we have created two play-in games to get more of your favorite players in the tournament.
Tournament Schedule
March 5
Eastern Conference 16 seed Play-In
Andy Greene (New Jersey) def. Chad LaRose (Carolina)
Western Conference 16 seed Play-In
Keith Yandle (Phoenix) def. Erik Cole (Dallas)
March 6
Eastern Conference 15 seed Play-In
Brian Boucher (Philadelphia) def. Jay Pandolfo (Bruins)
Western Conference 15 seed Play-In
TJ Oshie (St. Louis) def. Ryan Whitney (Edmonton)
First Round
March 7
Eastern Conference No. 16 Andy Greene (New Jersey) def. No. 1 Phil Kessel (Toronto)
Western Conference No. 8 Jimmy Howard (Detroit) def. No. 9 Lee Stempniak (Calgary)
March 8
Eastern Conference No. 10 Brooks Orpik (Pittsburgh) def. No. 7 Max Pacioretty (Montreal)
Western Conference No. 15 TJ Oshie (St. Louis) def. No. 2 Joe Pavelski (San Jose)
March 11
Eastern Conference No. 4 James Van Riemsdyk (Toronto) def. No. 13 Derek Stepan (NY Rangers)
Western Conference No. 11 Jack Johnson (Columbus) def. No. 6 Jonathan Quick (Los Angeles)
March 12
Eastern Conference No. 5 Blake Wheeler (Winnipeg) def. No. 12 George Parros (Florida)
Western Conference No. 4 Dustin Brown (Los Angeles) def. No. 13 Colin Wilson (Nashville)
March 13
Eastern Conference No. 6 Craig Anderson (Ottawa) def. No. 11 John Carlson (Washington)
Western Conference No. 3 Zach Parise (Minnesota) def. No. 14 Ryan Kesler (Vancouver)
March 14
Eastern Conference No. 14 Kyle Okposo (NY Islanders) def. No. 3 Jason Pominville (Buffalo)
Western Conference No. 12 David Backes (St. Louis) def. No. 5 Paul Stastny (Colorado)
March 15
Eastern Conference No. 2 Ryan Miller (Buffalo) def. No. 15 Brian Boucher (Philadelphia)
Western Conference No. 10 Ryan Suter (Minnesota) def. No. 7 Bobby Ryan (Anaheim)
March 18
Eastern Conference No. 9 Ryan Callahan (NY Rangers) def. No. 8 Matt Carle (Tampa Bay)
Western Conference No. 1 Patrick Kane (Chicago) def. No. 16 Keith Yandle (Phoenix)
Second Round
March 19
Eastern Conference No. 5 Blake Wheeler (Winnipeg) def. No. 4 James Van Riemsdyk (Toronto)
Western Conference. No. 10 Ryan Suter (Minnesota) def. No. 15 TJ Oshie (St. Louis)
Eastern Conference No. 2 Ryan Miller (Buffalo) def. No. 10 Brooks Orpik (Pittsburgh)
Western Conference No. 12 David Backes (St. Louis) def. No. 4 Dustin Brown (Los Angeles)
March 21
Eastern Conference No. 14 Kyle Okposo (NY Islanders) def. No. 6 Craig Anderson (Ottawa)
Western Conference No. 1 Patrick Kane (Chicago) def. No. 8 Jimmy Howard (Detroit)
Eastern Conference No. 16 Andy Greene (New Jersey) def. No. 9 Ryan Callahan (NY Rangers)
Western Conference No. 3 Zach Parise (Minnesota) vs. No. 11 Jack Johnson (Columbus)
Third Round
March 25
Eastern Conference No. 2 Ryan Miller (Buffalo) def. No. 14 Kyle Okposo (NY Islanders)
March 26
Western Conference No. 1 Patrick Kane (Chicago) def. No. 12 David Backes (St. Louis)
Eastern Conference No. 16 Andy Greene (New Jersey) def. No. 5 Blake Wheeler (Winnipeg)
Western Conference No. 3 Zach Parise (Minnesota) def. No. 10 Ryan Suter (Minnesota)
Conference Finals are March 29 and 30.
March 29
Eastern Conference No. 16 Andy Greene (New Jersey) def. No. 2 Ryan Miller (Buffalo)
March 30
Western Conference No. 3 Zach Parise (Minnesota) def. No. 1 Patrick Kane (Chicago)
Championship Game April 1.
Western Conference No. 3 Zach Parise (Minnesota) def. Eastern Conference No. 16 Andy Greene (New Jersey)