NHL: Bracket Challenge

Objective

The NHL sought to deepen fan engagement during playoff season through an interactive tournament prediction experience. Bracket Challenge allowed fans to create Stanley Cup playoff predictions and form private competitive leagues with friends and rivals, extending engagement from pre-playoff registration through the entire tournament.

Solution

A playable prediction game where users create Stanley Cup playoff brackets and compete individually and in private league groups. Key features include Bracket Leagues (invitational competition groups), mobile-optimized interface with dynamically animated bracket modules, real-time leaderboard scoring, and Second Chance Brackets allowing selection adjustments after playoffs begin. Built on AWS infrastructure with real-time scoring engine designed to handle massive traffic spikes. Deployed on NHL.com and integrated with social sharing.

Results

The NHL Bracket Challenge platform received over 926,000 bracket submissions in 2019, demonstrating significant fan participation.