NHL series

NHL 95 cover for the Sega Mega Drive (aka Sega Genesis).

The NHL series is the most popular video game series based on the National Hockey League by EA Sports. The first version was released for the Sega Genesis in 1992, and since then it has been available on most major gaming platforms. Currently, it is available for the PC, PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox. NHL 07 will be available on the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation Portable, as well.

The series

NHL Hockey (1992)

The first version of the game, titled NHL Hockey and released in 1992 for the Genesis, was considered the most realistic hockey game of its time. This game used a vertical view, which was unique at the time since most previous hockey games used horizontal or top-down views. It also featured an NHL license but not a license from the NHLPA, the players association. Therefore, the team names and logos were all present, but no players' names were mentioned. Instead, all players were referred to by their numbers. The Mega Drive version was released soon after, called EA Hockey and featured international teams. However, this change was merely cosmetic, as most team colours could be tracked to NHL teams. Although the game had all NHL teams that existed at the time, the only competition present were the playoffs, either decided on one or seven matches.

NHLPA Hockey 93

The next release was titled NHLPA Hockey '93 and while having an NHLPA license, it did not have an NHL license. Due to the lack of an NHL license, the game included all player names and numbers but did not include real team names or logos. Instead, teams were identified by their city and colors. This meant that the New York Islanders were referred to as "Long Island", even though the official name does designate the team as such. Also introduced were Tampa Bay and Ottawa to the 22 teams of NHL Hockey. It was also one of the first non-RPGs featuring EEPROM battery saving, which allowed to save lines and the ongoing playoff, rather than use passwords.

The game also started a dispute between EA and the ice hockey ruling bodies over what could be included on the licensed game. In the game injured players often bled when injured, mis-aimed shots could break the glass behind the net, and the instruction manual made references to injuring opposing key players, stating "Player injuries — it's a part of the game. Knock key opposing players out of the game with an extra hard body check". Neither the NHL or the NHLPA approved these additions to the game, and thus fighting, and injured players were removed in the next version, NHL Hockey 94, since they were considered harmful to the sport's image.

NHL Hockey 94

With the 1994 version of the game, EA obtained both NHL and NHLPA licenses. This was also the first version that, alongside the already existing Genesis/Mega Drive and SNES versions, was available for the PC and Sega CD. It also added the one-timer shot, where a player receives a pass from a teammate and shoots the puck as soon as it arrives, goalie control, penalty shots, a shootout mode and included two new teams, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and the Florida Panthers even though the teams had not joined the NHL as of yet. The addition of the two new teams caused some anomalies in the game; for example the Florida Panthers had just acquired goalie John Vanbiesbrouck from the New York Rangers in the expansion draft, yet since all other team rosters were based on the previous season, Vanbiesbrouck, along with other players, were included on multiple teams. The Super Nintendo & the Sega CD versions of the game had Vanbiesbrouck removed from the Rangers, but with no added substitute, which left Mike Richter as the only goaltender.

NHL 95

With the next game in the series, NHL 95, many changes were introduced. For the first time, a complete season could be played, players could be created and traded, and gameplay also had improvements with the inclusion of fake shots, drop passes and laying on the ice to block shots.

This year's cover featured Alexei Kovalev of the New York Rangers scoring on Vancouver's Kirk McLean during the '94 Finals.

NHL 96

NHL 96 for the PC was the first game in the series to have multiple cameras, using EAs Virtual Stadium techonology, which used 2D sprites on a 3D environment. Fighting, and major and double minor penalties were reintroduced. The cover of the game featured Steve Yzerman and Scott Stevens, and the NHL's theme song, (Get Ready For This by 2 Unlimited) was used as the games' main theme. The game included the Quebec Nordiques, and not the Colorado Avalanche, even though the team had moved before the start of the 1995-96 season.

NHL 97

NHL 97 took the graphics even farther ahead, using a full 3D engine, with motion-captured polygonal players. Each goaltender had his own custom-painted mask and the original artwork could be seen inside the game with a special "Goalie Mask Viewer". NHL 97 also introduced play-by-play commentary, provided by well-known announcer Jim Hughson.

For the first time since EA Hockey, national teams were added, although only Canada, the United States and Russia had their own teams while the other two were selections of the best European players. Along with the PC, Mega Drive/Genesis and SNES versions, both the Sega Saturn and PlayStation version made their debut.

The cover of the game featured Florida Panthers goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck.

NHL 98

NHL 98 took the series ahead by introducing full national teams (EA was not able to capture the Nagano Olympic Tournament license, acquired by Gremlin Interactive). Jim Hughson returned for play-by-play, this time joined by Daryl Reaugh who provided color commentary.

The cover of the game featured Colorado Avalanche forward Peter Forsberg.

Versions between NHL 99 and NHL 2001

Between NHL 99 and NHL 2002 there were very few large improvements to the game. A career mode (later developed into a Franchise mode) with a retirement feature, drafting and player trades were added to the game. Furthermore, created players could use any photo for their face which would be textured on the head. Online leagues of the game also became more organized.

Daryl Reaugh left the series as color commentator following NHL 99. Jim Hughson remained as play-by-play announcer throughout the series, with Bill Clement joining as an analyst for NHL 2000.

The covers of the game featured Philadelphia Flyers forward Eric Lindros on NHL 99, St. Louis Blues defenseman Chris Pronger on NHL 2000 in the nordic countries Markus Näslund Vancouver Canucks was on the cover of NHL 2000. San Jose Sharks forward Owen Nolan on NHL 2001 in the nordic countries Jere Lehtinen Dallas Stars was on the cover of NHL 2001.

NHL 2002

Bill Clement was replaced by Don Taylor for NHL 2002. Taylor's quirky and often slapstick commentary style drew mixed reception from fans of the game.

The cover of the game featured Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Mario Lemieux.

NHL 2003

NHL 2003 was a revolutionary version of the game. It was very detailed and clean-cut, with an improved graphics model, but had some flaws. It featured out-of-control scoring and unrealistic gameplay, with regards to hitting and shooting. Jim Hughson and Don Taylor returned as commentators. EA Trax was also introduced along with EA Sports' titles at the time.

Calgary Flames forward Jarome Iginla was featured on the cover.

NHL 2004

NHL 2004, developed by the EA Black Box studios, added 3 European Elite leagues - Germany's Deutsche Eishockey Liga, Sweden's Elitserien and Finland's SM-liiga. (This was not the first time that European teams were included in an EA game; EA released both Elitserien 95 and Elitserien 96 for the Mega Drive in Sweden only and Elitserien and SM-liiga 2001 as a expansion pack for PC in Sweden and Finland which included those teams). The game included many improvements to its gameplay (more realistic puck and rebound control and better checking) and game modes (a completely reworked franchise mode renamed "Dynasty"). In addition to the gameplay improvements, one particular non-gameplay improvement was added. When a team wins the Stanley Cup Finals, a large-scale celebration ensues. It included players skating around the ice holding the Cup over their heads. This then leaded to the common snapshot of the team and the coaches that holds true in the NHL. A "secret" song (Shatterday by Vendetta Red) plays while the animation shows the stats of the players in the picture, ending with the capitan. Because of these additions, it was praised as one of the best games in the series to date.

Another new feature of NHL 2004 was allowing the player to select when to fight, where previously it had been a somewhat random occurrence. When two players' names flashed onto the bottom of the screen, accompanied by the word "Fight!" and a bell sounding, the person playing the game could push a button to begin a fight, or hold off until a later time. Furthermore, goaltenders were able to fight (however, goalie fights are completely random, as the names of other players are shown at the bottom of the screen; also, goalies are not thrown out of a game for fighting; in real life, goaltenders who fight are given both a major for fighting and a minor for leaving the crease, resulting in game misconducts for both combatants).

Picking a cover athlete for NHL 2004 proved to be problematic. Joe Thornton was the original choice but after he was brought up on assault charges, he was removed and replaced by Dany Heatley for the game's first shipments. After Heatley's car crash that killed his Atlanta Thrashers team-mate, Dan Snyder, EA removed him and replaced the cover with Joe Sakic but not before a large number of units had already been shipped. As a result, both covers (Heatley and Sakic) made it into circulation.

NHL 2005

NHL 2005 features Open Ice Control, which according to EA allows better control, including moving players without the puck and also a complete World Cup mode where each team can be created from scratch. The IIHF license which granted the World Cup mode also allowed EA to use real-life international jerseys for the first time (previously released games used unique jerseys designed by the game's staff which only bore a passing similarity to their real life counterparts) The PC version of the game was stripped down to the bare essentials, including the omitting of the create-a-player feature. These ommissions were possibly due to the labour dispute that season, but EA explained that they hadn't perfected the new create-a-player interface, which would have allowed for far greater customizability that what was previously unavailable. The game also suffered from overly-aggressive AI and was generally seen negatively.

Vancouver Canucks captain Markus Näslund was featured on the cover.

NHL 06

NHL 06, seen as the title that could make or break the series following the 2004-05 NHL Lockout, was released in September 2005 with a North America-wide TV campaign proclaiming, "Hockey's Back!". The game featured a slight graphics improvement and the return of the Create-A-Player feature, which had been notably absent from NHL 2005. The game also includes HC Davos from Switzerland to go along with the European elite leagues. The complete redesign of this feature was based on that used in EA Sports' Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005, allowing for much more complex changes in a player's appearance than simply eye or hair colour.

The creators of the game placed a surprise in the PlayStation 2 version; playing NHL 94 was an option, and it would look the same as it was when it was originally released, including several since-relocated franchises such as the Winnipeg Jets and Quebec Nordiques.[1]. The Hartford Whalers, however, were not included, instead replaced by a team called the "Hartford Canes". The city of Hartford owns the rights to the Whalers name, logo and jersey, and did not allow their use in the game.

NHL 06 came under heavy criticism for once again featuring too many "score fests", this time as a result of the defensive AI in the game being very passive. The PC version was also lacking compared to the console versions; for example, while the create-a-player feature was reinserted, the game's interface in the menus felt more suited for those with gamepads.

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Vincent Lecavalier was featured on the cover.

NHL 07

NHL 07 is scheduled to be released in the Fall (northern hemisphere) of 2006. The game will feature a newly designed control setup, eliminating the need to use the face buttons to pass the puck (something Xbox users are likely to notice the most). The game's international appeal will expand further, adding the Czech Extraliga to the list of playable leagues.

Commentary will be provided by Gary Thorne and Bill Clement for the Xbox 360 version of the game, however Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson seem likely to return for the current generation versions, according to already-released gameplay video.

NHL 07 will be the first next generation title in the series; as well as being available on the Xbox 360, the game will be the first in the NHL series to be available for the PSP. Other format releases include PS2, Xbox and PC. [2]

Washington Capitals forward and 2006 Calder Trophy winner Alexander Ovechkin will be featured on the cover.

Game covers

Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals on the cover of NHL 07 (Xbox 360)

As traditional with EA Sports, their boxes featured live action photos instead of drawings.

As it lacked the NHLPA license, the early titles had staged photos without real players. NHLPA Hockey 93, on the other hand, had the rights to use player image, but not of the teams. In this cover, the staged photo is surrounded by eight small portraits of players (Steve Yzerman, Andy Moog, Pat LaFontaine, Brian Leetch, Ray Bourque, Patrick Roy, Jeremy Roenick and Rick Tocchet). This changed with NHL 94, which featured a goal situation for Tomas Sandström (LA Kings) against Andy Moog (Boston). NHL 95, considered to be the best cover in this period, featured an in-goal camera during a goal scored by Alexei Kovalev of the New York Rangers during the '94 Stanley Cup Finals.NHL 96 featured New Jersey's Scott Stevens and Detroit's Steve Yzerman.

Since NHL 97, each cover features only one player, with John Vanbiesbrouck (Panthers) being the first. He was followed by Peter Forsberg (Colorado, NHL'98), Eric Lindros, (Flyers, NHL'99), Chris Pronger, (St. Louis Blues, NHL 2000) in the nordic countries Markus Näslund Vancouver Canucks was on the cover of NHL 2000., Owen Nolan, (Sharks, NHL 2001) in the nordic countries Jere Lehtinen Dallas Stars was on the cover of NHL 2001., Mario Lemieux, (Penguins, NHL 2002), Jarome Iginla, (Calgary, NHL 2003), Dany Heatley and Joe Sakic, (Atlanta Thrashers and Colorado, respectively, in NHL 2004), Markus Näslund, (Vancouver) in NHL 2005, Vincent Lecavalier (Tampa Bay) in NHL 06 and Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) in NHL 07.

Commentary

Live play-by-play commentary was introduced for NHL 97. Jim Hughson, one of Canada's best-known hockey announcers, has provided the play-by-play for the entire series, excluding the Xbox 360 version of NHL 07, which will be provided by Gary Thorne. Color commentary has been provided by Daryl Reaugh (98-99), Bill Clement (2000-01, 2007 (Xbox 360)), Don Taylor (2002-03) and Craig Simpson (2004-06).

Memorable Quotations

:Jim Hughson: "GREAT SAVE, (goaltender)