3 Classic Hockey Video Games to Play While We’re All Inside

As we discussed last time, sports are cancelled for the foreseeable future. That means no watching any new hockey, basketball or baseball games. The only alternative to watching sports is watching old sports games that the big sports networks are presenting on TV. It can be fun to re-watch classic sports moments, but it quickly loses its luster after you realize that you know how things go down. You’re just waiting for that big moment to happen, and after it does, you’re pretty satisfied and shut the game off. Playing sports is also pretty out of the question since parks are closed. That leaves only one option: playing sports video games. Hockey video games stand out to me as my favourite. I’m going to recommend three classic hockey video games that will consume your time and scratch that hockey itch you might have.

NHL ’94 (Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega CD, DOS)

Not the first NHL game that EA Sports produced, but it was the first one that perfected the formula. For the first time, EA secured both the NHL and NHL Player’s Association licences. So no more playing as “93” for the Leafs, you can actually play as Doug Gilmour! One-timers were added to the game so you could finally get that shot off quickly to beat the goalie. If you could master the one-timer, you were unstoppable and can torment your friends with the move. The shootout mode was also added which was a nice mini-game and fun to play in short spurts. The Sega Genesis and Sega CD versions are best as they run the fastest (bonus points to the Sega CD version for added intro and better music), but the Super Nintendo and DOS versions are still very good versions of the game. The game still has an active community that modifies the game and even hosts tournaments. I’ve spent hours playing this game and can’t recommend it enough.

2-on-2 Open Ice Challenge (Arcade, PlayStation, Windows)

The 90’s started a trend of fast-paced, multiplayer focused video games that found their way into arcades. Midway started all this with NBA Jam, and continued with the often overlooked 2 on 2 Open Ice Challenge. The game plays best when you have four players in (two on each side). Pick your teams, pick your players and you’re ready to go! Fast hockey action, going back and forth taking shots on each other all while an excited announcer shouts the play-by-play at the players. When you score there’s even cheesy animations that play at the bottom of the screen. The arcade version plays the smoothest, but the home versions are not far behind. You can’t go wrong either way for some old-school hockey arcade game action!

NHL 2002 (PlayStation 2, Xbox, Windows)

NHL ’94 may have been the first time EA perfected hockey games, but NHL 2002 was the first time they perfected the formula in 3D. The game’s teams and rosters are completely customizable, so you can put your favourite players on your favourite team. The game also included a trading card mode, which improved stats for certain players. But the real fun came from the power-up cards. Shrink and grow mode was the best. If you get scored on, all players on the ice for your team shrinks, if you score all players grow. This keeps going for the entire game. Things can get comical when you have fifty-foot tall behemoths going up against a team of ants. And the soundtrack…Gob, Treble Charger, Sum 41 and the Barenaked Ladies. How can you go wrong. Each of the versions of the game basically play the same, so you’re not missing out on anything.

Overall, I’d rather be talking about the latest developments in sports rather than recommending sports games to play to pass the time. But you have to make do with what you have, and what I have is a wealth of sports video game knowledge. While I love these games and can’t recommend them enough, these are only the tip of the iceberg. Blades of Steel on Nintendo Entertainment System, Wayne Gretzky’s 3D Hockey on Nintendo 64, NHL Hitz 20-03 on PlayStation 2, GameCube & Xbox, and ESPN NHL 2K5 on PlayStation 2 & Xbox also get recommendations from me as well. Either way, stay home, stay safe, and while we have the time check these classic games out!