HOCKEY NHL VIDEO GAMES EVOLUTION [1979 - 2023] 

Blades of Steel was the game I grew up playing. Still one of the better ones from that era.

NHL 09, 10 and 11 were the absolute class of this series. I literally cannot wrap my head around how they got away from that formula. Skill mattered by a huge margin and the game did what your thumbs input on the control sticks. Can’t believe whoever has been running EA NHL since 15 still has a job.

*EA SPORTS PRESENTS.... NHL 98* My God I probably heard that 10,000 times playing on PC back in the day. Oh the nostalgia

We didn’t know how good we had it when we were getting 4-5 different good hockey games per year. I was always 2k , face off and power play series. … now it’s been 12 years of just 1 😢

Honestly, once you get to NHL 16, the game hasn't changed much.

definitely peaked in 2009, i remember being amazed at the graphics on the new 360. almost 1.5 decades later and it has barely changed since then

NHL 06' is special for me because its part of my late teenage time around 19 yr old. Having soooo much fun with my best friend, still today

AS A 13 YEAR OLD WHEN NHL 93 CAME OUT FOR SEGA GENESIS WITH THE BLOOD AND FIGHTS....YOU WOULD HAVE KIDS LINED UP OUTSIDE MY HOUSE JUST TO COME IN AND HAVE A SEAT TO WATCH US ALL PLAY.....SUCH GREAT TIMES.....STILL MY FAVOURITE HOCKEY. GAME....👊👊...RESPECTS YOUR CHANNEL KICKS ASS

A few days before the release of NHL 23, I offer you a video that traces the evolution of hockey games since 1979. Have you played these games? Which one is your favorite? If there are games missing from the list, feel free to mention them in the comments. Thanks

Oh man, loved this video. Some amazing throwbacks there. Highlights were: Blades of Steel, Ice Hockey (NES), Wayne Gretzky Hockey, NHL '93, Mutant League Ice Hockey, NHL Open Ice, Hitz series, and 2k series. All those gave me so much memories.

NHL 04 was really ahead of its time. The intro of the skill stick for more realistic puck handling. GM mode was awesome. The fighting was good too. It still holds up. NHL 11, NHL 14 were also very good. Hitz was an institution. I wish there were more hockey games so EA had to actually try and make a good game. Hear Doc on NHL faceoff was awesome especially since EA botched him.

Nhl99 was the first hockey game I've played. memories... thanks for sharing

Играл только в НХЛ 2009 на протяжении 10 лет 😊

Nhl 2k5 and nhl 06 have a special place in my heart

I can still remember the soundtrack of NHL96 - that's amazing

I miss Jim Hughson in every NHL and Triple Play in the day. Play by play is boring these days.

I miss when there was competition between 2k and EA. They would be unique, and most of the time, top tier quality NHP games. I also miss NHP games on PC.

The graphics may be better nowadays but nothing today compares to nhl 94. Best hockey game ever made.

These are honestly the best videos on RU-vid right now!!

That 1980 Intellivision hockey was one of the most fun games of its era to play, on any platform, of any type. Its weird little quirks and bizarrely unrealistic gameplay made for hours and hours of laughter. I would play it now if I had the equipment to do so.

This is LITERALLY a fact: NHL 02 and 04 will FOREVER be the BEST games. No one can prove me wrong at all. Best music too hands down!

NHL 94 was a gamechanger. It changed absolutely everything with hockey video games.

Love how the footage shows that nhl 16 with roster updates could easily be nhl 23 since nothing meaningful has changed.

wow thanks for this video, bring back a lot of memories!!

Blades of Steel from NES,Mario Lemieux Hockey from Genesis,NHLPA Hockey 93 for Genesis where my favorites growing up

I enjoyed EA hockey in 1991 so bad I began learning to skate and began ice hockey . Still playing at 50... but my level is still 1991 !😅

i loved the wayne gretzky hockey on the amiga

This video makes me appreciate the newer games

Happy Winter Day 🥶☃️❄️ from VGE!

NHL 95' baby. Played that game everyday

Wayne Gretzky's 3D hockey will forever be the greatest hockey game ever made.

When these games came to Germany, I took the bus to the store, a 45min trip, bought it, a 45min trip back home and reading the manual while on the bus. I remember those days as if they were yesterday.

My favorite was NHL 2003. I only had a NES before that and my parents got me the xbox for christmas, I went to the store and got to pick out a couple games, one of them was NHL 2003. I became addicted to that game, it was perfect. I feel like that game was more fun to play than the NHL games out today, but it could just be the nostalgia.

Back to back in this video are the best in my childhood opinion. NHL 95 and Wayne Gretzky and the NHLPA all stars. Best fight mode in the Gretzky game.

In my book, NHL 94 will always be the best sports game ever made. The one-timers were an absolute game changer. Back then, I received it at Christmas, spent countless hours playing it. The next Chrstimas I got NHL 95, played for about 2 weeks, than sold it and came back to NHL 94....

Are we not gonna talk about how you used NHL 15/Legacy Edition footage for NHL 23?

This was an amazing video..brings back so many memories. How me and my friends loved blades of steel! It was ahead of it’s time Hard to believe it’s been that long ago Thanks for the upload

Loved the Nintendo NHL game take a friggin penalty shot from the blue line and the goes off the goalies head and in the net LMFAO 🤣🤣🤣

Fun fact: the skaters in 1991 NHL Hockey are images of the artist himself in pads. Old school rotoscoping off VHS images. He let me color in my favorite teams.

The original Wayne Gretzy’s 3D Hockey for N64 was SO much fun. Remember when the goalies would literally turn into a brick wall? Or the code that made their heads enormous?

You have made some real effort on this video, subscribed.

Mike Emrick is my favorite hockey commentator of all time, but I used to think that Mike Emrick on the commentary (in the game’s specifically) was annoying. When they switched the broadcast team from the Eddie, and Doc to James, I realized I really liked the old NBC broadcasting of the previous games. Nothing beats NHL 10 commentary though GREAT SAVE LULANGO

i actually have a still-functioning arcade cabinet for 2-on-2 Open Ice Challenge in my basement, played it in college. About 12 years ago, i found one on ebay and bought it

3 on 3 arcade was goated man

This was a great video, oh I remember the old retro days going to the arcade and play hockey specifically air hockey

There was also Atari 2600 'hockey'. It was basically Pong with a light blue (ice) background.

I was self aware in 1993 (7 years old). N64 Wayne Gretzky's hockey was the best NHL game I played. Just bring your controller over and have a marathon a fun all night. Such great memories.

I had a Nintendo with Wayne Gretzky Hockey on it and it was a very good game. I would love to get my hands on that one again.

NHL games will always have a special place in my heart.

Love how the crowd cheering is just static noise in International Hockey.

NHL Breakway 98 will always have a place in my heart.

@3:23 I remember having this one for Sega Genesis. I used to love sports games back in the early to mid-90s when I was a kid. I miss those days.

That wasn’t nhl 23, it was like ps3 nhl 14

NHL 94 with Roenick was awesome 😂

I remember since NHL 2000, what a good times. From that time saw the evolution of the game

Face Off looked like it was ahead of its time graphics wise. Those players look 3D almost.

I still remember my Intellivision hockey very well....early 80's....used to play it for hours and hours with my buddies....

love NHL video games so much 💙❤

Ah Blades Of Steel, I loved that game when I was a ki....oh god, do I feel old!

Spent most time with NHL 93. It was just pure fun to play. Really good old golden times. Then switched to NHL 96 and legendary NHL 98, which was the real milestone. Next big step was introducing NHL 2003, many years peaking with NHL 2009. Since then, EA somehow managed to kill the series with random ideas and become unplayable. Anyways, whenever I do recall NHL series, warm heat comming from my heart instantly. What a time it was.

Mutant League Hockey and Football were by jams. Lets go Bones Jackson!!!

Sick video.

NHL 23 has the winter classics and it has the old people in it when you do it

I can't express the disappointment that was Wayne Gretzky hockey for NES seeing as how he was my favorite player growing up. But then we got Sega Genesis and EA hockey, and Jeremy Roenick suddenly became my favorite player, lol. Dude was unstoppable in that game.

18:51 There is no way that is NHL 23, that is Doc Emrick's voice and he has not done the play-by-play for the NHL in any capacity since 2020, he stopped doing the EA video games in 2019

Pretty cool hearing all the players names that I grew up watching and pretending to be playing hockey as a little dude

Excellent video, thanks! 👍Oh, God, this PC games 1978 and later so funny, I have no idea that this games exist, wow! Sure, fast progress of hockey video games and it variety - very impressing! My first hockey game be "Blades of Steel" (on 8-bit Dendy, it licensed Taiwan analog of NES), later played on SNES from NHL 95 to PlayStation1 (NHL97-2001), Xbox (original) from NHL’06-08. Unfortunately, NHL Hitz be very rare game in my country and I not played in it. And last my stage be Xbox360 from NHL’08 to NHL Legacy Edition (2016). My personal opinion and impressions from evolution, I can say in coupe of sentences. We can saw huge visual difference in gameplay and graphics in 80’s, 90’s and beginning of 2000’s. But, I think many people will agree, in last 10 years difference in gameplay and graphics not so huge how it be 20 years ago. Sure, difference exist, but it not so much how hockey games of 90’s be different from 80’s. Last huge level of evolutional difference be how Xbox NHL 2006 differ from PlayStation1 NHL 2001. When you look on EA NHL hockey on XboxOne you not saw so much difference from Xbox360 NHL 15 or 16 (Legacy Edition). All very close now. In same time in past we saw how much different hockey games existed, and now EA have 90% some kind of monopoly in Hockey games on last new generation console systems. But, all changing, and appear new companies whom try new directions, I mean VR, Oculus. And I have feeling what ways of EA console games and VR games will cross in future and it generate new, different hockey games from all that we knew before. Difficult to say now what it be and how, but progress and evolution of hockey games will continue. P.S. Sorry for my poor English.

1:50 NES Ice Hockey, still legendary.

NHL 2001 is kept in my heart. good times

1988 ice hockey! Loved that game!!

I used to get so amped up during the fights for nhl 2004. I was 9 so i litetally stood up and was way too into it lol I even had a copy with Heatley on the cover before they changed due to the tragedy that occurred. Still probably my favorite old school nhl game

Early 2K series were the best. Could turn options all the way up to play SUPER fast and SUPER physical hockey👍👍👍 The way hockey is supposed to be played!!! Compare that with the same era EA NHL games, which were excellent to play franchise modes. But, the game play was skating on CONCRETE!!! I know quite impossible, but the 2K series should be the way reality is, was and will always be hockey.

Ice Hockey from 1988 was the best!

Grew up a fan of the EA franchise first on Sega Genesis (NHL Hockey, NHLPA Hockey then NHL94, plus that game's iteration on PC). We later played NHL2000 on PC for countless nights. The fun we had whacking away at opponents after the whistle and have them flip upside down with hip checks (though when they spun like a screw being drilled, it lacked juuust a bit of realism)... Also played some of the next installments on PC, as well as earlier entries on SNES, N64 or GameCube with the friends that actually had those. Recently discovered the featured Super blood hockey, although on Switch. That is more of a disgrace than the Slapshot movie on steroids, and brings the fun back where it may have faded.

1:02 “He scores!” *Ear piercing screeches*

Everyone played EA Sports NHL. But some standouts were Ice Hockey, Stanley Cup, Brett Hull Hockey and NHL Hitz on the game cube.

That’s a nice nhl 23 you got there

i had so many of those going all the way back to atari activision hockey. intellivision had a good hockey game. my friend had that system. the nintendo hockey w/ skinny, medium and big guys was the best.

NHL '96 was my fav as we used to take turns playing it while in college

@1:35 that cut screen for slapshots LOL

Does anyone else remember playing NHL 15 And then just compare that to now😂

Early 90’s hockey that got me into gaming

NHL'98 on PS1 🤟

Very nice vidéo !

Cool video!

I had a bunch of these with many hours spent playing them. I also had a random Atari hockey that isn't in this video where you had to reset the game if the puck ever went behind the net because it was impossible to retrieve it. They made the players too big to fit.

wow--great work here good job on those games

played them all and loved them all. Blades of steel will always be my favorite (FIGHT)

Wayne Gretzky Hockey II and Power Play Hockey were my jams.

Pretty sad that not a lot of innovation or graphical improvements since NHL 2009

To this day it's amazing to see how badly the Amiga blew everything else away during that period. Graphically it took years for everything else to catch up.

2k sports games were the GOATs of all sports games, between hockey and football they had everyone else beat by 1000%

It sorta stands out, how smooth EA Sports games were compared to the rest. Always ahead of the competition, in presentation and gameplay. It’s easy to see why it has no competition these days (and why it’s become so lazy). Great video.

Softspots shown here for this old man include 1980 (Mattel Intellivision) which was awesome fun. Advanced strat included shooting at the goalie from behind the side of the net which would incapacitate him, and an open goal would result for about 10 seconds.

4:05 BRO IS THAT AL MICHAELS?

The first EA one to come out on the Megadrive (Genesis) is in my top 10 ALL-TIME sports video games.

Let's go. St. Louis Blues. Nashville Predators. Vancouver Canucks. Seattle Kraken. San Jose Sharks. Vegas Golden Knights.

It was nice when there was competition, not just the same game every year

Never found out about the invention of the PC during that whole time. Wild.

nhl 95 , 06-09 and 14 are my favs. Especially on the PS3 when your hard drive stored music played over the arena loud speaker.