The Greatest NHL Video Game of All Time 

What's your favorite NHL game of all time? Agree with me, disagree? Let me know

It’s honestly crazy how these old 15+ year old games are light years better than the ones we have today :/

After playing loads of NHL 22 with the boys, I can confirm that I wholeheartedly miss the 2k generation of hockey.

As a owner of nearly 100 NHL games. 2k10 is my go to for "best" game. AI is tight. Add your music. HUGE to the fun. 2k8 is a great runner up. Sadly 10 plus years later games suck.

I wouldn’t use the term “clunky” to describe how 2K sports games play in comparison to EA’s. They move at a slower pace, and if “NFL 2K5” is any indication, this is done to highlight the mechanical density of the sport they’re representing.

I really miss pre-mtx ultimate team sports games. All 2k NHL games were underrated. Shame EA doesnt have competition today

I remember finding a glitch in this game where you could trade a player and still negotiate with them, so I would trade terrible players to teams and then sign them to mega extensions that ruined their cap forever.

The puck physics in this game were so lit

Bob Cole and Harry Neale providing commentary was amazing. They were the voices of hockey.

Being able to play as the Canada Cup and Summit Series teams was amazing. The unlockable teams were so cool. Of course I went in and edited all the names.

NHL 06 is my all time favorite game. Played it alot as a kid, simple controls, great soundtrack, announcers give interesting information on teams or players who scored, fun skill stick moves

Bruh, I’ve been playing 2k8 since it came out with my friends. The multiplayer franchise mode is so fun for all of us to run our own team. Then we play the games vs each other too! So good!

probably NHL 2K8, NHL 14 is easily my all time favorite retrospective video from soft drink tv video.

Yup! have to agree with you here! 2K was really building on things that reached it's pinnacle with 2K8. You really felt in-control of all your plays and happenings on the ice. I loved all the Historic teams as well. The goalie AI here was spectacular - and you never felt like there were 'go-to' glitch plays, because you really created your own chances. My friends and I played this and the 2K series to death. Miss it a lot :)

Another great video, hopefully you do another NHL video game retrospective, I would really like to see NHL 2k5, NHL 2k6, NHL 2K7, NHL 07, when they introduced the skill stick, NHL 08, NHL 09, NHL 10, I would like to see these 7 future retrospective videos.

Great video man!! NHL 2K3 blew me away back then like no other hockey games did after that, so it would be my pick.

NHL 07 was my all time favourite, for all of its flaws. I was introduced to NHL when I picked up NHL Face Off 98 and then NHL 99 from my corner shop for a couple of ££ each. I was addicted to both of those games and, by 2007 I was recording every live game I could find in the UK to a VHS and watch them after school/college the next day. I have since fallen off of NHL in general but I'm deffo gonna look into picking up this game. I picked up NBA 2K11 based off of one of your videos and had an amazing time with it, so I'm hoping for the same again. Keep doing what you're doing!

Great video. I prefer 2k7 myself simply because the 2k3 -2k7 advanced controls to me are the pinnacle of hockey, and contained just about everything you could do with the ea skill stick offensively and defensively to date and it was super polished and fluid. I do see though, that 2k8 does at times throw down better on the ice, but it also plays remarkably similarly to 2k7. Bob Cole and Harry Neale are IRL my favorite booth pair in hockey history, but sadly they just bever seemed comfortable recording for a game, and the play by play suffers for it, and them being brought in for 2k6 was a dream come true, and they were the play by play team in the original 2k game. The guys they got for 2k9 and 10 were peak. I love 2k8. I own literally every 2k hockey game that exists, the franchise was a gaming anchor for me.

NHL 98 was so fun. The cheats and that intro! "Are you willing to donate your body?" .

Yay softdrink posted! I've been binge watching ur vids and it's like listening to a time machine. Keep it up man!👍

Blades of Steel, NHL 94, NHL 99 all still get played in my house

You're right, this is a great game but there's one major issue that I find hard to ignore. I've noticed that sometimes your players don't go after loose pucks. If you're skating towards a loose puck against an opponent your player will feel like it's "magnetized" to your opponent and instead of skating towards the loose puck, they'll go and cross-check your opponent. Very annoying when you want to win the race for the puck, but end up losing it anyways

I remember a 2K NHL game that had a score ticker from other games playing around the league. I think it was ESPN 2K5 Hockey. I played that game for hours on the first Xbox console.

I remember getting the game used for like $6 over 10 years ago and was surprised at how deep this game was. My favorite part was unlocking all the classic teams with the crazy challenges.

2K needs to reprise their hockey franchise. EA only cares about micro transactions and not the quality of their game

Great video !!! I played this game for so long. It was and still is the best hockey game !!! The career mode with the prospect game was so ahead of its time !!!

Hey softdrink, a game that NEEDS some love is Hockey Legacy Manager. While a mobile game, the one-man development team has made an insanely deep managing game that is easy to learn and will keep players coming back for more. HLM 23 is coming out next month and is getting a lot of real neat stuff!

Looking up greatest hockey videogame and finding this video. I was surprised, I thought I was the only one who felt 2K8 is the greatest ever! The franchise mode has so much immersion!

Love this game - faceoffs are a little wonky... modded NHL 2004 will still always take the cake for me.

NHLPA '93, best music, best fights, it's simple but tons of fun still to this day

I remembered this nhl specifically, rare occurrence of grocery shopping with pops. Bought me the game only if I promised to pay him back. Think it was like 40$ ha. Love ya dad, rip ❤️

This game brings back so much nostalgia 🥲

I still play NHL 99. That is one of my favorite sports games.

I agree. Amazing game flow, goalie ai, and so many little details that add to the immersion factor. Like faceoff animations when there is a false start, kick of the blade to control the puck, etc.)... and that still don't exist on today's games! Plus, what a great selection of jerseys!!! I mean they even have the ugly "Storm jersey" from Tampa. Some weaknesses too, but great package overall, for sure.

Great work as always. I played 2K8 quite a but when I was a kid, A few years ago I actually jumped back into 2K7 and 10. This video definitely inspired me to run a few franchise modes in 2K8. have to say my favorites will always be 14, 2000 on the ps1, and 06.

I didn’t play a lot of NHL games but I’m glad I did play this one.

I think the only one I own is 2k6? The 2k hockey games were very underrated in my opinion.

ESPN NHL 2k5 on the original Xbox (not the PS2 version) is the best game ever. The ESPN presentation and announcing duo of Thorne and Clement put it over the top.

I liked NHL 2K9 which I enjoyed the most and still play it

2K7 is my all time favorite, but I had an absolute blast with 2K8; and the goalie system is bar none the best to ever do it.

As a lifelong hockey fan and someone who's played just about every NHL game heavily for the last 15+ years, I'd have to say NHL 09 on PS3 is my favorite, still come back to it from time to time. Not sure what it is. With that said, I wish I would have appreciated the NHL2k games more back in the day. Back then I only cared about graphics, plus the EA titles were soooo much better back then compared to today. Might have to start fooling around with some of these old NHL2k games again.

I always liked 2k nhl games the thing i like them the most is the fact that theirs jerseys that were never seen in ea another thing ill point out for 2k8 i think its the best in the serise and i think they focused on gameplay visuals rather then making a nice menu interface

Awesome. I’m not huge into hockey, but I do enjoy franchise modes. I will look to add it to my collection. Thanks🎉

Still waiting on the NFL GameDay retrospective or the rise and fall of 989 studios

College hoops 2k7 retrospective?

2k was putting out flames back then

NHL 14 is my personal favorite :)

We need 2k back to make more sports games other than NBA. I loved this game and still go back to it. If EA had some competition I feel they’d kinda have to make their game better

I like how as a sports gamer ill just wake up like "Hmm today ill play some NHL 2k6"

I've been soaking hours into Franchise Mode for over 10 years and can confidently say I have wanted to make this video for a long time and happy someone put some fucking respect on the best NHL game ever made (PS3 version)

I forgot I had this game, you’re making me wanna play it now lol

This was my favorite nhl game of all Time the control was perfect

I always liked the old NHL games. Back when Det and Colorado were beast. Used to have some battles lol. Game was so much quicker and just fun. Now its like playing in slo mo

I never knew NHL 2k existed cause for a while when I was little I thought MLB 2k and NBA 2k were the only sports games that existed. Maybe cause I always played the EA games

Another series you should cover that's worth mentioning is Midway's NHL Hitz games. Those are fun and addicting.

NHL 2K8 is BY FAR, my most cherished NHL videogame ever! Just the goalie engine alone, is worth ten times the price of admission. Like you said, it wasn't about finding the cheese play and constantly score with it, it was about finding the right HOCKEY play that gave you the best chance of scoring. Goalies would move realistically and actually TRY to stop the puck. You could shoot the same way 10 times and the AI goalie would still adjust each time to make a different save. The only sore spot was an animation bug that had them selecting the diving save animation to cover a shot going far side low, (though it wasn't abusable). The franchise mode was phenomenal as well, with all the little things you could do with your team as a coach or as a GM. One more part of the game that's often overlooked was the shootouts or penalty shots. Most games just start with your player immediately picking up the puck from center ice, but 2K8 had various player skate up routines and animations. Even 2K10's skate up animations weren't as varied and as fun to watch.

I love this game the franchise mode is insanely deep and it puts later NHL titles which cost far more money to buy to shame. Overall this game is a 10/10 and a must buy for hockey fans.

Only thing that bugs me about this game is how defence doesn’t try to stand up at their blueline. They basically just back right into their net. Goalies also don’t have the ability to direct rebounds. It’s still a lot of fun for a 15 year old game though. I picked up a 360 and a copy of the game 2 months ago and am currently working my way through unlocking the historic teams

Obviously it goes without saying, excellent quality video like everything he does. But off topic, I picked up nba 2k22 after not playing an NBA game in over 10 years, and I can't believe how good it is. The franchise mode is insanely deep and customizable. I'm blown away. I see 2k getting hate often, but I'm not sure why. I'd LOVE to see 2k nfl and nhl again. Madden is just awful

They need to start releasing nhl like a regular game. Once every three or four years, and just keep updating it. Then, the next game should be vastly different from the last

Man, EA needs to get their shit together. I always felt the 2K NHL games were SOOOOOOO much better than the EA versions. The only thing EA had was the graphics. Literally everything else was better on the 2K versions. I still miss playing NHL 2K5.

I went and picked this up for $4 and had a blast playing it

Just bought nhl2k5 , NHL 06 , NHL 12 , for 5 bucks each . from video game shop that sells old games . I don't know which one to get into first lol

2K always made arenas unique, old EA games had the same looking arenas for every team

please get 2ksports to make nhl again, sick and tired of ea bs.

Time to head back to my old video game store and pick it up. They had NHL2k02-09 and then some. I got ESPN NHL2k05 today for 6 dollars there. Was also gonna pick up star wars battle front one and II. Also Rachet and Clank. So many classics i gotta pick up

I miss the 2K NHL Series games..

2K8 sounds awesome, my personal favorite is NHL 07, the PS2/Xbox/PC version. As far as I know, it's the only hockey game that has you pass with the right stick (for some reason they didn't port the new-gen version's skill stick to the old gen but also came up with a new use for the right stick in the process), which IMO is the best use for the right stick in a hockey game.

still have this on ps2, this and 2k3 were my favourite ones

Visual concepts , Greg Thomas is some very competent developers . And times they got it wrong… they shouldn’t have released and title and took time and fixed their game. Like how they did with wwe2k. But 2k should have never stopped making sports games they was not banned or licensed out from making .

ESPN NFL 2K5, NBA 2K11, MVP Baseball 2005

NHL 2k10 is great but for the winter classic reasons. I also think NHL legacy edition is the last great hockey game!

The only thing EA’s NHL had on this was a playable AHL.

Agreed! 2K5 And 2K8 own all

I feel like sports games were cooler back then as well

I was the #1 ranked online player in 2k7 and 2k8 such good memories of those 2k hockey games

NHL '98 had the greatest intro ever!

Crazy how 2k would run the gaming sports industry if they still had all their 2k games

crazy that the 360 servers are still up for this game, lobbies shutdown but you can still do ranked quickplay online

Fun fact this was my first nhl game and I got it for free when I bought my Xbox 360 from my local Best Buy!

All ways thought NHL 2k10 and NHL 14 were the best NHL games i’ve played, but I’m curious to see what NHL 2k8 has to offer. Obviously, this video made me buy a copy of 2k8 Also, NHL slapshot was a bangner. Not really deep and realistic, but Oh Boy ! I love that game.

can you do a video on ncaa football 10 it is one of the most underrated ncaa games

I have 2k8 for PS2. HORRIBLE! For the XBOX 360? My favourite game ever! A whole different game on 360. I still play it today. 1987 full rosters to 2004 so far. Great customization. Bob and Harry bring back lots of great memories❤ A few team color mistakes and not enough faces for creation zone. I did find a way to vary the faces for goaltenders though. 😊

That’s crazy cool how a roster in one of those older games that isn’t EA are still being updated unlike FIFA games. Once a new football (soccer) game comes out, they stop all roster updates because EA wants you to buy the new game. I remember having Fifa 19 and I didn’t want to purchase Fifa 20 yet and when Fifa 20 released, I would go into the roster automatic update in FIFA 19 and it wasn’t working anymore.

I'd say NHL 2k6 is the best NHL game i've played. I've played NHL 14 and i have 2k8 currently; but with more stuff to do in the skybox, as well as my Calgary Flames having ol Blasty at their disposal, 2K6 has that slight edge for me.

My favorite is NHL2k6 and I just bought 2k8 off eBay so I'm excited if it will be as fun

NHL04 was revolutionary. Not only were they already better than 2K but they actually improved their game massively and added a ton of features you wouldn’t expect to be in a game made in 2003… similar to madden, they REMOVED features. A lot of it is just simple stuff like the fans chanting “we want the cup” in the finals, being able to customize the background for your GM, training days, the classic team photo with Shatterday playing in the background, they had former Avs coach and 2x Stanley cup Champion Marc Crawford teach you some game strategies and kind of explain real life hockey as well. They kinda have this now but A) it hasn’t been updated in like 5 years and B) it’s nowhere near as much in-depth. Again. This game was produced 19 years ago. The gameplay was eons better than any hockey game on the market. In the preview they actually explained WHY it’s the go-to hockey experience… because they had competition! And not just 2K! Finally the soundtrack (opinionated yes) is the best of any NHL game. Most people would agree with that. If you play NHL04 today you’d genuinely enjoy yourself. I’ve purchased many old NHL and Madden games and NHL04 was the game I had the most fun on. Since you’re in the menus a ton the soundtrack being good is a must. Even as somebody who really isn’t nostalgic for that era of music I love it. I really don’t think there’s a bad song on the track. I have several of them in my playlist lol and I’m not even that big a fan of punk rock

So glad I already have this game!

Either this or 2K7 had one of the greatest soundtracks ever

Unfortunately EA makes all it's money from HUT players so there's no incentive to invent the game anymore. The fact that so many people spend 100's of dollars every year on a P2W gamemode is baffling. NHL23 looks like another roster update but hey keep buying those packs boys!

Always loved the goalie animation in this game.

NHL 2K5...greatest hockey game ever.

I always heard NHL 94 or 14 were the greatest I’m gotta have to check out 2k8 since I never played it

Keep up the great work! Love your videos!

1:40 - that’s all it comes down to. You like it the most.

I’ll say NHL 2K10 is the great hockey game but it’s debatable

4:59 was that a shot of the Vegas Golden Knights they weren’t a team until 2018…

Funny you picked 2k8 I was ranked 23rd in the world on NHL 08 & 12th in the US on NHL 2008 online😢 man I miss being a kid.

NHL '94 for Sega Genesis is the best NHL game of all time.

Pond hockey on NHL 2K8 playing Korn and Quiet Riot continue to make my life amazing in December of 2022