Introduce yourself - What's your EA NHL Story?

Same here, I was brought up on the nes playing blades of steel , once I was able to have a sega genesis NHL hockey was my first hockey game made by ea sports, unfortunately did not get  any other games because my parents figured you have a hockey game so no need to get another lol, I still have it in my collection reason why I included the photos. Next was ps1 NHL 98 was my favorite and just like sega's life span this was my only hockey game for the ps1's era but it didn't matter because I loved every moment of 98, it really was a great game, ps2 was NHL 2001 , I was blown away with the graphics presentation and gameplay,  I remember working so hard and saving every penny to save up for a console and the game to purchase at the same time when I could at a kb toys in my area it was a great memory.  As an adult I guess you can say the memory's of buying each console and games are not as much fun because you work 60 hours a week and have the income to make the purchase easier.  There's something about being a kid and having the imagination of what the games are going to look like and how it's going to play and all that. Lots of great memories as a child and a young teenager with the EA NHL games. Thank you EA 

the first NHL game I played was NHL 97 on pc at my Grandmas high rise in downtown Chicago. Every time I visited her I would just spend all day playing. I vividly remember the intro to that game where they show the puck being made. I was 6 or 7 years old and this was my happy place. Ever since I tried that game I’ve been buying every year. Nhl 03 or 04 I remember playing in my parents basement and discovering some really cool music. I went through some tough times being picked on and issues at home so video games and the nhl series was a great escape and a happy place for me. As I got into my teenage years and adulthood nhl 09 was great for eashl and after class games. Now I buy every series just to play eashl and play after work for a couple/few hours. The best part is when my gf and I move in together she wants to make sure that I can still enjoy my hobbies and passions by playing the game after work while she reads.. 

ive been a huge Blackhawks fan since I was little and hockey is my favorite sport to watch. To me hockey is relatable to life. Everything can seem to move so fast but once you’re able to control yourself and slow things down it’s quite beautiful.. just living in the moment. 

I’ve always played defense in Eashl and I take great passion in my gap control. See y’all on the ice for nhl 24.. and see you irl at a hawks game soon 

Ahh, I can still hear Pipe Organ Man blasting Brass Bonanza...

Both my father and grandfather owned a copy of '96 for the Genesis so there was no escaping hockey. I'd play various titles throughout the years - Nagano 98, fan-mades, table hockey, etc., but it wasn't until NHL 2001 and HITZ 2003 where I hit my stride.

My best friend and I would always bet RuneScape gold when competing in 2005 (he'd always beat me until we played our 'septuple or nothing' matches), but we both kind of lost some interest (huge boom for games at this time) until 2009 hit; I was busy with work but my friend was hooked and hyped up NHL for me and our other friend. We sucked super hard the first year but had a blast hitting everyone - slowly we began to hone our craft and by NHL 14 we were a top 100 team (not to mention the 3on3 Arcade that bundled with, so much fun! We tried going a balanced route but everyone knows you gotta just use all big guys and fill 'em in).

We hit a snag with 15 for obvious reasons but we all pooled money for other friends to snag PS4's to continue the carnage in 16 -- I'm the only one with a PS5 atm but we all still play. I became global champ for Ones, one buddy is an absolute unit in HUT (much to my dismay), and the other is a force to behold in all those tournaments you see so we still have fun despite some gripes.

I'm building a new house, one buddy has a big family, and the other moved a few provinces over for work but we still manage to game together which is nice.

Here's to '24 and the dedicated hipcheck button! 👿

My NHL journey started when I was 10-ish. A friend of mine had NHL 95 for the SNES, and it was my first NHL experience of NHL at all. Being from Sweden and with a hockey interest that was barely enough to care about the swedish leagues at the time, NHL 95 got me hooked on hockey! Within a Christmas or two, I had NHL 95 too. I remember grinding it so hard. Played almost a full season, leading the stats by a crazy margin... I simulated the rest of the season... only to find that my best scorer did not win. No, not only one, but several players had ALSO scored 200+ goals. Don't remember the scores of the games I simulated, but that was something I will never forget. I also remember how, frustrated with trades not going through, I just moved players I wanted through Free Agents to get who I wanted. I also remember creating a and "replacing" Denis Savard with a player called P(...) Savard, trying to convince my brother that it was his real name. 👿

Also had a lot of fun playing NHL 97 with my friends on SNES. Then I remember the PC versions coming. A friend had 96, 97 and 98, and we played those A LOT. I (or the family) didn't have a computer at the time, so we spent a lot of time at my friend's place, and I almost felt like I used him. 😞

NHL 99 was the first game I bought for PC, and it still has a lot of things I miss. The intro is as good as it get's and I feel like that's something that's been gone for too long. With today's possibilities, I'm sure excellent intros could be made with much less hazzle, and still be exciting and with great looking results. Sure, many just skip past them, but if you ask me "Intro or no intro?" I would always choose to have an intro that get's me pumped to play. Aaanyway, I also loved the mayhem. The number of times I've heard "Domi goes head to head against Manson" and stuff like that. It felt like the game was more emotional back then.

NHL 2000 was also great, and the intro is great. I still to this day love the song Push it by Garbage, thanks to this intro. I don't remember a whole lot of the gameplay, because I was still a young teen, there was no salary cap and I always had a stacked team... because that was how it was. There was not point having a "bad" player on the team.

NHL 2001 and remember because of the arrival of the icons, and not knowing how the X-factors will be in NHL 24, I hope it is somewhat simialar. Something I remember very well, speaking of those icons, was when I had a player like Mike Modano, who had the blade-icon and therefore shot really hard. When attacking down on the screen, it was often enough to cross the blue line, load a slapshot and the puck was in before the goal was even visible. But there was some odd satisfaction to that too. 🙌

After that, it is a bit of a blur, although I played all the games a lot. The next real noticable step on my NHL journey was when I bought NHL 08 for PC and realized that the skill stick and stuff I had looked forward to was not available there. I had to get a PS3, which of course I did! It's in the game... for PS3!

And from then on, it's been a bit up and down. Features and game modes have come and gone. The never ending request for GM Connected, which makes more sense now than it did almost 10 years ago (let's face it, it was there, but it was not great in NHL 14).

Maybe it's because I'm an offline player who enjoy Franchise Mode and Be a pro, and prefer realism to putting together a star filled team with players with skills that doesn't make sense (like the 99 OVR John Scott) and play with my Sean Monahan with 78 OVR against someone else's Sean Monahan who's a 88 because he has a card where he wears sunglasses (just making that up, but you get the point). I just feel like the online "money making" game modes get sooo much attention, while offline... well, we get some new feature, which usually feels rushed and if we're lucky, it get's attention and get's fixed, or it stays broken, ignored and in the end forgotten because it is not important enough to spend time and resources on. I hope the new team will be better in this regard, even if I from a business perspective understand that working more on the money making modes make sense when you want to make money(!). But still, there are a lot of us that are in it for the realism, with no-trade clauses, with deeper contract negotiations, with designing are own alternate jersey for an existing franchise... and the list goes on.

I wish I got a survey about the offline modes sometime, but instead I get asked if I will play more World of CHEL if my player can wear a bear suit (and no, I wouldn't...). As someone who even in the mid 2000's added my own RPG element to give my teams more depth, by rolling dices to check that the players were okay, if something happened off-ice or if someone requested a trade. It was even done in a way so that the less common things were less likely to appear on the dice (D20). Maybe 12 of 20 were "Everything is ok!" and then some meant there was off-ice issue or... I don't remember, but that was what I did. 🤓

And now, I've spent a loooot of time preparing for NHL 24, because I intend to make my own roster file. Usually it means checking stats, JFresh player cards, scouting reports and whatnot to make players more accurate with player type and skill. I feel like even in earlier versions, the coaches coach better when the players are more "themselves". When the player type is wrong and someone who's not good defensively still has high defensive awareness, because he is a "good" player... I'm not a fan, which is why I enjoy editing and making it better. 😳 🤓

I have recently thought about that it would be fun and interesting to be a part of making these games. Not sure what skills I would bring, but even if I was given a wardrobe sized office and told to edit all the players skating styles (and attend some meetings)... I would probably take that job! If it is one thing I have, it is passion for the game. 😃

I can't believe I've almost played these games for 30 years now. It's really like a relationship, overall I'm happy, even if there have been some rocky years, like 14-15, 20-21 and 21-22... in particular. But 22-23 has been way better and I have a good feeling about NHL 24. I guess my optimistic mindset and the couple counseling must have paid off! 🥳

My first contact with the NHL Gameseries was in 1999, when I was 11 yrs old, with NHL 2000 at my best friends house. I remember that his brother, him and me used to play seasons together, which where I found my favorite team (since then I'm a fan of the Dallas Stars), as it was the first team I chose. So I kinda got addicted to the game and bought it every year since then.

I have to say that I preferred it on PC, because there was so much things that you could do, like import your own songs, create as much players as you want and put them on maximum power 😃 and you could play with either the Keyboard or the Controller during the games. And back then the Intros were so much fun, with the real players skating to the camera and say that famous line "EA Sports, It's in the game.".

It was so much fun and I remember that Onetimers back then were already a thing and very easy to do 😃 

Sorry for my English , I from Russia ( one of the Admins of Russian fan community ). I birth in 1983. Begin play in video game in 1988-1989. My first console is ZX Spectrum 48, than game download from Audio cassetes. Later , Dandy, Sega and Sony PlayStation. In 1995 or 1996 I go to shop for buy or trade my catridge from sega on another game. In magazine I trade my game on NHL 1996. Because in magazine it be only one game in what I not play. I trade game a go to home. And than I begin play in NHL96 , from first seconds I begin love Hockey for his Speed. And since 1996 I every day play in nhl series form EA and early from 2K. My younger brother become hockey player in real life because see look how strong I love hockey. Son of my brother too begin in hockey in real life. In 1996 I want choose NHL club and become his Fan. But club dont must gave many Prizes and wins and seasons in nhl. In 1996 I find information about Nashville city want create team for nhl. And I understand - I become Preds fan. Later than I see Logo of Predators I understand I - Preds fan. And now I Preds fan since 1996/97 years. I grew up myself with Nashville Club. My club in HUT always have title Nashville Preds. I play use only players who play or Drafted bu Nashville ) For me best NHL games is - NHL 2014, NHL 99, NHL96, NHL98 ( sega ), and NHL22, 23. Worst part of game is NHL16 , 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. I collect Preds cards on comc site and upper deck epack. My best result is I wins many time various General Manager Connected leagues. I rich top 5 place in world ratings in HUT NHL16. But than I older my reaction bad (( During year I play 1,500 – 4,500 games in NHL.

Hello!

I have been playing NHL games from EA ever since NHL 93 for Sega Megadrive. 🙂

I actually played a NHL season (almost) with that game, every game for every team. 66 played games for all teams in (about 800 games played) I went to the playoffs... 🙂

After that I was hooked, because I love sports and hockey is one of the sports I enjoy most.

My thing have always been Franchise mode, season mode and making my own leagues/tournaments using Play Now game mode.

I have tried to help EA make a better game for the offline modes for about 3-4 years now. But its a very slow process.... ☹️

My Offline creation wishlist have always been one of the most commented threads in this forums for the last years.

So I know I´m not the only one who loves offline modes and see the potential it could have.

I create the popular KHL roster file for Xbox Series X in NHL 22 and NHL 23 when the roster sharing started, and I´m doing it also for NHL 24.

Even if the games could have been so much better, I have always enjoyed and found ways to play with what we get and have had some amazing evenings playing Franchise mode.

Is there a better tensed feeling than to have a game seven in the playoffs?.... All or nothing game... I love it.

Have done some Franchise save series on Youtube with Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques, Minnesota North Starts, New Jersey Devils, Atlanta Thrashers and Houston Bulls to name some of them.

I actually cant say what my favourite EA NHL games is during all this years, every one has its own story for me,

But NHL 93 will always have a special place in my heart, and the players that I learned a lot about playing the game.

Hello NHL 24 community! I am Erock1206 on Xbox Series X. I've been playing NHL since the 90s and have always considered it my favorite game. In my "NHL Career" it has always been about the competition between friends on the couch / in the same room, we have set up tournaments on weekends during high school and I carried that through to college to introduce the game to a new group of friends.

Now in my old age (30s) and less time to play, I usually get a few games a week in Ranked play but there is also the long-standing rivalry between myself and my cousin (RealKingTruth). Since NHL10, where the "Battle for the Cup" mode was introduced, him and I have played 7-game series for the Stanley Cup, a real Stanley Cup. A Stanley cup that you can only touch once you've won, a cup that you take home and proudly display on your mantel. Since we started this and amongst all the life changes, we have managed to play over 270 Stanley Cup Finals and will always continue as long as there is an NHL.

If I could, I would have attached the spread sheet of our history, which shows the stats, the dynasties, the fun / odd traditions, and it describes the moments that have occurred throughout 14 years and 270 Finals that we can relive and create new moments every time we play.

Know that this game is incredible and has provided us with hours of entertainment throughout the years. 

started in 1990 or 91 with the first game ever on the sega genesis. My hobbies are playing video games and the guitar. 

the game is too hard and I am unable to do any of the objectives or challenges in the last few years or more..the game is really frustrating to me right now. it feels toxic and annoying .. for example I cant score 5-6 goals in a game on moments .. seems like they should make the stuff achievable by all who purchase the game... you think the youtube influencers are having trouble? no they already had videos out last week on how they completed it yet i wont be able to.. so this extreme difficulty level only hurts players like me. 

trying not to cry complain and "get good" but its not fun when ea nerfs the cards in game to make everything even harder .. everything tied to a coin now and make its real "grindy"  franchise mode is the only mode I can relax in and enjoy myself but ea wont do anything to improve the mode for 80 dollars every year .. 

You aren’t alone, or even unusual. Your choices are to pay or struggle.  

I bought a ColecoVision when I was 12 (1984) and have been gaming since. I have played NHL games on every kind of console for 30 years. The “feel” I have for games is the kind you only get through experience. But, unless something appears in a video, it is not possible to ask a question. 

Just pay, or pay not. There is nothing else.