t5u3pnik00z9 wrote:I have already seen your montages. I could do the same thing. It does not prove a thing about consistency. You are quite literally the only person I have seen say that D is in a good spot this year.
It proves you can play solid D if you take the time to learn the nuance.
t5u3pnik00z9 wrote:I play with and against some of the best. Not one person has echoed your sentiments.
Any attempt to say something positive about this game tends to trigger a small but extremely hostile segment of the community. There is a subset of users who appear to spend an inordinate amount of time raging about the game and aggressively targeting anyone who doesn’t share that negativity. I’ve recently seen Reddit threads where people were openly harassed—and in some cases doxxed—simply for saying they enjoy this year’s release.
These individuals often position themselves as the ultimate authorities on hockey, convinced that their opinions are the only ones worth hearing. They believe decades of “real-world hockey experience” should automatically translate into dominance in a virtual simulation. When that doesn’t happen—particularly if they fail to adapt to gameplay changes from one year to the next—the response isn’t self-reflection, but defensiveness and misplaced anger directed at the game and its developers.
Each year, I deliberately take time to learn and adapt to the changes, and it consistently pays off. I also try to help others by sharing clips and practical tips to improve their play. Unfortunately, that effort often results in public attacks rather than constructive discussion. Ironically, many people reach out privately to say they find the advice useful, but are reluctant to say so publicly because they don’t want to become targets themselves.
t5u3pnik00z9 wrote:I suppose you would also say the lobbies work great for ya too, and the reverse hitting is totally realistic and makes sense, and the jittery side skate exploit is just awesome true hockey and also in a good spot!
I've come out against the lobby system a lot. Reverse Hitting can be easily defended against. "Jittery side skate" is likely referring to LT - which I've also said needs to be removed. However, it can also be defended against.
t5u3pnik00z9 wrote:I could collect some montages exactly like yours, looks like some are from the same game against the same players trying the same thing. Or on the contrary, a million montages of the 9/10 times that those exact plays do not work at all.
Then do it. And yes, sometimes I grab clips from the same game because I can play defense that consistently. When someone comes here saying something "doesn't work" - I'll keep that in mind when playing my evening games and capture clips that demonstrate something does in fact work, or I'll capture a clip of a bug. I don't need to play 20 different games to prove something does or doesn't work. I can do it multiple times in a single game, and that's why you often see a sequence of clips showcasing the same opponent.
t5u3pnik00z9 wrote:Also those fwds do not look very good
Just stop. This is the same argument everyone uses when I prove, with video, that defense works in this game. If you want to play some EASHL, DM Me and I can demonstrate this for you. I'll gladly play with you on a team, or against you in some fashion - whether it's OVP or by a private EASHL match. Either way, I will gladly demonstrate for you how things work.
t5u3pnik00z9 wrote:So in short: I'm glad it's somehow worked out for you, but you are one of very few who feel this way.
I’m one of the few who doesn’t default to feeling victimized when an in-game sequence doesn’t go exactly as expected. When I make a mistake, I take the time to understand it and adjust, rather than running to social media or forums looking for validation. If I see a particularly egregious bug, I'll capture and submit the feedback. That approach has allowed me to build a very strong defensive foundation, and I’d have no issue playing with or against any team in EASHL to demonstrate it.
t5u3pnik00z9 wrote:Have you ever lined up for what should be a nice easy poke and somebody reverse hits a POKE CHECK?
Are you not aware of the vulnerability you create when you skate directly at a player and rely on a poke check? That’s the nuance I’m referring to. Players in this mindset often treat their decisions as infallible because of a perceived “hockey IQ.” It’s important to remember that this is a video game, not real hockey, and it requires adapting to the liberties the game takes with reality. If you don’t, every bad bounce or sequence that doesn’t go your way will feel like a personal injustice rather than part of the system you’re choosing to play within.
t5u3pnik00z9 wrote:No offense but you have no credibility here because you are a contrarian. If I told you the sky was blue you would argue its green. I've seen your posts and responses to others. Sometimes I wonder if what others say is true and you are somehow directly involved with EA or something.
No offense taken but disagreeing with popular opinion isn’t the same as being contrarian for its own sake. I’m not arguing to provoke reactions. I'm literally just trying to provide insight that people can use to get the better outcomes in scenarios that they feel (or have been convinced) they have no control in. I share perspectives based on how I approach the game: adapting to changes, learning from mistakes, and understanding how the systems actually behave.
If that perspective doesn’t align with yours, that’s fine. But dismissing it as bad faith, or conspiracy doesn’t move the discussion forward. I’m here to talk about gameplay and mechanics, not to win arguments or defend a developer.
Regarding any supposed involvement with EA: I’ve been active in their communities for decades. I participated in the original GameChangers program when it launched out of the Tampa studios in 2009, which included attending multiple Community Days for EA Sports MMA, EA Sports UFC, and later the EA Sports NHL series. In 2011, I was approached about moderating the old NHL forums and continued visiting the studio to provide feedback through 2018.
Since then, my involvement has been limited to participating in forum discussions—sharing information, offering tips, and correcting misunderstandings about how game systems actually work. I don’t hesitate to push back on objectively incorrect claims, not to antagonize anyone, but to help people identify habits that may be contributing to their frustrations.
That approach inevitably leads to friction with users who are unwilling to consider that they might be mistaken. My intent is to improve understanding, not to attack individuals. I can’t control how people react when presented with evidence or examples. Some players take the information, adjust, and improve. Others continue to argue, insist the game is fundamentally broken, and never engage with the underlying nuance that would make them more effective competitors.
