Hockey is a favored past-time that has been around since 600 B.C and has seen iterations all throughout the globe as it is depicted as one of the most popular sports of our modern era as 🧔a universally engaging medium for the graceful yet powerful team-based action.

Of course, this means that it has been presented on small screens, practically since the invention of video games themselves and the level of enjoyment has varied from a small amount of a challenging novelty𒆙 to the intense simulation and realistic depiction that makes it almost (if not more) competitive than the actual sport itself.

Fu♒rthermore, hockey games are some of the most infamous among their fans (specifically the NHL fan base) as being highly debatable. Every gan has their own experience with their video gam💙es respectively.

Whether it is skating physics, the realism of being able to play as real-life legends, the satisfa🐠ction of scoring a goal or just the ability to recreate the bloody fights that occur on a normal base in the NHL, there is no limit to a number of aspects that these fans can argue.

So considering all these, along with presentat🥂ion, legacy, popularity a🍷nd sheer production value, these are the most notable hockey games that have ever existed in video game history, and for better or worse have left a notable impact on the extremely brutal sport and the way it is forever depicted from here on out as the medium keeps evolving.

15 ꧟ Best: Sayin🐷g Good-Bye To PS2 (NHL 2006)

Starting off with an instant classic for the hardcore fans of the NHL, this title from 2005 was intricately produced by EA when they were still taking the helm and trying to convince gamers of how much time and care was put into this game. The production team even cited the fan-favorite smash hit NHL ’94 (and even including the game on the PS2 version) as one of their biggest inspirations for this title, and it is clear in the crisp but simple controls that allow fo💞r a smooth skating and scoring experience that is hard to put down. Graphically this ga🧔me was a huge step up for a promising era that was a glimpse into the simulation-type visuals of our future titles that have graced the next generation consoles.

14 𓃲 Worst: Ruining The Sport (NHL Stanley Cup)

This SNES title was an ambitious attempt at using the powerful new processors in Nintendo’s exciting new console but fell flat as a boring iteration of an otherwise exciting sport. What makes this game so boring is how brutally slow the game is, completely ignoring the fast-paced action that definitely would not be present in a real Stanley Cup showdown. It should be noted that this is one of the earliest console attempts at providing a “real” looking graphic engine but was hard to watch with all the clashing polygons and terrible ice skating physics. Clunky would not ev🅰en begin to describe just how much of a muddled mess this shameful entry is, and how it got past debugge🐻rs should be a question to all.

13 Best: This Is What Hockey SHOULD Look Like (NHL 16) ꦫ

EA gets a lot of flak for their hig✨hly questionable business practices when it comes to their cash-grabbing method of releasing games, but after a disappointing year (This will be elaborated on soon) the franchise did a complete 180 and gave the fans exactly what they were craving. Boasting a striking similarity to the real-life counterpart, this is a feature heavy title that brought back some classic modes like Season Mode and a customizable Ultimate Hockey Team that makes this a really fun game to explore. Add in some satisfyingly responsive controls, an upgraded tutorial mode that helps transition new players to the game, this is a fun way to experience hockey if you can get past the lackluster online that is just better off unmentioned.

12 Worst: How Do You Mess U SOO Badly (NHL 15) ▨

Ah, this is the EA that has garnered that negative stigma from the video game community and alienates their fans by making terrible decisions that are easily avoidable. This game was severely lacking as it removed modes like Season Mode, GM Mode, and overall showed a lack of effort on the part of the developers as the game played like a slow-motion version of a real game. Of course, this game did look like it was made in 2014, but even some dazzling graphics could not hold back gamers from giving the developers a piece of their mind as they infamously reversed their decision with NHL 16 and returned the series to the roots that have made the franchise popular. NHL 15 was a step down of quality🐽 and gamers knew it, which may be one of the missteps that made EA wake up to t🅺heir mistakes.

11 ꩵ Beꦗst: We Used To Have Fun (Mutant League Hockey)

Taking a wise side step from a number of games that were attempting their best at making a simulation game in a time where graphics were not up to speed with how the presentation of major hockey leagues, this game made a bold decision and drew respect from the player as a truly unique title. Offering monster-type creature teams and allowing for special abilities completely changed the way hockey was played. It was able to draw in gamers that were not familiar with the sport with the colorful graphics and easy-to-learn controls but never alienating fans of the sport by providing a truly fun immersion into this alternate world of hockey. While ꦬthere may be some other notable Sega Genesis hockey games, this offbeat release still stands the test of time for many gamers.

10 Worst: ESPN SUCKS (ESPN NHL Hockey) ♋

ESPN should really stick to what they know, and that is presenting sports and not attempting to cash in on making second-rate titles that rarely satisfy gamers despite the attempts at a realistic simulation. What makes this PlayStation 2 title so disappointing is that fans were eager to see what ESPN was going to do with the NHL license and was excited to see how the PS2’s graphical capabilities would tie in with the game. What was released, however, did not go hand in hand with gamer’s expectation as they received a choppy camera, disastrous controls and a waste of a major sports license that could have gone to much better use. Otherwise simple 🔥tওasks like merely keeping the players in camera become a pain for gamers, and the best part of this game was just turning it off.

9 𝓡 Best: One More Match — Again (NHLPA 93)

Fun, arcade-like, and debated as the better game between passionate gamers as better than the classic NHL 94. This Sega Genesis title was as smooth as it was iconic for many impressionable fans and while the latter holds its place as an iconic title, NHLPA 93 probably holds the title for best in-game fighting engine in a hockey video game. Sure, the skating was satisfying, the breakaways were powerful and the usage of real players was a huge bonuཧs, but it is the detailed fighting that had players hooked. You could move, grab, punch and throw in this strangely addictive addition that is as unexpected as 💜pleasant for fans of the sport. Sure it would have a strange rip-off of the Stanley Cup in place as its championship mode, but it was still a solid entry that is still talked about to this day for good reason.

8 Worst: Hockey. You♑'ve Heard Of It?? (Great Ice Hockey)

The developers at Sega were a bit overzealous when they decided to title this game as “great” but one has to look at the game just to see how much of a terrible decision it was to give it such a title. Using the infamously unreliable Sega Sports Pad analog controller, this game was as hard to look at as it was to actually play as one would have to go through the hellaci🐽ous task of finding a controller that actually works. Then the game featured a sickening set of color palettes that did not reflect the vibrant ice and colorful jerseys that are normally present in the sport. Add that with the disappointing 6 on 6 gameplay while the system only allows for 3 skaters to be controlled at a time and this comes out as a great mistake o♏n Sega’s part.

7 💙 Best: Things Were Simpler Back Tꦏhen (NHL Hitz 2002)

Brash, exciting, and visually entertaining, this loud exaggeration of NHL action was an attempt by touted arcade sports publishers Midway Games to recreate the legendary fun that NBA Jam was for a generation of basketball fans on the ice rink and give hockey fans that fast-paced action without holding back. This title is as edgy as its early 2000s pop soundtrack and was an important launch title for the Nintendo Gamecube, but still had its run as a famous game on the PS2 and Xbox. Make no mistake, this is a fondly remembered title for its 3-on-3 action that st🐼reamlines the rules of the game and relaxes the player into a hectic state of enjoyment. The presentation of this game is not realistic, but it is really addictive, and friendships could be made and broken with a few fast-paced games.

6 Worst: For Shame🧜. ABSOLUTE SHAME. (ESPN National Hockey Night)

As noted, ESPN really does not know how to make a game, and while ESPN NHL Hockey was already a sad ꦜdisplay for the PS2, this precursor on the Super Nintendo should have been the beginnܫing and end of the line of their attempts at reaching the video game foray. As would be the problem later on, the game features a terrible camera that wildly changes direction with the puck whilst ignoring the in-game players as gamers struggle just to figure out where their teammates are. The puck physics are wild, and breakaways are usually too difficult to control and result in an experience that is practically unplayable for gamers with even the most mundane standards of hockey games. Hockey fans that have not played this game are in a lucky majority as the game would go on to be completely overshadowed by better, faster, and more accurate hockey games.