NHL Hockey
Encyclopedia
NHL Hockey is an ice hockey
game by EA Sports
. Released in 1991 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
, it is the first game in the NHL Hockey series
.
, North America's largest independent development company owned by Michael Knox and Troy Lyndon
. This version of NHL Hockey is the first game to include the EA Sports
logo. It is considered the most realistic hockey game of its time. The game uses a vertical top-down view, which was unique at the time since most previous hockey games used a horizontal or side-on view. It also features a National Hockey League
license, so all of the league's team names and logos are used. However, lack of a license from the National Hockey League Players' Association NHLPA results in all players being referred to by their numbers rather than names. Although the game has all of the NHL teams that existed at the time, the only competition present in the game is the Playoffs, decided in either one or seven matches.
Outside of North America the game was released as EA Hockey and features international teams and no NHL license.
A component of the game which added to the game-play is the fact that fights break out in the event of a bad body check. Players fight with a computer player (or a friend in 2 player mode) which continues until one player falls down, or until approximately thirty seconds has passed and normal gameplay resumes. During the fights the crowd cheers and team mates and officials stand in close proximity. No advantage or disadvantage is gained from winning or losing a fight.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
game by EA Sports
EA Sports
EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
. Released in 1991 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
, it is the first game in the NHL Hockey series
NHL series
NHL is a series of professional ice hockey simulation video games developed by EA Canada and published yearly by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports brand...
.
Features
The first version of the game was released in August 1991 in North America for the Sega Genesis. It was developed by Park Place ProductionsPark Place Productions
Park Place Productions was a corporation founded in 1989 by Michael Knox, Troy Lyndon and Stephen Quinn.-Summary:In 1990, contracted by Electronic Arts, the company produced John Madden Football for the Genesis video game console, described as "the most successful sports game of all time." Other...
, North America's largest independent development company owned by Michael Knox and Troy Lyndon
Troy Lyndon
Troy A. Lyndon is the Chairman & CEO of Left Behind Games Inc., dba Inspired Media Entertainment, a small publicly traded company...
. This version of NHL Hockey is the first game to include the EA Sports
EA Sports
EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
logo. It is considered the most realistic hockey game of its time. The game uses a vertical top-down view, which was unique at the time since most previous hockey games used a horizontal or side-on view. It also features a National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
license, so all of the league's team names and logos are used. However, lack of a license from the National Hockey League Players' Association NHLPA results in all players being referred to by their numbers rather than names. Although the game has all of the NHL teams that existed at the time, the only competition present in the game is the Playoffs, decided in either one or seven matches.
Outside of North America the game was released as EA Hockey and features international teams and no NHL license.
A component of the game which added to the game-play is the fact that fights break out in the event of a bad body check. Players fight with a computer player (or a friend in 2 player mode) which continues until one player falls down, or until approximately thirty seconds has passed and normal gameplay resumes. During the fights the crowd cheers and team mates and officials stand in close proximity. No advantage or disadvantage is gained from winning or losing a fight.
Information
- Taglines: "The Hottest Game on Ice!" (EA Hockey); "The Only Game to Score in the NHL!" (NHL Hockey)
- Cover: A New Jersey DevilsNew Jersey DevilsThe New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
skater scores on a Los Angeles KingsLos Angeles KingsThe Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
goaltender. (NHL Hockey); A Player in an uncrested St. Louis Blues jersey performing a pokecheck on a player in an uncrested Chicago BlackhawksChicago BlackhawksThe Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
jersey; (EA Hockey) - Other platforms: Though there are DOSDOSDOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
and Game Gear games titled "NHL Hockey", these versions are technically not the same as this original Mega Drive/Genesis version, despite the same title. While the other sequential games across all platforms featured a year in the name (i.e. NHL '94NHL '94NHL '94 is an ice hockey game by EA Sports for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Super Nintendo and Sega CD, as well as the first release of the "NHL Hockey" series for PC/DOS, simply titled "NHL Hockey", without the "94" in the title. The game is officially licenced from the National Hockey League and...
, NHL 95NHL 95NHL 95 is an ice hockey video game developed by Electronic Arts Canada. It was released on October 27, 1994.- Features :...
, etc...) the original DOSDOSDOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
and Game Gear versions did not, being simply titled "NHL Hockey". The first PC/DOSDOSDOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
version was released in 1993, which is actually equivalent to NHL '94NHL '94NHL '94 is an ice hockey game by EA Sports for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Super Nintendo and Sega CD, as well as the first release of the "NHL Hockey" series for PC/DOS, simply titled "NHL Hockey", without the "94" in the title. The game is officially licenced from the National Hockey League and...
on the Mega Drive/Genesis. The Game Gear version was released in 1995, based on NHL 95.