Gamer's Month - NHL '94

NHL '94

box art:

Publisher: EA Sports
Developer: Electronic Arts
SNES, Genesis: 1993

Back before I was 10 years old, I would spend a lot of time with my grandparents, whose youngest son (my uncle, Brian) still lived with them. I don't know why it happened and I don't know how it happened but one day Brian got a Sega Genesis. Until then I had no real memory of being a fan of any sports, but between Brian being a fan of hockey (the Bruins being his favorite team) and a gamer too, NHL '94 (and NHL Hockey, the first EA hockey game) helped me bridge the gap between being just a gamer and being a hockey fan too.

I remember many spirited matches between my uncle, at least 10 years my senior, my cousin Alex and myself as we battled for hours trying to get that little black speck behind the masked men at the ends of the playfield. Of course, we didn't bother playing as the crummy teams (o Mighty Ducks u); Brian monopolized the Bruins to the point of not letting me play as them, and Alex typically ran with the Bruins or Chicago Blackhawks. For some reason, and I may never remember why, I went with the Pittsburgh Penguins. I don't regret it; the devastating scoring line of Mario Lemieux-Kevin Stevens-Jaromir Jagr, steadfast blueliners Larry Murphy and Ulf Samuelsson, and the class and quality keeping of Tom Barrasso were sometimes more than a match for any other team. And, of course, I've stuck with the Penguins since.

Why do I think NHL '94 is the best of the series? NHL Hockey, though great, is sadly very basic, sluggishly-slow and had no license to give player names. NHLPA '93 was very good as well, but had no NHL license this time. NHL '95 and future iterations, despite expanding to allow you to play full seasons, create players, play in skills competitions and 2v2/3v3 games, got too complex and too fast to play for their own good at times.

NHL '94, however, was the first game in the series to introduce one-timers, which changed how hockey video games would be played forever. It also took out fighting, which I've always thought of as ancillary and a waste of time. (Hey, if you can't have line brawls and get ejected, there's no point.) I can't remember if it was the first to track playoff stats and personal stats, but it definitely made me smile to see how many goals I'd scored with #66.

NHL '94 was also simple to learn, but difficult to master. It took me some time playing to realize that speed bursting into opponents isn't always the best tactic, especially in open ice if you miss. I then learned that the poke check would almost always be the best option; you could end up knocking a player down, tripping him up enough to ruin a play, or just steal the puck.

Offensively, I've only recently perfected the two-line pass. On certain plays, usually after a broken offensive attack by my opponent, I'll be able to fire a pass up ice to a forward who's sprung himself from the play. Then it's just the simple matter of deking the goalie, another skill which I've sadly only recently learned as well. It's is tactics and things I've learned from years of playing NHL '94, and I may yet learn more.

The part about NHL '94 that sticks with me the most above all is the sound. From the minute the referee drops the puck, there are usually very little breaks in the ambience. Either the crowd is cheering a big hit or a nice save (or booing or "Aww"ing, if the visitors do such), or they're still buzzing a few minutes afterwards. The arena music comes in for most faceoffs (Brass Bonanza, the theme of the old Hartford Whalers, still makes me smile a little) and every so often during a lull in play. Sound effects are crisp, and I'll never forget the sound of a huge hit (*crash of bodies* "P-woo!" *cheer*).

In even just playing this game a bunch of times while writing up this post over the last week or so, I've come to remember what playing without off-sides or penalties or line changes is like. I had gotten used to waiting at the blue-line when I noticed people off-side, not speed-checking every one, and having to dump the puck and change players every couple of minutes. Without all those things slowing you down, NHL '94 is manic, fast, crazy and fun. On more than one occasion I would find myself in back-and-forth breakaway situations, getting owned by opposition passing (and, usually as a result, scoring), and getting denied by great goaltending made greater by the increased offensive aggression.

NHL '94 also has the best following of all the previous EA NHL games (excluding NHL 2004), and some people have gone far enough to update the game with current rosters, logos, jerseys, and other minor changes. There are several leagues operating at any given time, and they are brutally tough to play against. Believe me. If you've ever played NHL '94 and you think you're good, play against someone from the nhl94.com forums some day. Thanks to the Gens emulator and Kaillera, you can play online against whoever. (They need to improve the netcode, though...)

Of course, it's sad to know that the NHL series has been in a progressive decline since the early-90's. I don't think I'd be saying this if EA put as much effort into making a up-to-date PC version of the game every year, but they've sadly left things up to the community for the most part while they focus on the next-gen console versions. I'm hopeful that someday soon they will make a PC version of the game suitable for purchase, but until then I am happy enough with an updated version of NHL 2004 and all the different versions of NHL '94.

To end my thread, here's a video of some highlights of NHL '94 gameplay, as well as some screenshots from a game I played.

YouTube Video

Spoiler:

(1) EA Sports, a subdivision of Electronic Arts, (2) High Score Productions and Mark Lesser present (3) NHL Hockey '94!

(4) Here's the main menu, from which you can pick your gametype, who's playing, teams, rules and other options.
(5) From the game main menu, you can check out a load of stats, edit your lines and, during intermissions, watch highlights from other games.
(6) And here's the opening face-off!

(7) And just like that, the Chicago Blackhawks lose their best forward, Jeremy Roenick, for the game.
(8) Of course it's Ulf Samuelsson going off for the injury to Roenick. (Edited versions of NHL '94 sent you off for four-minutes for injuring someone.)
(9) The Blackhawks fail to capitalize on their powerplay, and the Penguins second line opens the scoring!

(10) Larry Murphy suggests a Blackhawk take a seat. The Blackhawk concurs.
(11) One of the few saves Ed Belfour makes during the game.
(12) *gasp* A penalty shot! The most exciting play in all of sports! (They didn't score.)

(13) Steve Larmer picked up the slack for Roenick and actually ended the game with 4 goals.
(14) Michel Goulet runs afoul of Peter Taglianetti.
(15) Steve Larmer runs into goalie Tom Barrasso. Barrasso makes sure he doesn't score again in the third period.

(16) With less than a minute left in the third, tied 6-6, a Blackhawk misses a one-timer just wide of the right post...
(17) ...then Mario Lemieux can't bury it on the breakaway just as the third period is ending!
(18) But Jaromir Jagr scores the game-winning goal in overtime! Yay!

Jam it back in, in the dark.