I’ve mentioned many times before how annual sports games were once a huge part of my gaming habits. As a kid, I played every NBA Live and Madden release. I later moved onto FIFA games. There were many years when I played whatever popular MLB game was available. My current annual sports games consist of WWE 2K and F1.

There’s another big sporting franchise that I was a fan of as a kid. One that has stuck around all of these years — the EA Sports NHL series. EA NHL has been around almost as long as the Madden franchise. NBA Live was overtaken by NBA 2K. FIFA became EA Sports FC. Until recently, my last owned EA NHL game was EA NHL ‘96. In fact, I still own the cartridge today. Here’s some gameplay footage:

Last month, after an almost thirty year hiatus, I jumped back into the EA NHL franchise with EA NHL 25. Playing yearly releases of Madden and NBA 2K, you don’t really notice any big changes year-to-year. Waiting more than twenty-five years makes a big difference.

When compared to NHL ‘96, NHL 25 is a completely different beast. Of course, we are talking about six console generations in between from the Super Nintendo and the PlayStation 5. Back in the SNES days, I had a D-pad, four buttons, and two triggers (some unused in many games). Today, we have a D-pad, two thumb sticks, four buttons, four triggers, and a magical touchpad which is sometimes used for gameplay.

The big game changer all these years later is TOTAL CONTROL which allows you to do everything from fancy dekes to perfectly planned shots to shoulder checks and so much more all with the thumb sticks. I’m currently working on mastering the TOTAL CONTROL features in NHL 25.

Normal Play

I’ve had a rough go learning how to properly play (and score goals) in EA NHL 25. I’m also not entirely up to date on proper hockey rules or hockey etiquette, since I haven’t really watched a hockey match since the 90s. Not much has changed in all these years, other than “my team” (Florida Panthers) is a good team now. “We” just won the Stanley Cup last season.

I have always treated other sports titles (NBA 2K, Madden, FIFA/EA FC) in the same way. I always start a Franchise (or multi-season mode) with my favorite team (Heat, Dolphins, Chelsea FC). I never mess with Ultimate Team modes, Fantasy Drafts, Manager Mode, or any other extra features.

In EA NHL 25 I have a different main priority — learning how to properly play, score goals, and ultimately win games. Also, fighting is a big part of hockey (and the best part). I’ve become pretty good at knocking opposing players on their ass, and decent at stealing the puck. My main problems are on the offensive side.

They say a good defense wins games, but if you don’t score goals you can’t win, so maybe things are different in hockey. Anyway, I’m having a lot of fun losing games, as long as I’m able to knock players on their ass.

My Way

After losing many quick play games with the Florida Panthers, I decided that it was not yet the time to start a franchise. I found a different game mode that was quite perfect for me. During official matches I made too many mistakes sometimes leading to penalty shots or frantic fights. 

I also learned that taking a shot once play has stopped is a big NO NO, and will start an immediate fight with an opposing player. I have been on the wrong side of too many power plays, sometimes down two or three players at a time. It reminded me of playing FIFA as a kid and wanting to master the slide tackle, which led to many red cards and being down a couple of players.

I started to explore new game modes. The tutorial mode helped me figure out some puck control, but drills and tutorial videos might be more helpful in the future. I searched for YouTube videos, but found them tedious — I’m just better at learning by playing the game.

This is when I discovered THREES mode, 3v3 hockey matches with a lighter ruleset. THREES CIRCUIT mode makes it more like a story mode where you must beat each team to move onto the next. When playing THREES I’m taken back to another hockey game I played on Nintendo 64, Wayne Gretsky’s 3D Hockey. This was more of an arcade 3v3 hockey game. It was along the lines of an NBA Street or NFL Blitz of hockey — and I’m always praying for the return of some proper arcade sports games (EA Sports BIG! style).

THREES CIRCUIT is my current NHL 25 game mode of choice. I’m honing my skills on the ice in hopes to take them to a more realistic mode in the future — whether it be Franchise, Season, or Playoffs. What’s great about THREES CIRCUIT is that I can play as rough as I want to. I knock opposing players on their ass constantly, I reach-in illegally to steal the puck. Missing a brutal shoulder check sometimes leads to bad fortune, but I’m used to this outcome thanks to Madden’s addition of the “hit stick” all those years ago. The risk is always worth the reward.

I’ve recently learned how to take normal, quick shots with the TOTAL CONTROL stick. I started out going all out with slap shots only. I even played a full team hockey match last night and felt way more comfortable. I still lost, so I’m not quite ready for the main stage, but I’m getting closer.

What’s Next

My current goal is to beat the entire THREES CIRCUIT mode, one team at a time. It reminds me of moving up the pyramid of fighters in Mortal Kombat back in the day, since you must win to move onto the next team.

Once I conquer the THREES CIRCUIT, I’ll be ready for some real, full-team hockey matches. I plan to report back with more info when I make it there. Perhaps that won’t come until they release EA NHL 26. Either way, I’m having fun rediscovering hockey video games and maybe I’ll start watching more Panthers games.

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myVGBC.com was provided a review code for EA NHL 24 by the publisher. I thought it would be fun to jump back into this franchise that I have ignored for almost 30 years.