In '85 Japanese hockey also invaded the scene. Sega's maiden system, the SG-1000 had a great Championship Hockey, but Nintendo brought some great hockey gems too. Simply named Ice Hockey for the NES, it allowed three different sizes of players on a team, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. It was an instant hit and continues today, with many fan pages on the internet today. A lesser-known title, Crash N' the Boys: Ice Challenge featured players from Technos' side-scrolling fighter River City Ransom playing in a high school tournament. This game never reached North America but was in development. It included some Japanese-only excitement such as optional girls uniforms for the players.

The success of the NES caught Konami's attention. And soon enough, it began porting over many of its arcade titles. One of its best of the time was Blades of Steel, released in '87. A great port, this was an exciting version of arcade hockey with clean graphics, semi-audible voices, fights and great game play, making it a must-own for hockey fans of the time. I personally loved watching the ref drag the loser of the fight to the penalty box. One of its memorable features was the ability to play part of one of Konami's shooters during the 2nd intermission.

But, as popular as the earlier titles were, hockey still hadn't hit the mainstream console gaming audience. Electronic Arts were the ones who change hockey video game history, in NHL Hockey (1991). Using their Park Place development team, EA took its successful Sega Genesis Madden franchise to the ice, and the result is a fun, arcade and fast-paced game. In its initial release, the game had NHL licensed team names but no players. In '92, an updated version was released under NHLPA licensing with player names and other improvements such as the shattering of the glass, a full NHL player roster and improved stats. However, with the licensing from only the player's association, there are no more team logos. From '94 onwards, the series had both team names and players, and many say that this was the beginning of the first true NHL Hockey game.

EA's success with the NHL Hockey franchise continued on to the PC, Gameboy, Sega CD, and Super NES. The main improvement was the four-player feature on most consoles. Other features were added while some were taken away, for instance fighting was a big part of the '94 game. It also had hot and cold streaks that affected the players' abilities, again only in the '94 game. Sega countered with its own releases, Mario Lemieux Hockey and NHL All-Star Hockey, but both were stale; Nintendo had its Stanley Cup, a stomach-testing mode-7 game, but EA still remained the reigning champ with its NHL series, especially on the Genesis. The series was so strong that people still continue to play it today with hacks of updated rosters and teams. If you want to replace your Nordiques or Whalers with Av's or the Ducks, go here: http://macks_hacks.tripod.com/nhl95.htm

Finally, one more strange release must be highlighted. As if hockey didn't have a bad enough reputation for violence already, EA brought out Mutant League Hockey for the Genesis, to cash in on their success. The game is basically the same engine from their NHL series, but now skeletons and mutants replace the players, and a skull replaces the puck. Players don't just get injured… they die. Pucks explode and there are a variety of obstacles on the ice to impede play from holes to mines and worse. All aside, it's a fun game that's a little short on the realism but redeems itself in game play… and did I mention the carnage?

As the mid-point of the decade hit, hockey video games have developed quite a bit. Real players and licensing are now commonplace. Game programmers aren't just scraping by to bring the action home, they're working on minor touches like shattering the glass, league functions like trades and bringing the presentation of a full package. The video hockey game has come a long way from Pong, but it still has little more to go.

Arcade Blades of Steel Hit the Ice Mario Lemieux Hockey Atari 7800 Hat Trick Atari Lynx Hockey Game Gear NHL All-star NHL Hockey Gameboy Blades of Steel (series) ESPN Hockey Hit the Ice NHL (series) Genesis Brett Hull Hockey Brett Hull Hockey '95 ESPN National Hockey Night Hit The Ice Mario Lemieux Hockey Mutant League Hockey NHL (series) NHL All-star NHL Hockey NHLPA Hockey Wayne Gretzky Hockey Wayne Gretzky and the NHLPA All-Stars

Home Computers (PC, Amiga, ST) Blades of Steel Brett Hull '95 Faceoff! Superstar Ice Hockey Wayne Gretzky (series) Wayne Gretzky and the NHLPA All-Stars NES Blades of Steel Crash n' the Boys: Ice Challenge Hockey Pro Sport Hockey USA Ice Hockey in FC Wayne Gretzky Sega CD NHL 94 Sega SG (Master System) Championship Hockey Great Ice Hockey SNES Hit the Ice NHL (series) RHI Roller Hockey '95 Stanley Cup Super Hockey 94 Super Ice Hockey Wayne Gretzky and the NHLPA All-Stars TG-16 Hit the Ice TV Sports Hockey