I admit, I may be a bit tardy with this article. Get with the times, Grandpa, right? I know. But be that as it may, I still need to get this off my chest:

NHL 08 is one of the best sports games that I have played to date. Seriously.

Despite my rabid addiction to football and football gaming, NHL 08 has been the most impressive sports game that I have played in quite some time. And by quite some time, I mean since 1993, when Tecmo Super Bowl first sauntered into my life, clubbed me over the head, and dragged me back to its cave, content to make me its love slave for the bulk of my juvenile years.

I am, in fact, rather unpunctual with this recent epiphany. The reason being, I just purchased NHL 08 a mere nine days ago. That’s weak, very weak. Believe me, I know. But have some sympathy. Once an avid NHL fan, my interest has faltered in recent years, in large part due to the strike, and the abhorrent front office of my beloved Chicago Blackhawks. I’m ashamed to say it as a sports fan, but as I look down the current list of NHL scoring leaders, I only immediately recognize three names. That is simply unacceptable.

Enter NHL 08, the messiah of my hockey (and hockey gaming) fandom. Complying with the urge made by a good friend, I used my lone remaining Best Buy holiday gift card to purchase NHL 08 last Monday. My friend told me that it was possibly one of the best sports games…EVER. I was skeptical. Three games into my inaugural Dynasty, I called to apologize for my evil, doubting ways.

Now a good 25 games into my Dynasty, I stand by my first impression, and have had some time to reflect on what makes NHL 08 so good.

In a time when much of our forum banter focuses on how disappointing new, next-gen sports games games are, the NHL series is a breath of fresh air. The kind folks at EA Sports have done a bang-up job of recognizing what made their NHL franchise so great. The overall presentation and fun factor have not changed since the series' Make-Gretzky’s-head-bleed ancestors.

(Note: If you are at work, or don’t care for four-letter words, I’d refrain from clicking on the above link)

My last NHL gaming experience was, tearfully, six years ago with the Lemieux-covered NHL 2002 for PC. Despite my hiatus, I am pleased to see that the next-gen version of NHL continues to capture the unique flavor of the franchise. Contrary to the current alarming tendency of sports games forgetting their roots, NHL really does feel like a hyper-evolved offspring of the original classics. While some franchises abandon their heritage in favor of shallow, marketing-friendly features, EA Sports has continued to produce the same user-friendly, fast-paced, and overall excellent product while still complying with the demands of next-gen gamers.

As I mentioned, my last NHL experience prior to '08, was the 2002 version, which I had, and still have installed, on my PC. Although it was a tad arcade-like, NHL 02 followed the traditional feel and formula to the T. The then-advanced graphics and expanded-yet-intuitive controls made the '02 experience, and provided me with countless hours of game time. However, there were a few very minor annoyances. For one, I disliked the fact that it was very difficult to score with grinders, or role-players. The vast, VAST majority of my goals were scored by my two stars, Jeremy Roenick and Tony Amonte (reunited by the magic of the Fantasy Draft). Secondly, I disliked that it was difficult to run a truly realistic offense and defense; and frankly, the game was just a liiiiiiiiiiiiiitle too check-happy.

In 2008, for once, a game met my lofty expectations, and played as if EA Sports had my wish list in hand when developing this game. The enhanced control of the Skill Stick gives everyone on the ice the ability to make plays. The enhanced AI makes setting-up proper offense and defense not only necessary, but exceptionally easy, even for someone like myself, who is no dynamo of hockey strategy. The checking system is more physics-based, which makes poke-checking and shot-blocking, (and the occasional hook) mandatory weapons in your defensive arsenal. Although I do miss slamming my way out of an oncoming odd-man rush, a well timed poke-check is equally as satisfying.

And finally, my favorite feature, deflections. In fact, the first goal I saw in NHL 08 was a slapshot from the point, deflected top-shelf by the center. I literally dropped my controller. This was the hockey game I've always wanted. It’s the game you should want, too.

Long story short, NHL is the benchmark for a properly run sports-gaming franchise, and should certainly be recognized as such. It still contains enough classic aesthetic and texture to give it that nostalgic NHL appeal, while adhering to next-gen graphical standards, all while evolving into a more meticulous sports simulation.

I’m just embarrassed that it took me this long to realize it.