September is in full swing, which can mean only one thing for many hockey fans: EA's newest NHL title has hit store shelves. NHL 10 marks the 19-year anniversary for the series, a feat that can only be challenged by the Madden series in terms of sports-gaming longevity. Even if you are not a fan of the series, it is difficult to deny the importance of the franchise to the sports-gaming landscape. NHL Hockey (released in '91) set a new precedent for how hockey games would forever be played, and the series quickly became the gold standard that the competition would strive to match.

And since NHL 10 was just recently released, we decided to take a trip down memory lane and rank the top five EA NHL games of all time. Read on to see if your favorites made the cut.

NHL 97 (PC)

NHL 97 on the PC included actual goalie masks, and even a goalie-mask viewer in a separate game mode. Call me a sucker for aesthetics, but in today's world of generic masks and ridiculous licensing agreements, the simple addition of true-to-life goalie masks still blows my mind to this day. I still remember watching endless replays of John Vanbiesbrouck and his uber sheik panther mask shutting the door on my opponents time and time again. Sure, it may sound silly, but simple presentation aspects like the goalie masks elevated NHL 97 to a whole new level of coolness in my book.

On the gameplay front, NHL 97 continued to innovate the series with superstar special moves that certain players could do. Taking a nod from Bulls vs. Lakers, one player on each team was given an authentic special ability that could be triggered at certain points during the game -- think Tom Chambers special dunk, but in a hockey game. NHL 97 also included a highly addictive skills-challenge mode where you could compete in a hardest shot competition against friends. Trust me when I say this, there really was no better feeling in 1996 than showing up your buddies with an Al MacInnis 103 mph slap shot.

To this day, NHL 97 remains my most played PC game of all time -- not to mention one of my most played NHL games of all time. The game was pure hockey bliss, which is why I still hold the game responsible for my less-than-average physics grade I got in high school that year. Maybe after reading this my parents will finally understand where I was coming from back in '96.

NHL 2002 (PS2)

After an extremely disappointing 2001 season on the PS2, it was a relief to get my hands on NHL 2002 in September 2001. With our country mired in grief after the events of September 11, NHL 2002 became an immediate escape from the troubles of the world. For me and my buddies, being able to smile and get away from it all made all the difference during such a terrible time in our nation's history. I can still remember spending endless hours playing tournaments, and then utilizing the ability to control all 30 teams in dynasty mode to create one of the most memorable 10-year dynasty runs ever. The game played great, and as long as you turned the gimmicky breakaway camera off, there was no way to not have a blast with this game.

Graphically, the game was absolutely beautiful on the PS2, and the animations and presentation aspects are still impressive, even if you go by today's standards. But the best part of the game was the ability to customize and control your own postgame celebrations. Did you just score an unreal game-winning goal against your buddy? Why not celebrate by swan diving on the ice and then tapping a button repeatedly to make your player yell "Ohh yeah!, Ohh yeah!, Ohh yeah!" as he pumps his fist in glory.

NHL 2002 was a game that hardly ever left my Playstation 2 during that season. In fact, it was so good that I even skipped the lackluster NHL 2003 in favor of getting another year out of EA's stellar NHL 2002.

NHL 10 (360/PS3)

Released last week, EA's latest NHL offering has the makings of a classic. The reason I put the game so high on the list is because the developers have taken all of the great aspects from NHL 07-09 and refined them to near-perfection. Tight controls, great puck physics, a multitude of gameplay tuners, amazing graphics, solid announcing, superb atmosphere and numerous single and multiplayer game modes all combine to make NHL 10 an impressive title.

NHL 10 takes the foundation laid down by all previous current-gen EA NHL games, and combines all of their strengths to create an incredibly deep and enjoyable gaming experience.

Best of all is that on the ice NHL 10 plays one great game of hockey. Whether you're a fan of fast-paced arcade hockey, slower simulation hockey or anything in between, NHL 10 can be easily customized to fit your personal play style. As someone who personally hates using sliders because of the complexity and depth of adjustments that need to be made to see a difference, I was immediately surprised to see that significant gameplay changes in NHL 10 could be made with a simple one or two clicks to a desired slider. The ability to play the game the way I see fit is what truly separates NHL 10 from its older '07, '08 and '09 brethren.

NHL 10 may be the new kid on the block right now, but it is already one of the best in the history of the series -- that says something about just how much effort the developers have put into this series since 2007.

NHL 2004 (PS2/XBOX)

NHL 2004 could be viewed as the NHL 10 of the last generation of consoles because it was the crescendo of all previous incarnations on the last-gen hardware. Featuring a revamped analog control system and checking engine, NHL 2003 introduced gamers to their first taste of right-analog puck control. NHL 2004 took this implementation one step further by tightening up the offensive controls and adding defensive right-stick controls. While not as refined as the shot stick, these new controls felt great and transformed the way both offense and defense were played. Add in a revamped and incredibly deep dynasty mode, an amazing fighting engine (including goalie fights!) and the most polished graphics to date, and you have one of the greatest hockey titles ever released.

What really separated NHL 2004 from the pack was the fact that EA finally made it difficult to score in this version of the game. CPU defenders played great positional defense, goalie AI was greatly improved and the day of the quick-and-easy one-timer goal was gone for good (until NHL 2005 came out that is). Finally EA had replicated the gritty feel of an NHL game, and the feel of how hard it could be to score on some nights. The emphasis on defense is something I have not seen in any NHL game since, so I would love to see EA ratchet up the defensive AI to the levels they were at in NHL 2004.

NHL 2004 is fondly remembered by my group of friends as the NHL game where defense actually mattered. The game may not have been as fast paced as the previous NHL games, but as a hardcore fan of hockey I welcomed the new style of play with open arms.

NHL 94 (Genesis)

NHL Hockey (1991) and NHLPA Hockey '93 may have introduced gamers to the exceptional EA Sports hockey series, but it was not until NHL '94 was released that the series exploded onto the mainstream gaming-culture scene.

It's difficult to explain what made NHL '94 such a good game, and that's because just about everything in the game was darn near perfect. For the first time, console owners were given a game with both NHL and NHLPA licenses, and they were also given the sacred gift of the ever-dangerous one-timer shot. The one-timer single-handedly changed the way NHL games were played, and it became the gameplay figurehead for the best playing sports videogame of its time. I would even argue that NHL '94 is one of the few sports videogames (among the likes of Tecmo Bowl) that has stood the test of time. For anyone who doubts that statement, be sure to check out nhl94.com, a site devoted entirely to emulation of the classic game, but with updated rosters and league functionality.

Many gamers also tend to forget that NHL '94 allowed you to break the glass on a hard slap shot and had team-specific organ music. Finally, who can forget the incredible out-of-town scoreboard and highlight packages in between periods? How no recent NHL game has included this feature is mind boggling. I am not ashamed to admit that these between-period replays were my favorite part of the game, and to be perfectly honest, they are still the source of my fondest sports-gaming memory from the past 24 years I have been gaming.

It is argued by many that NHL '94 was a game that transcended traditional videogame boundaries, introducing a whole new generation to the" good ol' hockey game." And I think it can be said that even today, NHL 94 is the "best game you can play."


Did your favorite make the list? Sound off below.