Carraggi's Corner: How EA's NHL Sucked Me Into Hockey

[Vikes1]

After being a huge hockey fan throughout the 80's...for whatever reason, my interest waned.

That is until like DJ...I played NHL '08'. Since then, I've been hooked again. My interest in the real life NHL is back pretty much in full force. Mainly because of a video game?...yep! Seems a bit silly, but true none the less.

It takes a pretty special video sports game to have that kind of power. I believe "The Show", FIFA, and NHL are in a league all their own as far as sports games go. I'm terrible at playing NHL, but I just can't quit playing!

[Perfect Zero]

My first Playstation game was a non EA NHL 96 (I think it was made by SCEA), and I had a blast with it. It was around the time the Stars came to Dallas, but I never really followed it. Baseball has always been my first love, so I watch it all the time when it's going on. I've had a like for football, but my High School stunk at it, and I really hate the NFL now (so much so I don't watch it anymore).

Last year, I went to a Texas Brahmas game on a whim and really got sucked into the action. It helps that the arena is ice cold, and I had a really good time. I'm more of a CHL fan, but when the demo came out, I decided to watch more Stars hockey and to buy NHL 11.

[ILLCHILL]

Quote: Originally Posted by Skullduggery

"Catch you guys at halftime." Joke.... right?

Haha, glad my sarcasm wasn't completely lost! Also glad I'm not the only one who had a similar experience with the game/sport.

Thanks for the kind words fellas!

And wlfpack (or anyone else), hit me up sometime on AIM or Skype (illchill1234 on both), always love chatting some good sports/writing stuff.

[LucianoJJ]

Mike, you represented the power of video games. This is what the developers dream of. Hockey really is a game best watched live, but EA, 2K and the NHL want people to get excited about the sport.

After reading MMChris' entry about EA Tiburon's football slump, EA Canada had their own hard times. NHL 09 was the breakout to me. While I am trying to work my way through NHL 11, and it does look and sound the same, it's obvious they put a lot of time and effort into gameplay. The result is that we are more into the game, and into the sport. Nice post.

[RealmK]

A real Bruins fan wouldn't have stopped caring. A real Bruins fan would have stuck with the team regardless. Just saying.

[tabulaRasa]

DOn´t you think media has something to do with it to? I mean, post lock-out hockey is so much more about speed and skill and it much more fun than the pre lock out hockey of the trap.

US media downplays hockey, and let´s face it, the average joe gets hyped by the media.

Oh NHL11 rocks! I really like HUT too, gets me back to the days when me and my friends spent hours just trading together teams

[Therion7]

Quote: Originally Posted by russwg1970

I'm a recent convert to the NHL, and I love it now. It's a sport full of tradition, dedication, and excitement. The only reason I think the NHL isn't more mainstream here in the US is unlike baseball, football, and basketball the sport is considered a Canadian pastime, and it's beginnings lie within their history. The more I watch hockey, the more I'm amazed at the toughness of the players. And You don't see nearly as many prima donnas in the NHL as say the NFL, and it's not even close compared to the NBA. Football is still clearly my favorite sport, but the NHL is a very close second now. Thanks for the article.

Some great points there, Russ. My main sport that I have followed for many years has been soccer as I'm from Scotland. However, the attitude of some players and the lack of a level playing field in a wider European context has grown tiresome over the decades. You pretty much know who's going to be in the mix for the domestic league and the Champions League before a ball has been kicked. There's no salary cap.

As you said, you have to admire the toughness of someone like Duncan Keith losing a mouthful of teeth after an encounter with the puck but still getting back on the ice. That's beyond compare - even in a sport like rugby. I also appreciate that not all players are Goliath specimens and wit and guile can be rewarded rather than size. Kane and Toews could not be classed as big guys. Strong but not big. And what about the schedule? Regular season is loooong and the players are either on the road or on the ice most nights. Yet there's little complaint - unlike other athletes.

I've pretty much liked hockey as a sport since EA's 16-bit masterpieces and even managed to track down a couple of replica NHL jerseys in my youth which was no mean feat when eBay didn't exist but 08 really got me into the sport again and let me identify who the lesser known talents were after losing touch during the PS2 era. It also helped that the advent of broadband let you watch streams or highlights of leagues around the world rather than just having access to a boxscore.

I now go and watch the real thing live, have a wardrobe full of jerseys and once you've seen your first game in the flesh it's hard to go back to other sports. Just the whole atmosphere is great, even with a 1000 or so spectators.

With the increasing availability of HD broadcasting, hockey can only increase in popularity. Look! You can see the puck!

[[Icy]]

Well for me is even more weird, as there is no ice hockey in Spain besides 5 or 6 amateur clubs in the north. There is zero TV or news coverage, etc.

It all started with me being already a huge sports sim fan, who discovered the shareware version of EHM a few years ago, then the version under SI umbrella, and then NHL09 and the EASHL, where my addiction become almost an illness

So since 09 i'm the weird Spanish guy who follows the NHL daily and watches as much games as possible streamed online, who has played in some of the top EASHL teams despite living in a country where the only thing people knows about ice hockey is that the players fight each other frequently.