Franchise file / National Hockey League
NHL
The league, on ice since 1991
The NHL licence has carried hockey games since the 16-bit era, from EA's yearly line to the NHL 2K series and Midway's arcade bruiser NHL Hitz.
- 1991
- First game
- 1
- Series
- National Hockey League
- Creator
One world. Many eras.
Choose your chapter
The 16-bit rink. EA's NHL Hockey set the pace on the Mega Drive, and NHL '94 became the game hockey fans still measure the rest against. Rivals such as NHL FaceOff and NHL Breakaway followed it onto the new consoles.
Start with NHL '94Your next late night
The essentials
A legacy worth revisiting
Three decades of top-shelf hockey.
Hockey on a console usually means the NHL badge. EA has held the centre of the rink since the Mega Drive days, while 2K, Midway, Sony and Konami each took their shot. The result spans sober simulation, arcade body checks and everything between.
- 1991 to 1999
- The 16-bit rink
- 2000 to 2010
- The rival lines
- 2011 to 2026
- EA alone
Scenes that stay with you
Inside the world
Select a frame to expand it.
