It wasn't easy living without hockey. Game developers didn't cancel their projects (I'm sure they're thrilled about that now), but it seemed like the rest of the world forgot the sport existed. It was sad seeing professional players sign up with the minors, even if they were doing it stay to in shape and not out of desperation.

Finally the nonsense has ended. The pros are back in their rightful jerseys, playing for a cup that means more to them than any other prize or trophy.

A lot of hockey games will vie for your attention during the new 2005-2006 season, and while each one has advantages and disadvantages, most players are looking for the Stanley Cup of hockey games. NHL 06, EA's latest offering in their long-running series, is not an entirely perfect game. It does, however, have enough hat tricks up its sleeve to keep us goaltending throughout the season.

NHL 06 introduces a new physics system the developers refer to as RPM (Realistic Puck Momentum). That name won't mean much to most players, though the results should have an effect on anyone who picks up a controller. EA has talked about the goalie stun feature in which a puck in the face could put him out of commission for a bit. This is true, and you've got to act fast if you expect to benefit from that accidental play. It might not really be accidental, but timing it is next to impossible. Plus, you wouldn't want the refs to find out. They call enough penalties, at least if you're playing as the Detroit Red Wings, which is not at all unlike real hockey.

RPM is also responsible for the loud pings you'll hear throughout each game as the puck is deflected off the goalpost. Notice the number at the top of the screen – that's how fast your puck was moving! Sixty miles per hour sounds painful enough, but 100? I think I should've chosen another profession. Oh wait, I'm not a hockey player I'm a journalist. Phew! What I do is so much safer.

(Looks over shoulder; ducks just in time to miss the controller being thrown at my head.)

On second thought, maybe it isn't that much safer after all.

Very few aspects of the game could be considered a cakewalk, least of all scoring. The goalie AI is excellent. Goalies will stop at nothing to stop you from scoring. Cheap tricks and one-timers won't work most of the time. You have to be smart, really smart. Play around with the puck, mess with their heads. Do more than a few fakes and attempt at scoring. Some might think that you can get away with this on the easier level difficulties – wrong. NHL 06 is a tough game no matter what difficulty is chosen, which team is being controlled, etc. It does help to have a good team, but it won't save the day if your own mechanics suck. If only I could get the referees to stop harassing the Detroit Red Wings! I know EA wanted the game to be accurate, but please cut us a little slack next time (wink, wink).

NHL 06's Dynasty mode is a solid improvement over the traditional season mode that sports games offer. The basic idea is that you're the general manager, the coach, and in complete control of the team. Winning brings acclaim; losing brings complaints and shame, including mock newspapers that announce player disappointment.

 
Great goaltending.

As general manager players can sign and trade players in order to help their teams grow. It's hard for me to make trades since I usually like the players I've got, but couldn't pass up the opportunity to trade the new guys for familiar faces. Managers also get to view scouting repots for the upcoming rookie draft; raise ticket prices; adjust payroll, etc. If this were real hockey you'd be known as That Evil Guy Who Nearly Killed The NHL.

Being a coach is just as important, though it won't make you feel as evil. Here you may tweak the game strategy, edit lines, review progress reports for each player on the team, things like that. You'll also be responsible for making sure that each player gets what they want, such as an increase in ice time, or their morale will drop.

New additions include the annual NHL All-Star game, Sim intervention (interrupt a simulated game at any time during the simulated period), and the option of delegating some of the coach's responsibilities to an assistant. For example, the assistant coach can make substitutions when a player is injured or suspended.

The player editor feature is so realistic it's downright creepy. All the usual face changes (skin, hair, weight, etc.) are here. The eye color you decide your player should have won't drastically change his appearance, but the facial stretching system - which allows you to stretch parts of the player's face, including his ears – let you do more than necessary. I say that being someone who doesn't care about the appearance of my homemade characters; I'm sure there are thousands of gamers who will spend a lot of time taking advantage of this feature.

Two things that did get my attention were the scars and broken nose options. There are at last a half a dozen scars that may be applied to your player's face, giving him a rugged, aged look that could be a sign of years of experience. Or a sign that he's clumsy. The broken nose option makes the player's nose look crooked – now that's just funny!

 
Face-off!

With its rewarding challenge, endless replay value, lengthy game modes, spectacular physics, stellar controls, and the wonderful multiplayer experience, NHL 06 is gaming goodness you can't pass up. Wait till Christmas? No way – this is the kind of game you have to get into now. Enjoy it with the hockey season. By the time you're sick of it EA will be ready to release NHL 07. (If we're lucky, for PlayStation 3.)

Gameplay: 8.6
NHL 06 is the first simulation sports game I've enjoyed as much as arcade classics like NHL Hitz. Great physics, precise controls, and a superb goalie system (both for goaltending and for shooting) are the highlights of the game. The Realistic Puck Momentum physics are the next step in hockey game evolution. Most of the enhancements are subtle but accurate. I like to play games very aggressively, bumping cars in racers; attacking non-stop in fighting games; etc. That strategy didn't work here. I found that if I played my way I'd lose – but if I copied the actions of what the pros do in real games – I'd win.

Graphics: 8.5
Lifelike player faces that are recognizable with or without a magnifying glass. Steve Yzerman, Doug Weight, Brendan Shanahan, etc. - you'll know 'em when you see 'em.

Animation-wise NHL 06 is on par with EA's other sports titles. The goalie movement stood out the most to me; they bent and stretched their body in the most uncomfortable ways to stop the puck, just like a good goalie should.

Sound: 7.0
NHL 06 has a nice array of sound effects. The soundtrack, however, isn't overly exciting, and the commentary is way too repetitive. They say the same thing over and over again. In rare cases they'll report the action long after it happened, or cut off one sentence to report on something else. I can imagine how hard it must be to create reliable commentary in a game, but that doesn't make its repetitiveness easier to endure.

Difficulty: Medium
One tough sports game. Newbies shouldn't be intimidated; there are enough options (like the free-for-all mode) to help you on the road to Stanley. Us hardcore gamers expecting an easy time – this game showed us a thing or two! (Three or four of 'em, actually.)

Concept: 8.0
More of an evolution than innovation, NHL 06 refines the classic gameplay just in time for the new hockey season. It also includes the full version of NHL 94. It's fun, and it shows how far hockey games have come in the past 12 years, and it shows that certain aspects haven't changed much at all.

Multiplayer: 9.0
Prepare yourself for battles with up to eight players!

Online and offline, NHL 06 is the king of multiplayer. Once the Dynasty mode has ended, multiplayer is the reason players will continue to spend their days at the rink. Beating skilled AI opponents is thrilling, but nothing can compare to the absolute joy of beating a skilled gamer.

"Ha! Five to four, you lose!"

(Twenty minutes later, I lose six-nothing.)

"Oh sure, I see where you were going with that. Stupid hat tricks!"

Overall: 8.8
A grand hockey experience. NHL 06 has a lot going for it, but before the developers could design a multitude of great features, they first had to design a multitude of great control and gameplay mechanics. They had that covered, added the appropriate tweaks, and have taken the game to glory.