NHL celebrates 20-year anniversary of NHL '94 in awesome throwback fashion
Arguably the most coveted hockey game of all time gets honored on NHL.com with a throwback spin on some modern highlights.
The intersection of sports and video games has rendered countless popular titles and is easily one of the medium's most popular genres. While each sport has yearly contributions to game consoles and the PC, there may not be a more cherished sports title in video game history than NHL '94, EA's venerable ice hockey experience.
At the time NHL '94 was cutting edge; with its 2D sprite animations and the introduction of penalty shots, board checking, and more, the game was widely acclaimed by critics and players alike. If you owned a Sega Genesis or Super Nintendo, odds are NHL '94 found its way into your life at some point.
Over the years, NHL '94 has become so ingrained in gaming culture that it's spawned somewhat of a cult following. It's perhaps most infamously referenced in the 1996 breakout hit "Swingers," where a young Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, and Patrick Van Horn huddle around a Sega Genesis trying to make Wayne Gretzky's head bleed.
To celebrate its 20th anniversary this year, the National Hockey League has done some creative motion-graphics work with some modern-day highlights, refacing today's game with the throwback iconography of yesteryear, complete with original sound effects and organ music.
Check out some of the samples embedded below and be sure to head over to NHL.com for the entire series of videos honoring the 20-year-old classic.