NHL 95

The 4th game in the NHL hockey franchise from EA Sports. It was released for the 1994-1995 NHL season.

Overview

The SNES and Genesis releases of the game feature significantly improved graphics from years past.

Also introduced in NHL 95 is the ability to play through a complete NHL season controlling a team. The user has the freedom to trade and sign players. They can also create their own hockey players. The user is given "300 Points" that can be allocated to various categories.

Categories for create a player include...

  • Agility
  • Defensive Awareness
  • Puck Control
  • Stick Right
  • Stick Left
  • Glove Right
  • Glove Left

The game also introduces fake shots, drop passes, and the ability to go down to the ice to block a shot. Line Changes and Instant Replay are also available in NHL 95.

Game Modes

  • Exhibition - Team 1 vs Team 2
  • Season - Players pick a team and play an entire 84 game season (season is now 82 games). Following an NHL Season the game also shows screens of which player won which award, including the Vezina Trophy, Hart Trophy, and Conn Smythe for playoffs.
  • Playoffs - Players pick a team and the game randomizes a playoff bracket. The player also has the option to make it single elimination or the traditional best of 7 games for each series.
  • Practice - Pick a team and practice passing, shooting, and skating around.
  • Game with Trades - Whenever someone makes trades, signings, etc, the player can pick this mode in order to have access to them. The game features an internal General Manager that approves or denies trades depending on how even they were.
  • Shootout - Each team takes turns in the shootout with 5 various players. It is one on one with the shooter and goalie.

Cover

The cover of the game features New York Ranger Alexei Kovalev scoring on Vancouver Canucks goalie Kirk McLean in the 1994 NHL Stanley Cup Finals. This would be the second to last time that the cover of the game featured two athletes. NHL 96 would be the last to do this.

Team Ratings

This is a list of each team and their corresponding rating out of 100 in the game.

TeamRating
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim58
Boston Bruins77
Buffalo Sabres78
Calgary Flames77
Chicago Blackhawks83
Dallas Stars71
Detroit Red Wings79
Edmonton Oilers69
Florida Panthers65
Hartford Whalers64
Los Angeles Kings73
Montreal Canadians76
New Jersey Devils73
New York Islanders66
New York Rangers79
Ottawa Senators58
Philadelphia Flyers71
Pittsburgh Penguins78
Quebec Nordiques69
San Jose Sharks70
St. Louis Blues79
Tampa Bay Lightning64
Toronto Maple Leafs75
Vancouver Canucks75
Washington Capitals70
Winnipeg Jets70

The game also features teams for the Eastern and Western All Stars.