NHL 2001 offers up-and-down action for Euro hockey fans

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000

By Lucas Aykroyd

For the first time since Peter Forsberg in 1998, an Electronic Arts hockey simulation game features a European-born player on the cover.

Granted, Owen Nolan of the San Jose Sharks doesn’t exactly rave about how being born in Belfast, Northern Ireland influenced his rugged approach toward the game. But regardless, NHL 2001 offers plenty of interest to fans of European hockey.

Available for PlayStation, PlayStation2 and PC, this is the eighth installment in the series since the original NHL Hockey was released in 1993. It may also be the best. The first game was a gem in terms of playability and puck control, but this one brings EA’s oft-maligned artificial intelligence system up to speed with its brilliant, TV-realistic graphics.

NHL 2001 enables you to play with or against any of the 30 NHL franchises or 20 (18 on PlayStation) top international teams: Austria, Belarus, Canada, Czech Republic, England, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine and the USA.

Vancouver captain Markus Naslund, along with three of his teammates, participated in the motion capture sessions at EA’s studio in Burnaby. The designers have also included more adjustable options as far as skating, passing, shooting and goalie prowess, which enables you to avoid the “can’t score” or “everything goes in” syndromes that sometimes plagued earlier editions.

Like NHL 2000, the PC version of the game boasts an Internet service that allows you to take on up to eight other players around the world. It’s quite an experience to control the Pittsburgh Penguins from your living room in Vancouver against a Colorado Avalanche opponent from Espoo, Finland! By making this year’s service purely Net-reliant, EA hopes to minimize crashes and bogging down.

An interesting new feature this year is the Momentum Meter. This goes up and down during the game, depending on who’s thrown a big hit or scored a goal lately. If you’re pressing, your momentum increases and you have a greater chance of success. It reflects a peculiar NHL mindset. In international hockey, teams tend to ride the wave of emotion less than in North America. Think of how many times the Soviet national team entered the third period down by two goals and then quickly rallied to tie and win the game. Now think of how little that happens in the NHL. The Momentum Meter does keep things lively.

Hardcore gamers can play an entire NHL season or take advantage of Career Mode, which lets you trade players, make draft picks, sign free agents and so on as a General Manager. (Just beware if your favorite player happens to be someone “elderly” like Igor Larionov, as he’s sure to retire at the end of the season.)

If there’s one area that needs drastic improvement, it’s the rosters of the less prominent international teams. While the major hockey powers are properly represented, the likes of Austria, Italy and Ukraine are stocked with fictional players. Why isn’t Sandis Ozolinsh on Team Latvia? Switzerland could do with Reto Von Arx, Michel Riesen or Gian-Marco Crameri instead of “Dirk Monstermeyer.” Even the Czech roster, while plausible, could be adjusted to reflect their use of Extraleague talent as well as NHLers in international competition, such at the 1998 Nagano Olympics.

Despite this caveat, NHL 2001 makes an excellent gift for the joystick-happy hockey fan in your household. It’s a fun way to chase the Stanley Cup on your own terms on the computer screen.