Ice Madness – Elite Eight of Retro Hockey Video Games

The tournament is in full swing, folks! The Round of 16 has concluded and, for the most part, the favorites have all advanced.

Before we get to the results, shout out to our buddy Adam Skollar who is “Mr. Social Media” for the New York Rangers (I’m pretty sure that’s on his business card). When we were talking about this tournament, he brought up that retro gamer scene in the 1996 movie Swingers:

The biggest upset was the early exit of Mutant League Hockey (one of my personal favorites as a kid), falling to ESPN National Hockey Night. Maybe it was the iconic ESPN Hockey theme music … who knows. But MLH is going home (wherever home is).

We now move on to the quarterfinals. The Elite Eight, if you will. Four more intense retro hockey game matchups, including by far the main event of this round.

It’s almost a stand-alone debate in itself among retro hockey game lovers. Which EA Sports release of this era was better: NHL ’94 vs. NHLPA ’93?

One had one-timers, the other had fighting. One had official logos and brass bonanza. The other had blood and fun glitches.

This breakdown from @DownGoesBrown goes in-depth into this timeless feud.

Vote now! Who will round out the Final Four? Quarterfinal voting goes until Sunday, March 26.

MATCHUP 1: Blades of Steel vs. ESPN National Hockey Night

Blades of Steel
(First Round: Beat NHL Stanley Cup Hockey, 82%-18%)

ESPN National Hockey Night
(First Round: Beat Mutant League Hockey League, 59%-41%)

MATCHUP 2: NHL ’94 vs. NHLPA ’93

NHL ’94
(First Round: Beat Face Off!, 95%-5%)

NHLPA ’93
(First Round: Beat Brett Hull Hockey, 88%-12%)

MATCHUP 3: Ice Hockey (NES) vs. NHL Open Ice 2 on 2 Challenge

Ice Hockey (NES)
(First Round: Beat Pro Sport Hockey, 81%-19%)

NHL Open Ice 2 on 2 Challenge
(First Round: Beat Wayne Gretzky Hockey 61%-39%)

MATCHUP 4: Mario Lemieux Hockey vs. NHL ’95

Mario Lemieux Hockey
(First Round: Beat Hit the Ice, 61%-39%)

NHL ’95
(First Round: Beat TV Sports Hockey, 89%-11%)