An Arcade Hit

There's a soft spot in my heart for any arcade that is still operating today. Arcades seem to be a thing of the past thanks to the success of consoles such as the Playstation and the XBox, but there are still enthusiasts out there who keep the arcade games up and running while looking to add to their own collections of arcade hits of the past. Everyone had their favorite arcade game, and some of the more popular ones included Mortal Combat, Street Fighter II, and NBA Jam to name just a few. No matter where you went in North America, arcades were filled with kids and adults competing against themselves and one another to register a high score or to be the local arcade god or goddess. The availability of a good hockey arcade game, however, seemed to miss the fad as hockey only had a select few titles that very few arcades carried at any time.

Things changed dramatically when game production company Midway decided to replicate their NBA Jam-style of game in a hockey format. NHL Open Ice: 2 on 2 Challenge, or better known as NHL Open Ice, was released in 1995 with the full participation of both the NHL and NHLPA, marking the first time that an arcade game had all the NHL teams and its marquee players. It offered four joysticks and buttons so all four players could be operated by players, and it would score major points with hockey enthusiasts everywhere.

I had spoken a little about NHL Open Ice a long time ago on this blog, but it's relevant today because ESPN released a 24-minute documentary about the game this week. I watched it like I was a teenager again because it took me back to the days of going to get rolls of quarters to play this game. Produced by Justin Cloutier and Arda Öcal and narrated by Öcal, this is a must-watch if you saw this game in an arcade or sports bar. It's a fantastic piece!

ESPN uploaded it to YouTube this week, so I, of course, had to link it here. In saying that, here's the entire 24-minute documentary entitled "Unveiling the Creation of 1995's NHL Open Ice".
Everything about this is awesome, and I can't thank Justin Cloutier and Arda Öcal for their work in putting this together, and ESPN for backing the production. Seeing stuff like this NHL Open Ice documentary makes me giddy, and it has me thinking about getting back into the arcade cabinet scene once again. No, I'm not going to restore them, but I do have an older cabinet that needs some work that could be turned into something awesome! Time will tell!

Did you play this game? Leave your comments below about what you liked or didn't like about the game, and we can discuss! Just for the record, when the game was ported to the Playstation in 1996, the Winnipeg Jets had been updated as the Phoenix Coyotes which, as a hockey fan at that time, broke my heart. Yes, I know why that had to happen, but it was like more salt in the wound after seeing the team leave. I loved the game, but I hated that.

Just for the record, GameSpot ranks it as a 7/10 back in 2000, so it was a good arcade quarter-eater and time-waster for kids!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!