History YMMV / NHLHockey

* StopHelpingMe: The "scouting report" during intermissions, which give out either obvious advice, or poorly-worded "advice", both of which aren't really necessary to win a game.

** What critics are saying about the PlayStation4 and XboxOne release of ''15'', calling it [[ObviousBeta an incomplete game]].

** TruthInTelevision: That sound can actually be heard in RealLife NHL games, when the team that has committed a penalty has managed to successfully kill it and you can hear the goaltender of the opposing team slap his stick on the ice during the waning seconds of the power play.

** TruthInTelivision: That sound can actually be heard in RealLife NHL games, when the team that has committed a penalty has managed to successfully kill it and you can hear the goaltender of the opposing team slap his stick on the ice during the waning seconds of the power play.

** Faceoff controls. Even if you set the particular difficulty bar for it low to your advantage, it is still regarded as such by some players because of how unintuitive the controls are and the opposing player will usually get his stick to the puck first as soon as the official drops it to the ice.

** Faceoff controls. Even if you set the particular difficulty bar for it low to your advantage, it is still regarded as such by some players because of how unintuitive the controls are and the opposing player will usually get his stick to the puck first and thus win.

** Faceoff controls. Even if you set the particular difficulty bar for it low to your advantage, it is still regarded as such by some players because of how unintuitive the controls are.

* UnfortunateImplications: With the addition of female created players in ''NHL 12'', it's now possible for a male player to beat up on a female player during a fight.
** That's nothing. Just look on Website/YouTube, and see how many comments are about StayInTheKitchen jokes.

* GoodBadBugs: In NHL 09, should the puck ricochet into the net off of a defenseman, the celebration cutscene will show the defender partying with the opposing team.
** In NHL 13, if you hit a player near the bench, you could potentially send them [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5b_wHVCYUk flying into the stands.]] Hilariously, EA decided to respond [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c071yZBOfQ with a tongue-in-cheek official trailer.]]
* HilariousInHindsight: Two of the songs on the NHL 10 soundtrack were Music/GreenDay's "Know Your Enemy" and Music/{{Nickelback}}'s "Burn It to the Ground." Fast forward a year later, and they're the theme songs to [[Wrestling/WWESmackDown WWE SmackDown]] and [[Wrestling/WWERaw Raw]], respectively.

** Any sort of play along the posts is a particular problem. The hug commmand basically locks the player to the post making it very difficult to get to the other side of the net in an odd man situation. There's also no good way of using the pad to press against the post in order to stop wraparounds and shots from off to the side. The post hug somewhat helps, but in additions to the locking issue, when combined with the butterfly trigger will leave the 5 hole wide open.
** The 3rd person goalie camera means that it is extremely easy to lose track of the puck right in the low slot - ie, right in front of you.
** They basically gave up in 13 making most of the controls automatic save for positioning. Reaction has been mixed.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: The fighting mechanics originally looked pretty realistic in ''NHL 2004'', but got overhauled in ''NHL '07'', where fights ended in just one or two punches. It got changed again in ''NHL '10'' to a first-person view, and reactions to it have been mixed. [[AvertedTrope It seems they finally got it right]] in ''14'' which switches to a third person view with a repurposed engine from EA's ''Fight Night'' franchise.

* UnfortunateImplications: With the addition of female created players in NHL 12, it's now possible for a male player to beat up on a female player during a fight.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: The fighting mechanics originally looked pretty realistic in ''NHL 2004'', but got overhauled in ''NHL '07'', where fights ended in just one or two punches. It got changed again in ''NHL '10'' to a first-person view, and reactions to it have been mixed.

* CatharsisFactor: Your favorite team got beat by a hated rival team? Just play a virtual rematch of the offending game, put every slider in your favour and demolish your team's rival in a CurbStompBattle.

* MostAnnoyingSound: The "click-click clack-clack" sound[[hottip:*:Supposedly the goalie banging his stick on the ice]] that comes at the end of a penalty.
* ScrappyMechanic: Goaltender controls. Granted, it's not easy to replicate the kinds of movements goalies need to make in real life to cover every potential hole but it still seems like the developers could put in just a bit more effort.

** That's nothing. Just look on YouTube, and see how many comments are about StayInTheKitchen jokes.

* UnfortunateImplications: With the addition of female created players in NHL 12, it's now possible for a male player to beat up on a female player during a fight.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: The fighting mechanics originally looked pretty realistic in ''NHL 2004'', but got overhauled in ''NHL '07'', where fights ended in just one or two punches. It got changed again in ''NHL '10'' to a first-person view, and reactions to it have been mixed.

** The 3rd person goalie camera means that it is extremely easy to lose track of the puck right in the low slow - ie, right in front of you.

* ScrappyMechanic - Goaltender controls. Granted, it's not easy to replicate the kinds of movements goalies need to make in real life to cover every potential hole but it still seems like the developers could put in just a bit more effort.

* ScrappyMechanic - Goaltender controls. Granted, it's not easy to replicate the kinds of movements goalies need to make in real life to cover every potential hole but it still seems like the developers could put in just a bit more effort.

* ScrappyMechanic - Goaltender controls. Granted, it's not easy to replicate the kinds of movements goalies need to make in real life to cover every potential hole but it still seems like the developers could put in just a bit more effort.

* Scrappy Mechanic - Goaltender controls. Granted, it's not easy to replicate the kinds of movements goalies need to make in real life to cover every potential hole but it still seems like the developers could put in just a bit more effort.