Well, by now you've probably heard the bad news: there isn't going to be any NHL hockey in the foreseeable future. Thanks to the inability of the team owners and the players association to hammer out a new collective bargaining agreement, the NHL has locked out their players for the upcoming season, and possibly even longer. So what's a hockey junkie to do, short of strapping on the skates and shoveling off their local pond? Well, they can either watch and rewatch their tapes of the World Cup games from the last few weeks, or they can pop in a copy of Electronic Arts' NHL 2005, the thirteenth game in EA's venerable franchise.

While the series is still synonymous with video game hockey for many fans, it's lost a bit of its sizable market in recent years to ESPN's 2K series. Many people prefer the strictly simulation style of the game that ESPN offers, but I've always been more of a fan of the slightly more arcade-style action that EA's series leans towards. However, last year's version of the game, not surprisingly titled NHL 2004, focused a bit too much on the hitting for most people's tastes, to the point where it was too hard to get into your opponent's side of the ice on a regular basis, or even set up plays properly.


It's no surprise, then, that EA's biggest task in the offseason was changing the game to allow more creation of open ice. Thanks to the new Open Ice Control mechanic, you can create some room for your players to make plays, fake out defenders, and take the puck deep into enemy territory. There are a few ways to use the controls on offense, mapped to the black and white buttons. If I hit the black button while I had the puck, a teammate would come over to set a pick of sorts on the defender nearest to me. However, unlike basketball, setting picks in hockey is illegal, so this had to be used with discretion. You might be able to get away with it sometimes, but there's also a good chance you'll get penalized for your efforts.

While I didn't find myself utilizing that feature very much, I did rely on the other one a bit more. If you tap the white button while skating up the ice, your control will switch to the nearest teammate, allowing you to set up a give-and-go or one timer. I found that it worked particularly well when I set my man up directly in front of the crease, blocking the goalie's view of the man with the puck, letting him blast it through for the goal. When that didn't work, some other new mechanics came into play. If the puck ricocheted off of the goalie's pad or stick, my man was now able to slap the puck out of the air and into the goal.

There have been plenty of other changes to the core gameplay, as well, especially when it comes to skating. Players move much more realistically this time around, particularly when they hit their top speed. Rather than constantly moving their feet as they did in previous versions, they'll glide along the ice smoothly, allowing you greater control over their movements. The backward-skating mechanic has also been greatly improved, as the AI will take over and position your player perfectly depending on the placement of the puck. It's much easier to use than before, particularly when trying to keep your body between an opponent and your goal.