4. Alternate controls your dad can understand.

While sports fans enjoy having total control over the shape of their shots and the precision of their poke-checks, not everyone is interested in such a complicated approach to sport simulation.

EA has taken the casual player fully in mind with an option for reverting to simplified controls. A is pass. B is shoot. With the tick of an option box, it becomes a far-improved version of NHL 94--but without the guaranteed half-rink slapshots.

5. A "Pro" mode that doesn't suck.

Okay, making a player with your name and giving him a purple afro was funny in 2002, but the novelty of create-a-player wore off shortly after. As you might have guessed, NHL 09 changes all of that. Sure, you can still make your own goofy player--but this time, you have to crawl your way to NHL stardom.

To my surprise, EA has included every AHL team and player in NHL 09. Before your afro-donning dude hits the pros, you'll have to increase his statistics and his popularity by crawling your way through the minor leagues, exhibiting your outstanding play on teams like the Grand Rapids Griffins.

More interestingly, the game also offers you the option of taking on the persona of your favorite NHL star, with varying challenges depending on the skill level of the player. As Pavel Datsyuk, you'll need to meet a number of steep expectations, like scoring 50 goals in the season and winning the Rocket Richard trophy. This combination of leveling and achievement systems makes for a far more compelling season mode.

In the middle of an actual game, a fatigue meter keeps track of the player's energy. When it reaches critical level, you'll be forced to head to the bench. At this point the pro is given a scorecard from the coach, rating him on positioning, statistics, and teamplay.

These grading cards are cute, and meaningful in the context of your character's career, but the simulation aspect of resting on the bench is more interesting. Rather than being annoying, I find it actually increases the tension. Because the maximum amount of time you'll sit on the bench amounts to 15 or 20 seconds, your time spent on the bench never becomes annoying. Watching your team falter or succeed without you can be nerve-racking, and deciding the optimal time to change up the lines is more challenging than it sounds.

6. Hockey is the best video game sport.

You can't write a sports article without stating something that will start a shouting match.

That said, the back-and-forth, fast-paced action of hockey has always lent itself well to digital sport. Tennis lacks the depth of hockey, and basketball lacks the brutality. Soccer is too slow, and football too lopsided of an experience.

In hockey, there are few breaks in the action for play-calls or boring kicks. Each team gets a turn on offense every few seconds, rather than having to wait for the other team to throw a touchdown first. Every position is equally important; even defenders can score game-winning goals, and the puck is passed around constantly.

Hockey has elements of action, strategy, and fighting games. Overtime periods and shoot-outs seem designed specifically for video games.

As a combined test of team cooperation and twitch-based decision making, NHL 09 holds its own amongst the best of online shooters. Even if you're not a fan of real hockey, it may well be worth a look purely based on its strength as a competitive, team-based multiplayer game.