With ESPN getting the NHL TV contract back starting next season, I thought now was a good time to look at a classic ESPN hockey game. It's time for the first ESPN and 2K Sports co-branded hockey game with 2003's ESPN NHL Hockey. Rather than being a modded game, today, I'm playing the original ESPN NHL Hockey for the PlayStation 2 and recreating a classic matchup and foreshadowing a future one. First up, it's the 2003 Western Conference Quarterfinals rematch that only Wings fans want as the Detroit Red Wings take on the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Then, it's a preview of the 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs as the Hurricanes battle the Panthers. Check out my ongoing journey through classic hockey games and modded hockey games in the Retro Hockey Let's Plays playlist:
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______________________________________________________________________ ESPN NHL Hockey, which would have otherwise been known as ESPN NHL 2K4, was developed by Kush Games (later known as 2K Los Angeles) and Visual Concepts and published by Sega in 2003 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. This was the first of two games in the Sega/2K NHL series to feature the ESPN branding before the ESPN branding was taken over by EA Sports in the form of ESPN Integration. ESPN NHL Hockey features ESPN visual concepts, such as broadcast graphics, music and broadcasters to recreate an NHL on ESPN broadcast in the game. Interestingly, ESPN NHL Hockey is actually rated higher by critics than EA Sports' NHL 2004 which is often considered the best game in that franchise.
