A few years ago video game manufacturer EA Sports added the AHL to its options of teams you can use for their NHL video game. I am not a frequent “gamer,” but I like to dabble from time to time, and I’ve found the addition of the AHL teams to be a pretty neat thing. Imagine matching your hometown club against the best in the NHL in an exhibition match, or playing a showdown between an NHL team and its top AHL affiliate.
Having recently purchased “NHL ’11” as a early Christmas gift for a friend, I figured it would be a lot of fun taking the virtual Admirals for a spin. Now my friend is a far better “gamer” than I am (my glory days on the Sega Genesis have long since passed me by), but I managed to go 1-2-0 against him, using Milwaukee vs. Lake Erie twice and Wilkes-Barre Scranton once.
Here are some of my observations about the virtual Admirals:
1) Mark Santorelli is amazing. It was really fun using both Santorellis on the same line last year on “NHL ’10,” but virtual Mark continues to be a dynamite player on the game for the Admirals. My best play was a 2-on-1 one-timer which Santorelli usually finished for a goal.
2) Linus Klasen is an unknown. I never could quite get a handle on how best to utilize Klasen on the offensive attack, even on the power play. Most likely that’s because I don’t know how to use all the special player moves, but virtual Klasen proved a touch maddening. Zero points in three games.
3) Brett Palin, Teemu Laakso, Jonathon Blum and Scott Ford were all dependable. Despite my poor record, every game was low scoring. My virtual Admirals defense blocked an amazing amount of shots. I was especially impressed with virtual Palin, who hit everything that moved.
4) Chet Pickard played like Chet Pickard has so far. The rosters we used for the game must have had Mark Dekanich called up with Nashville, because my only options were Jeremy Smith and Chet Pickard in net. I couldn’t manage a big save from virtual Pickard when I needed it, and I couple of goals I wanted back big time.
So Roundtable, when/if you play video game hockey, do you choose to play with the Milwaukee Admirals? If you do, then what are some of your observations? Do some of the virtual Admirals surprise or disappoint you? Who is your favorite virtual Admirals player?
Admirals Roundtable 
Haven’t played a hockey video game in awhile. I was debating picking up NHL ’11 after Thanksgiving but didn’t. So instead of answering your question, I’ll ask a question of my own… is the EA NHL’11 worth it? I think last time I played one of those games, the NHL2k7 game was better than EA’s NHL’07? Has that changed? I see NHL2k11 is only available on the Wii this time around. I prefer sports games on the ps3!
CreedFeed, I’ve played NHL ’10, and NHL ’11, but I’ve never tested out the NHL2k series. When I was at Shopko recently I noticed that Ryan Kesler was on the cover of a version of that game, which I found curious. As a novice player, I still get plenty of enjoyment out of playing the NHL games, though I can never really find enough time to justify buying them on my own. For the NHL series games, the graphics are pretty impressive. It took my mother 10 minutes of watching us play over the Holidays before she realized we were playing a game and not just watching hockey on the tube.
creedfeed, you should for sure invest in a copy of nhl 11 for ps3, it is awesome. i played 10 and thought they couldnt get better i was wrong 11 has great hitting and stunning graphics. i prefer playing the HUT mode Hockey Ulitmate Team. this is where online you get to assemble your own team of players from all leagues (nhl, ahl, ohl, juniors, world teams, and eruopean leagues) and through matching similar players from similar leagues or teams on line you create chemistry. The regular season modes are fun too playing as milwaukee is fun is really cool. Rosters change with real life to a degree as players get called up or down if you have internet connected. definite buy!
I’ll chime in and say that NHL Slapshot for the Wii may be the most fun game I’ve ever played in my 20 years of gaming. I started out in the career mode, where I worked my way up from a youngster, on up to the Canadian Juniors, signed as a free agent with Nashville, and tore it up in Milwaukee for awhile, before leading the Predators to a Stanley Cup (apparently when they make it past the first round, they just win it all) That mode was fun because you are constantly whatever position you make your player out to be. No line changes, and no way to control who you are on a line with, but it was fun to be able to be called up from the 3rd line to 1st and so on.
After my stanley cup win, I gave up playing for a couple weeks, and just recently started a season with the Admirals. I had to create 4-5 players to fill out the Admirals roster and maybe thats why Geoffrion plays so well on my 4th line. Mueller isn’t nearly as impressive in real life, and Ford and Palin have been invisible for me.
If you have a Wii, I’d certainly recommend picking it up. Its also fun to use the stick that comes along with it, and makes you feel much more a part of the game.
My favorite ice hockey game was ICE HOCKEY for the original Nintendo. My lineup of one skinny guy, one medium guy, and two fat guys was pretty unstoppable.
If Jim Hughson still doing play-by-play on NHL 11? And is the color commentator there for analysis or for comedy?
I was totally gonna mention Ice Hockey as well. Next to RBI Baseball one of the best video games ever made. You can play a version of it online at http://www.nesplay.com I spend way too much time there
I liked NHL 09, but for whatever reason, in NHL 10, I couldn’t figure out how to score a goal to save my life. It was quickly sold on ebay. Since then I haven’t had the urge for NHL 11.
Did you ever use the rubber puck code on Ice Hockey? The puck wouldn’t stop moving with that code… it’d just fly around the rink haha. I still have my copy of Ice Hockey along with my old NES. Still works too. :-) Blades of Steel was a decent game too, better graphics than Ice Hockey, but just wasn’t as much fun as Ice Hockey!
Loved NHL 10 and now NHL 11. They’re the best games EA Sports has ever made for hockey in making it as close to the playing the real game as possible. I’ve only played as the Admirals once, I won if I remember right. I love playing online but I really suck. Hit me up if you want to win a game. lol isis0808 on Xbox
Ryan, Good old ex-ESPN crew of Gary Thorne and Bill Clement.
I loved Ice Hockey, I was all about the Soviets and the one speed demon, two mediums and one fatty. But playing as the Red Army, you never got the calls.
Blades of Steel was a classic, with perhaps the best video game theme music of all time. I have a remix laying around my computer somewhere. Fighting was great on that game. Second to only NHL ’92 for the Sega.
I also enjoyed Wayne Gretzky’s hockey, but I found few challengers.
I don’t want to link to this directly cause of the language in it but….
youtube.com/watch?v=Z3vHbOilhpc :D
You’re right on about virtual Puddin’. Last “season”, he scored 50 goals for me with only 20 assists… he’s slow and checks poorly, but he’s got one heck of a video-game shot.
I always thought Ice Hockey was superior to Blades of Steel…not that I hated BoS by any stretch of the matter.
For about 6 straight months, I played nothing but Wayne Gretzky hockey…and playing it now I wonder how many paint chips I ate to enjoy that game, its turrible.
At one time, there was an online league for playing RBI Baseball….if I knew anything about computers, I’d make that happen for Ice Hockey as well
I loved Ice hockey. I have it for the wii virtual console. It is awesome. I also liked NHL 2009. I have won the Cadler Cup a ton of times. The Ads had a great team that year.
ManintheBox- I have just purchased NHL slapshot based on your recommendation.
I was on the fence before I read your post. I went to Best Buy.com and it was on sale for 39.99. Easy call. Thank you.
Why has nobody mentioned Mutant League Hockey? The Mutant League games were bad ass back in the day!!!
lemme know how it is, i think its great.