Jeff Marek of Sportsnet is always going on about how sports are never better than when you’re 12. And I agree.
That said, Hockey (at least for me) was never better than in 2012, when I was absolutely not 12 years old.
The Capitals went into Boston with their third string goalie and won with an OT G7 goal. We had that insane Philly v Pittsburgh series that had everything from line brawls to blow outs and even Phoenix went on a run and knocked off the Hawks and Predators, it was so much fun.
So, when did Hockey peak for you?
Nhl 95 for the Sega was awesome. From there until the early 2000s. Also the red wings were basically the best team there was in that stretch, which helps. The 04-05 lockout really killed hockey.
I’d argue NHPLA '93 was the peak of hockey video games, but otherwise on point.