NHL 14 is the annual EA Sports ice hockey simulation on PS3. Refined deking and checking mechanics. Solid after the NHL 13 peak. The reference hockey franchise on console with the official NHL season.
Your verdict
Category
Sports4 players3+
Description
EA Sports official NHL hockey simulation recreating the NHL 14 season with licensed players and teams. Published by EA, released in the USA in September 2013. All licensed NHL teams, Be A GM franchise mode, Be A Pro career mode, realistic analog stick controls, and online multiplayer. Console hockey reference.
NHL 14 review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
Gameplay
"Solid"
Fun
"From the very first minutes"
Addictiveness
"Captivating"
Difficulty
"Easy"
Lifespan
"Massive"
Driving a team toward the Stanley Cup and then chaining seasons in Be A GM, all while shaping your player in Be A Pro, keeps the enthusiast busy for the long run. Online play endlessly renews the challenge. This depth of simulation and management, a series signature, fully justifies its reputation for generous length.
The 2014 entry of EA Canada's hockey, folding in fighting mechanics borrowed from the Fight Night boxing series and a mode paying tribute to leagues of old. Its collector interest stays low: a dated, abundant annual entry, mainly marked by these one-off additions. A nostalgia piece for fans of hockey sim at the end of the PS3 era.
Better with friends
Lively, physical ice hockey, where quick passes and bodychecks lend a heady tempo to multiplayer games. The competition swings between the finesse of plays and the unashamed brutality of contact, punctuated by scraps that draw laughs and raise the stakes. Simple to grasp, it delivers fast, snappy matches, ideal for back-to-back challenges where rivalry sets in fast.
Is NHL 14 still worth playing in 2026?
NHL 14 further refines EA Sports' hockey simulation, with more precise deking and checking mechanics that give physical duels more bite. A direct heir to the excellent NHL 13 and its revolutionary skating, it keeps all its fluidity while polishing the feel on the ice. The demanding gameplay and the generous modes uphold its reputation as the genre's benchmark. Like any annual entry, its online side has gone dark and its roster is frozen. But in solo, for the hockey fan attached to that season, the title remains a solid and enjoyable simulation, in the direct line of the best.
