Violence is why you love hockey. Pretend that its fast-paced, energetic competition gets you pumped up. Tell everyone you love the style and skill of a talented player. We all know it’s your bloodlust that brings you to the sport. The improvements to NHL 14 capitalize on this above all else.
Longtime series developer EA Canada also addressed some other stuff during NHL 14’s development, of course. Deking is simpler, allowing you to spin and outmaneuver opponents with the tap of a button. But who cares? That doesn’t involve hurting people. Let’s talk about that.
Brawling is hockey’s most violent quality. It’s also the only team sport that permits dudes to wail on each other until one guy’s missing teeth and spewing blood on the play area. Fighting makes hockey awesome, and fighting in the NHL games has, as of late, sucked. EA knows this — during a demo, producer David Littman spent a good chunk of time showing me precisely where it’s gone wrong with fighting in recent times. (The thought “MAKE GRETZKY’S HEAD BLEED!” may have crossed some minds at some point during the demo…)
From: http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/04/19/nhl-14-turns-hockey-into-a-bloodsport