One of the best sports games I have ever player.
Single Player
So many different options including: NHL full season including ability to transfer and bid for free agents. Option to remove wage cap.
Enjoyed the innovative option where you create your own player or a current NHL star and play individually in a single position. For example I created a 'Centre' forward and watched him develop to the first team of a NHL team.
Online
This is where the game excels I feel! It is a challenging environment as there are so many good players out there. The thing that makes you come back for more is the points you obtain for winning games so that your online ranking can improve. Plus do not worry if you are not the best player in the world as you can set up games to play opponents the same level as yourself.
One major gripe I have online though, is there is a flaw that at times you cannot play opponents who are waiting for a game. There has been times where there are 3 or 4 opponents waiting to play each other but it will not connect to play each other. So you have to keep existing to the game screen and keep trying as the server will not allow you to connect to your opponent. I hope this issue is resolved on the newer titles.
If it was not for the online issues, this game would of received a 9.5 instead of 9 as its a great game. If you cannot afford the new titles, I recommend buying this game on the cheap