Blades Of Steel (NES) is a classic game and in my opinion the best hockey game ever made.
Anyway, this game is a blast to play. You have your choice of fictional American or Canadian teams but, based on actual teams. You have a choice between exhibition and tournament style and go after the Konami Cup.
What makes this game a real blast to play is the fighting. That occurs when the players bump into each other three times in a row without hitting another player. After that the gloves come off and you're able to go for the head or gut (kinda reminds me of that scene in the Last Boyscout "head or gut?") the fights are real easy to win. I prolonged the fights by blocking and just devouring my opponenet slowly. Loser goes to the penalty box and the winner continues on (YES!)
I also liked the ads based on other Konami games (Contra and Gradius) during the intermission (nothing wrong with advertising greatness!)
The teams are as follows: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles (my team), Montreal, Edmonton, Toronto, Vancouver, and Minnesota.
I unfortunately haven't played the game in years and makes me want Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console that much more. You really can't go wrong with the arcade style play. It is also a fun game even if you're not into hockey one bit! most of my info comes from WIKIPEDIA.ORG, a great website as my memories have grown hazy over the years but, I remember playing the game every way I could.
The game is classic and should be enjoyed by hockey fans and non-hockey fans alike. They don't make hockey games like this anymore so if you have a Virtual Console you need to add this to your must buy-play list.