EA used NHL stars on the cover of its hockey games right from the start in 1991 with NHL Hockey on Sega Genesis. The goal was likely appealing to consumers using the sport’s most recognizable figures at the time, and the unintentional result is a time capsule of sorts, a look into the sports’ past and who stood out among the rest at the time. Or, at the very least, it’s a look at who was the most interested in experimenting with different forms of exposure – handy during lockouts when no one could even set their skates on the ice.
