NHL 2004

NHL 2004, released in 2004, was developed by EA Black Box. After NHL 2003, it was widely considered a turning point in the NHL series. The game also lets players compete in the German Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), Swedish Elitserien (SEL), and Finnish SM-Liga. (EA released Elitserien 95 and 96 for the Mega Drive in Sweden alone and Elitserien and SM-liiga 2001 as an expansion pack for PC in Sweden and Finland, which included those clubs.) The Elitserien and SM-liiga teams’ ratings were similar to those of NHL teams, but subsequent editions put them behind the NHL.