While EA Sports’ NHL video game series hasn’t always hit the mark, it still holds a special place in the hearts of hockey fans, especially in their younger years when they had the time to spend hours on the game.

And nothing brings back that nostalgia than pulling up some of the songs you heard when you turned on the game. The soundtrack is far from the most important part of the game, but at the very least, it’s memorable, especially as you’re waiting 10-20 minutes for a game of EASHL/World of Chel to load up, or grinding through a Be a GM mode for hours with the songs on loop.

To those of you that don’t know me well, I’m as much of a music nerd as I am a hockey nerd. So when I get the opportunity to combine both passions in one, I seize it, and to do it along with my enjoyment of video games makes it all the better. So with that, I’m going to make my pick for the best song in every NHL game.

Of course, music is an extremely subjective topic and largely depends on the individual listener’s enjoyment, so this list will be comprised of my favorite songs or those that I strongly associate with the game. So, in the event that I don’t pick your favorite song or the consensus pick, keep that in mind.

And just to get my biases out of the way: while I listen to just about everything, my tastes do lean towards alternative rock and indie rock/pop, and I also wasn’t a consistent player of the series until NHL Slapshot and NHL 12, so I may miss out some classics from the earlier games just by not having heard them too much before.

I’ll be looking at the best song from NHL 99 (the first to have a soundtrack) to NHL 25, since the soundtrack for NHL 26 has yet to be announced. Additionally, I’ll only consider the menu music for this one, not the in-arena music, so classics like “Fat Lip” and “No One Knows” don’t qualify.

NHL 99 – “Heroes” by David Bowie

Also Considered: None
In hindsight, it’s quite impressive that the NHL series kicked off the soundtrack era with a classic like “Heroes”. It may be one of the best songs to make an NHL game (at least if you’re looking at the classics), and it came in the series’ first game with actual songs when they only had four songs in the game. But seriously, it’s hard to rag on such a great song like this one, which is often considered one of Bowie’s best tracks in his legendary discography.

NHL 2000 – “Push It” by Garbage

Also Considered: None

What makes “Heroes” in NHL 99 even more impressive is the fact that EA Sports struggled to hit the same high with their soundtrack for the next few games. NHL 2000 had just six songs in the game, and four of them were instrumental trance-pop songs that sounded like the kind of music you would hear in an early 2000s’ video game or The Matrix. “Push It” also fits that vibe, but it’s certainly the catchiest of the songs, so it gets the pick here.

NHL 2001 – “Heavy” by Collective Soul

Also Considered: None

Much like NHL 2000, NHL 2001 had a limited selection of songs to choose from (seven this time!) and a majority of them were instrumentals. “Heavy” still retains the same vibe as “Push It”, as EA Sports clearly had a defined music style they were going for in this era of the series, but it is certainly catchier and rocks a bit more. I actually hadn’t heard this song before diving into this experiment, but I’ll certainly listen to it more.

NHL 2002 – “I Hear You Calling” by Gob

Also Considered: None

Once again, EA Sports gave me very limited options to pick from in NHL 2002, this time dropping down to five songs, and three of them being instruments (seriously, EA Sports loved this Rom Di Prisco guy, he had eight songs in NHL 2000, 2001, and 2002). However, NHL 2002 also marked a shift in the series’ music style, largely featuring alternative rock and pop/punk genres, with both “I Hear You Calling” and “Brand New Low” setting the tone for this sound. Ultimately, I went with “I Hear You Calling” for this game.

NHL 2003 – “Sweetness” by Jimmy Eat World

Also Considered: None

The chaos artist in me really hoped that there was a song that I liked more in NHL 2003 just to be different, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. “Sweetness” is not only the song that defines NHL 2003, to some it is the NHL song. And I can’t blame them. “Sweetness” is one of Jimmy Eat World’s biggest tracks, and it’s a classic of this era of the game as they began to lean into the punk and pop/punk sound.

NHL 2004 – “Minerva” by Deftones

Also Considered: “Punk Rock 101” by Bowling for Soup, “The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows” by Brand New

Even though NHL 2004 was the first to have a wider selection of songs, “Punk Rock 101” was originally the pick for me because it was the only song I had really listened to from this group (again, I was a long way from becoming a consistent player of the games). But then my fellow colleagues at Daily Faceoff sent me a couple of picks, one of which was gameplay only and therefore ineligible, and the other was “Minerva” by Deftones, courtesy of Mike Gould. I enjoy Deftones (and leader singer Chino Moreno’s other projects), but hadn’t heard this song before. After a couple of listens, it easily surpassed “Punk Rock 101”.

NHL 2005 – “Roshambo” by The Network

Also Considered: “Orpheus” by Ash, “Memory” by Sugarcult, “Take Me Out” by Franz Ferdinand

So while I wasn’t a consistent NHL gamer until the 2010s, NHL 2005 was my first game, so I am well-versed in this game’s soundtrack. While it has its share of classics like “Take Me Out”, there was something about “Roshambo” that drew me to it. It was only fitting that, as a Green Day fan, The Network was the band’s at-the-time-unconfirmed new wave side project, and it explained a lot of the reasoning for me. It’s the song that comes to mind when I think of NHL 2005, so it had to be my pick.

NHL 06 – “Red Flag” by Billy Talent

Also Considered: “Bat Country” by Avenged Sevenfold

Like NHL 2003, I really wanted to be a contrarian to the consensus classic that is NHL 06’s “Red Flag”. While I am a massive Billy Talent fan (I have the signed ticket stub and photo with the band to prove it), I do consider “Red Flag” to be one of their more overplayed songs, and “Bat Country” did favor me because of how much I love it in another classic video game of my childhood, Rock Band. But “Red Flag” is a banger, and I couldn’t upset the masses with this one.

NHL 07 – “Talk to Her” by Priestess

Also Considered: None

This was one of those songs that I knew very well, but didn’t quite remember, even though I knew the name of the song or artist. So an initial scan of NHL 07’s tracklist had me worried that I hadn’t heard a single song, but once I listened through it, this song jogged my memory. It leans heavily into the hard rock sound a lot of songs in this era of NHL games had, it’s catchy, and Priestess are Canadian, so it’s a perfect fit for the game.

NHL 08 – “Misery Business” by Paramore

Also Considered: “Sorry You’re Not a Winner” by Enter Shikari

There wasn’t really another choice here. Much like “Sweetness”, this song’s iconic status exists far beyond the NHL games. Again, the NHL was well in its punk rock era for soundtracks, and what better fit for the game than the most popular song from one of the most popular woman-led pop/punk bands in Paramore? Even if you like other Paramore songs more, you can’t deny that this song works for this game.

NHL 09 – “Nine in the Afternoon” by Panic! At The Disco

Also Considered: “Turn Your Back” by Billy Talent ft. Anti-Flag

“Turn Your Back” did get some heavy consideration because, as established before, I love myself some Billy Talent. That said, “Turn Your Back” is one of their songs I don’t revisit often, while “Nine in the Afternoon” is one I’ve come back to significantly more, and is one of my favourite Panic! At The Disco tracks. It also showcased that the NHL games were slowly transitioning their sound to include poppier songs, which is better or worse, depending on the kind of music fan you are.

NHL 10 – “Burn It to the Ground” by Nickelback

Also Considered: “Know Your Enemy” by Green Day, “Rock You Like a Hurricane” by The Scorpions

Nickelback is probably best known for being the butt-end of every music joke ever made, and while some of the hate is deserved, that doesn’t mean they weren’t capable of making a banger every now and then. “Burn It to the Ground” is just that, and it fits perfectly for the NHL games. “Know Your Enemy” and “Rock You Like a Hurricane” were also tracks considered for this game, but neither really gets the adrenaline pumping like “Burn It to the Ground” does for me.

NHL 11 – “The Final Countdown” by Europe

Also Considered: “Blitzkrieg Bop” by The Ramones, “Darude” by Sandstorm

While I never played NHL 11, NHL Slapshot was my true introduction to the NHL franchise, and if you were to rank the games based on the sports anthems they had, this game was stacked. This game had “Howlin’ For You”, “I’m Shipping Up to Boston”, “Ole!”, “Strike It Up”, “Twilight Zone”, “Walk”, and perhaps the three most notable songs in “Blitzkrieg Bop”, “Darude” and “The Final Countdown”. I remember thinking that they got all these songs for NHL Slapshot because they were putting together an all-star sports playlist. However, “The Final Countdown” wins out here because it’s the most iconic of the bunch, and it was the first song I heard when I turned on NHL Slapshot for the first time.

NHL 12 – “Busy Being Born” by Middle Class Rut

Also Considered: “The Sound of Winter” by Bush, “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” by Judas Priest

NHL 12 was my first NHL game on the PlayStation 3, which meant that I logged far too many hours in Be a GM mode for a high schooler. Even though I don’t go back to too many of these songs, they all bring back the fond memories of building a stacked roster only to lose to the eighth-seeded team. However, “Busy Being Born” is one of the few that I genuinely return to and enjoy. The breakdown in this song alone makes it an easy choice for me, along with the slow burn leading into it.

NHL 13 – “Days Go By” by The Offspring

Also Considered: “Bully” by Shinedown, “Whistleblower” by Arkells

The NHL 13 soundtrack is another one I’m probably too familiar with, but it had a good collection of songs, including a couple of sports anthems in “Pennywise Tribute” and “Kernkraft 400”. While I’m a big fan of “Whistleblower”, “Days Go By” really stuck with me, and feels like a fitting choice for this experiment, given the reflective nature of the song. Shoutout to “I Like It” by Foxy Shazam as well, it may be the funniest song to ever make an NHL game, considering that they have to censor 90% of the chorus in the game.

NHL 14 – “Let the Day Begin” by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

Also Considered: “Joker & the Thief” by Wolfmother

I have a lot of nostalgia for the soundtracks in the early- to mid-2010s games because they were the ones I played the most and heard the most. But even nostalgia couldn’t make me look back on NHL 14’s soundtrack fondly, despite how highly praised the game is. There are worse soundtracks, but this one is the peak of the NHL series leaning so far into metal/punk/heavy rock that it became extremely dull. There’s a reason I learned about adding custom songs in this game. “Joker & the Thief” is a classic, but “Let the Day Begin” was one that stuck out to me, mainly for its’ 6/8 groove. That, and as a sucker for harmonies, drummer Leah Shapiro’s vocals at the end really cap off the song.

NHL 15 – “Giants” by Bear Hands

Also Considered: “How Good Does It Feel” by Empires, “Lionheart” by PUP

NHL 15 is considered to be the worst game in the series, largely due to the fact that EA’s transition between generations resulted in a game with few complete modes. Neither 15 nor 16 had actual soundtracks for the editions on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, instead using an orchestral rock score, but their Legacy Editions on the PS3 and Xbox 360 (which were basically NHL 14 with roster updates) did have some. It saw the games begin to shift towards soundtracks with more pop music, and “Giants” best captures the good in that shift.

NHL 16 – “Breaking Up My Bones” by Vinyl Theatre

Also Considered: None

NHL 16 was the other game that lacked a soundtrack on the PS4/Xbox One versions, so instead, the few people who were stuck on PS3 and Xbox 360 with the glorified roster update that was NHL 16 Legacy Edition were the only ones who heard the soundtrack. It was the smallest one in years with just 10 songs, and there weren’t a lot of great options. But after finally listening to it for the first time, “Breaking Up My Bones” was the standout to me. It was catchy and had a fun breakdown in the bridge.

NHL 17 – “Wake Up Call” by Nothing but Thieves

Also Considered: None

NHL 17 saw the soundtrack debut on the PS4 and Xbox 360, although if fans were still inclined, they could throw on that orchestral rock track again. It was a mostly forgettable setlist, but if there’s one thing I’ll always appreciate it for, it’s that it helped introduce me to Nothing but Thieves, who’ve gone on to become one of my favourite bands. It also did a good job setting the tone for what the soundtracks could be at their best, even as we reached an era with some very low lows.

NHL 18 – “Fire That Burns” by Circa Waves

Also Considered: “Amsterdam” by Nothing but Thieves, “Hit Parade” by Mutemath

In case NHL 17 didn’t establish my love for Nothing but Thieves, they went out and gave me another song of theirs to listen to in “Amsterdam” for NHL 18. But, it is one of their more overplayed tracks, so I lean towards “Fire That Burns” for this game. It brings a similar style to what Nothing but Thieves have brought so far, a more modern alternative rock sound that doesn’t stray too far from the sound the series had established in the past.

NHL 19 – “Favorite Color is Blue” by Robert DeLong ft. K.Flay

Sike! I just wanted to make sure you were still paying attention.

NHL 19 – “Jumpsuit” by Twenty One Pilots

Also Considered: “People’s Champ” by Arkells, “When the Curtain Falls” by Greta van Fleet

Twenty One Pilots are the kind of band that you either love or hate, and unfortunately for the haters, I love them. Considering that Trench, the album that “Jumpsuit” opens, is one of my favourite albums of all time, this was an easy choice. There were some enjoyable options like “Blood//Water”, “People’s Champ”, “When the Curtain Falls” and even one of the few listenable Imagine Dragons songs in “Natural”, but none of them even come close to “Jumpsuit” in terms of both the quality of the song and the energy it provides for an NHL game.

NHL 20 – “Rockstar” by YONAKA

Also Considered: “Fluctuate” by Catfish and the Bottlemen, “It Doesn’t Matter Why” by Silversun Pickups, “Sibling Rivalry” by PUP

NHL 20 was where the soundtracks start to get much more inconsistent. While some will say they were outright horrible from here on out, I’d like to think they just had a lot of high highs and low lows, like a game of musical Russian Roulette. But that’s the price EA Sports paid for continuing to put their stake in rock music as the genre has begun to try too hard to stay mainstream. Ironically, it’s the song “Rockstar” that was one of the best options from the game, and one I still go back to a lot.

NHL 21 – “People” by The 1975

Also Considered: “Coming Apart” by Joywaves, “Trouble’s Coming” by Royal Blood

As someone who’s also a big fan of The 1975, after they experimented with punk on “People”, I was not surprised to see it end up on NHL 21. If anything, it’s fitting that a band I discovered from FIFA 14 finally made it on an NHL game, considering that the NHL has always been a few steps behind the other major sports leagues. Still, it’s a great song, and one of the few songs I’d actually turn up the volume for when playing NHL 21 (by this point, I’d usually mute the game and listen to my own music).

NHL 22 – “You Can Get It” by Arkells ft. K.Flay

Also Considered: “karma” by Arlie, “Saturday” by Twenty One Pilots, “Smile” by Wolf Alice

In this current era of NHL soundtracks, NHL 22 was probably my favourite of the bunch. It still had some weak points, but the highs were much higher than usual. “karma” was easily my favourite discovery from the game, “Saturday” has one of the most fitting names for an NHL game, and “Smile” is one of my favourite tracks from one of my favourite albums of 2021, not to mention “Boilermaker” by Royal Blood and “Euphoria” by Angels & Airwaves also being songs I liked. But, I have to admit, I was very excited to see that “You Can Get It” was in the game when the soundtrack was announced. I’m not a massive Arkells fan, but this is probably one of my favourite songs of theirs, and it’s nice to see K.Flay redeem herself with another feature after her appearance in NHL 19.

NHL 23 – “The Liars Club” by Coheed & Cambria

Also Considered: “Kill or Be Killed” by Muse
NHL 23 is the first game since I started playing the series that I actually stopped buying the games, so I’m back in unfamiliar territory and just picking songs I know. If this game came out 10 years ago, I’d be losing my mind that Muse was in an NHL game. But, their most recent attempts have been them drifting away from the experimental music I enjoy and just catering to their hard/heavy rock fans, so while “Kill or Be Killed” shreds, it grew old quickly. Meanwhile, “The Liars Club” has a little bit more flair to it, and is probably one of the songs on recent games closer to capturing the series’ earlier sound.

NHL 24 – “Welcome to the DCC” by Nothing but Thieves

Also Considered: “Colorfast” by Pendulum, “Hollywood Baby” by 100 gecs, “LosT” by Bring Me the Horizon

NHL 24 was another game with high highs and low lows for me. I’ll probably catch some flak for not picking “Landmines” by Sum 41, but that song grew old on me quickly compared to other stuff from their final album. I was a big fan of both 100 gecs and Bring Me the Horizon’s latest albums, and their respective songs are solid ones off of them that fit the vibe of the series, while I’ve always really enjoyed Pendulum and was happy to see them in an NHL game. But, as you all know now, I love some Nothing but Thieves, and “Welcome to the DCC” just hits a bit harder for me compared to other tracks in this game.

NHL 25 – “Overcompensate” by Twenty One Pilots

Also Considered: “My Condition” by Dead Poets Society

And to close it off, I’ve once again defaulted to my favourite artist in Twenty One Pilots for NHL 25. There weren’t too many songs that jumped out to me anyways, but it would’ve been hard to beat most songs off of their most recent album Clancy if they made the game. Like I mentioned before, their style is an acquired taste, but if you have that taste, this song does work really well for the NHL series, especially the 1:32 intro that builds up the hype really well. If I was still in my montage editing days, I definitely would have used this song at some point.