NHL 95 Strategy

Want to be the Greatest NHL 95 Genesis Player of all time?  Here are all the Scoring Tips, Tricks and Cheats against top players.

We play the wide open style of “Offsides Off” and “no line changes”  Players don’t get tired and  the game is much smoother without Drones going offside every 10 seconds.

Note this is been updated numerous times, so it’s worth a reread, although it’s getting longer than the Unibombers Manifesto 

The Line UP: Normally you have a guy on your bench that is better than a starter, sometimes there are a few.  Teams can change drastically with the right guys in. See NHL 95 team rating for player ratings and line ups if the below isn’t nerdy enough for you.

1. Hot & Cold – Your players attributes can vary 10% up are down each game.  So if Pixelated Dino Ciccarelli is COLD because he may of drank too many pixelated beers and showed his pixilated privates to the neighbor, let him ride the pine.
2. The Big 5:  These are the attributes that actually matter in NHL 95:  Speed, Agility, Stickhandling, Shot Power, Shot Accuracy
   • Speed Kills – NHL 95 is the fastest NHL game on the Genesis by far, scoring windows open and close quickly.  When in doubt go with fastest guys, especially Defensemen where that is at a premium.  Speed should be called Top Speed, how fast the player Accelerates is figured from Agility & Weight.
   • He won’t go down! – Speed kills but Agility and Stick Handling are the best when you are getting checked.  Dale Hawercheck, Gretzky, Lemieux are examples of slower but steady scorers.  FUN FACT:  If the players Agility rating is in 90s, that player always goes at their top speed.
   • Center Skillz –  Shot Power/Shot Accuracy are important because the Center gets 95% of one-timer attempts.  If both ratings are in 90’s, you got a monster and can score anywhere in front of the net.  When it dips into the 70’s it is still a threat in most spots.  Even the worst rated players get a onetime shot boost and can score in the sweet spot,  but just at a lower success rate.  The lower the rating the puck is not on target or goalie catches up to shot.
3. Wings – “Handedness” Backhand shots are the easiest to score on cross crease cheese so put Rightys on Right Wing and Lefties on Left Wing
4. Defensive Pairing –  Your Left Defender is the roamer, he will chase after the puck when opponent is in your zone.  Right Defense just stays put in front of goalie guarding the net (normally not that well).  So you probably want your quicker defender at the Left spot.
5. Inflation:  Offensive & Defensive Awareness inflate the Players Overall Rating a little too much.  Some say McSorley’s  Psycho D Awareness outweighs his overall shitty stats but I’ll take a raw scorer like Alexei Zhitnik every time.  Also Endurance (we play line changes off), Passing, Checking, Aggressiveness are pretty suspect if they really add any value.
6. Watch subs on penalties – Right Wing always goes off ice when on penalty kill, then Left Wing on 2nd penalty.  Even if your Defender gets called and serves the penalty your Right Wing goes off ice as well.  For example: Ray Bourque gets a penalty for Boston, he serves penalty but now Cam Neely is also off ice.  If your Center gets a penalty, a sub comes in instead of the Left Wing moving over.  Its good to manual sub at that point if your bench player is mediocre.  Just remember to put him back it original spot after penalty.

Offense: There are many way to scores in NHL 95.

1. Attack of the Drones – How computer AI controls the players on Offense
   • Defensemen – Left Defender stays near Blue Line on Left side, and Right Defender does the same on Right Side.  Not really in position to score
   • Wings – They set up low in a great position to do a cross crease or pass to Center for One-timer.  This position has a drawback as they have no chance of scoring on a one-timer themselves
   • Center – Always in the center ready to blast a onetimer,  sometimes they will set up in a sweet spot other times they go in a spot that’s not so sweet.
   • Chickens come home to roost – After switching control of a player, that player will always go back to the “their spot”
2. The Cross Crease Cheese – If you played any version of NHL for EA 16 bit, the “Cut Across” is a go to move.  Sometimes called the “Cheater Move”  or “Drive By” as Auto Goalie gives up the goal easily.  The Player starts at one of the circles in opponents zone and skates across in front of goalie and shoot a backhander after passing goalie.  Can be shot as a wrister too but is tough to pull off. Watch the Cut Accross in Action
3. One Timer – The “correct” way to score since NHL 94.  95% is normally a Wing passing to Center but it sometimes a Winger or D can score.  Also if you pull your goalie the extra attacker will set up in the sweet spot for a one timer. If playing doubles, the one timers are a thing of beauty.  Like Pamela Anderson pre Hep C. Watch the One Timer in Action
4. The Deke –  Just like in Mighty Ducks, Skating right at goalie, go one side than to other and shoot.  This is a tougher shot in 95 because of the speed. Works well against Manual Goalie. Watch the Triple Deke in Action
5. Down & B – Sometimes called the Pass Shot, player passes it to opposing Goalie around center ice and will go right through the Goalie’s 5- hole.  Most common way for opposing Goalie to score. Down & B is deadly, but Up & B barely works because pressing up gives the puck some lift and it hits the Goalie in the breadbasket instead of the 5 hole.  Watch the Down B in Action 
6. Rebound – shoot it off the Goalie and if puck bounces right you have an open net on 2nd shot.  Also another great move against a Manual Goalie.
7. Wrap Around : 3 versions
   • Skate around goal and turn it into a cross crease cheese
   • If the Player is much quicker than Goalie you can just score on an open net.
   • Drone Obstruction:  Defensive drones will go after you, but end up ramming own goalie in process
8. Crash the Net – Just run into Goalie and hope the puck drips in and no interference call.  Button Mashers preferred way to score.
9. Dead Man – Coined by rival NHL 95 Hockey League.  If Player has puck in his own zone and is laid out by a check.  That Player can’t switch to another Player until they stand up.  Works great against Manual Goalie when Player can’t cycle back to Goalie.
10. Manual Goalie Surprise – Manual Goalie can be pretty tough to beat in right hands.  One timers and cross crease are pretty much nerfed when controlling Goalie.   A weak slapper or pass shot to the pipes can catch the Goalie by surprise.
11.  Big D Slapper – Button hook curl at between blue line and top of face-off circle and shoot a big slapper.  Big slap shot guys like Macinnis can send a shot that goes true.  Seldom done in game.
12. Penalty Shot Pass Trick – On a shoot out with Manual Goalie defending, Player will pass puck and bounce off pads, Goalie will think play is over but puck is still live and can be shot again
13. Score after Whistle on Dead Puck Penalty – in rare occasions right after play is called dead on a penalty you can shoot puck and score, if Goalie is Auto Goalie, they wont defend shot.  Sometimes opposing team still get a Player in the box after score.
14. Hail Mary Over Goalies Head – sometimes an errant clearing of puck will be on net and go right over Goalies head into net.  Pretty rare and I believe can only happen when shooting up
15. Doubles Obstruction – when playing doubles other Player will screen Goalie.  You run risk of interference penalty, but sometimes refs swallow their whistles.
16. The EEPHUS – A variant on the MLB Pitch A brand new move found 20 years later by “12inchesofSjodin”  Where you tap C very slowly and it slipped between goalies legs.  To quote Doug of the Cult of Ren “It’s a bastardation of the bastard shot (down b)”   See it in action here
17. Weak Ass Moves
    • Drop Shot – Hit A and Dpad in opponents zone and it will leave the puck to player behind.  Looks pretty but can see it coming from a mile away and does not trick Drones.
    • Directional Passing – Passing takes a step back from NHL 94, normally hitting B pass it passes to closest player, but if you do not hold D pad, then hold down B and then press direction of D pad and then let go of B it will do a directional pass.   You can pass verticle for goals (Down B) but passing at an angle always is just wide of net.
    • Fake Shot – if you hit A in your opponents zone you can do a fake shot.  It works good against a Drone as they may drop to ice.  But does not work against a human.
    • Deep Slapshots that aren’t One Timers – Unless you are going for a rebound almost all slappers from Blue Line are not going in.

Defense – NHL HITZ

1.  Attack of the Drones – How computer AI controls the players on Defense
   • Right Defense – He just stays in front of net, sometimes he will break up the cross crease, but mostly just watches the opponent score.
   • Left Defense – He does all the work chasing and attacking when the opponent gets close in
   • Take these Broken Wings – your wings on D are your best defenders as Drones, if you can push your opponent to the corners.  They will be there to lay them out.
   • Center –  basically does the same thing as Left Defender but higher up
2. Speed Killz on D too – Joel Otto’s a tank but the little speedy Theo Fleury lays out more people.  When big slow guys like Otto can’t get a running start, their checks are weak like Busch Light.
3. Check Anything that Moves – You won’t get called for blowing up guys without puck.  Do it!  Even Gretzky can lay out Lindros easily in this game.
4. But if the Penalties Pile Up…- You need to lay off the C a bit.  Don’t go total Hanson Brothers on the Ice.
5. C Speed Burst  – With line changes off mash the C.  Your guy’s legs won’t turn to rubber.
6. Clog the Middle with Defender – There are is about a 5 foot pixel radius of scoring on Cross Crease /Dekes.  If it’s not a onetimer variety, slap shots won’t go in, let them shoot.
7. Don’t Take the Bait – goes with clogging the middle.  You chase the puck handler to the corners, you may get burned, or even worse get the puck and then “Dead Manned”
8. Check the Center even without puck -that’s the one-timer guy, if he’s laying on ice he can’t shoot the one timer
9. Down & B – The Down and B pass shot is deadly from center ice, don’t fall asleep on that.  Fun Fact: Up & B works about 10% of the time, compared to a 50% chance when doing Down & B on South end of ice.  Which means the visiting team really has an advantage.  (Going down in 1st & 3rd Period)
10. Knock the net off – if you are beat you can sometimes knock the net off to get a whistle blown
11. B poke check –  You can poke check with B button if you are closest to skater with puck, which works great in 94, not so much in 95.  Just blow them up with a C check
12. Don’t use A Button; just leave it alone
    • Hold Opponent – You can grab opponent and hold for a half a second. Don’t do it, just don’t, most likely get called for penalty and does not work that well even when it doesn’t get called
    • Laydown to Block Puck  – Looks cool, if someone is shooting you can hit A and your player will drop to try to block puck, Drones do it well sometimes, but never seen it used successfully by a human.
    • Ice Puck – You can hit A to ice the puck when in your zone, but C works just as well and sometimes you can score with a hail mary shot with C.

Manual Goalie– Some purist think Auto Goalie should be the only way to play.  Choosing Manual Goalie is the best way to keep the puck out of your net.

1. The Delay – It takes an extra second to get Goalie control by holding B, make sure to hold B before offense gets into a scoring position.
2. You Don’t Have Press Buttons – Don’t have to press C button to make saves, puck will bounce right off Goalie.  Pressing C will make a Save Motion that riles up the crowd and sometimes you can catch the puck but that Save Motion also slows down the Goalie.
3. Fatter Goalie, Smaller Net – Goalies are twice as wide in 95 from 94 so you don’t have to guard as much space.
4. The A Button – Again the A button can get you into trouble.  Hitting A with the puck clears it, but you are better off using B to pass to teammate.  Hitting A and D pad without Puck you can Dive and Take out Skater, but this puts you in a bad position if you miss.
5. Too Much Manual Goalie is Bad –If you stay too long in Manual Goalie, your Drones will get called for a Penalty.  Auto Goalie work fine with great D
6. Incredible Hulk: If your grab puck a bit outside the crease, you can skate with puck up ice for a couple seconds before the play is whistled dead.  Your Goalie is an uncheckable wrecking ball but you are really out of position if you pass puck to wrong guy.
7. Hold the Puck –  A large percentage of goals are scored on sloppy puck passing from Goalie.  If you feel the heat hold the puck and take the face-off instead.
8. Defeating Manual Goalie – manual goalie can make you use George Carlins 7 dirty words all at once but it can be beat
   • Dance with the Drones – As said above if you have a camper on Manual Goalie just skate around in their zone.  The Defensive Drones will get a roughing call.
   • Weak Shots are Deadly – Little soft shots or passes on pipes that Computer Goalie would stop are now the easiest way to score
   • Dead Man – If Defensive Player gains control of puck in his own zone and then is laid out by a check.  That Defensive player can’t switch to Goalie or another defender until they stand up.  Leaving the auto go to moves deadly for a second or two
   • Cross Crease Cheese – pretend you are doing the move and then a quick shot to the closer post as goalie keeps going to far post.  You need to be close
   • One Timer – Manual nerfs this move quite a bit as most onetimers are dead center, so you need to aim for posts and take manual goalie by surprise.
   • Deke – get very close to goalie, and shoot to one side as you crash the net
   • The EEPHUS – A variant on the MLB Pitch Where you tap C very slowly and it slipped between goalies legs.  See it in action here

Don’t be that guy: Not many rules of what you can’t do but these are frowned upon

1. Pausing – Don’t pause the game during action.  Do it on dead pucks or faceoffs.  If you pause during an opponents scoring attempt you probably will get fucked with when you pass out.
2. Skating with the Puck to Kill Time – if you are up, you still always have to try to score.   No skating around your zone for minutes to kill time
3. Line Up Lingerers – You can change your line up but don’t audit every stat line by line.
4. Pull Goalie of Opposing Player: We all did it as kids, your opponents goes to piss and you pull their Goalie, in 1995 there was no higher form of comedy.  But now you get booted “its a league game Smokey”
5. You’re not drinking enough! – when we were 22 it was fun to say, but now we are middle aged, you can have as many pops as you want.  Just no Brawndo, that has electrolytes that plants crave.

The UNKNOWN – Ratings and bugs in game we may never understand.

1. The Weight – No not the great song by The Band.  Weight has certain effects on players.  The heavier the guy, the slower they accelerate, but more importantly it could determine how well they check.  No solid evidence in 95, but in NHL 91-94, SNES players with heavier weight check with more power and are can withstand being checked.  But it is reversed in NHL 94. Making Roenick and Fleury Monsters.
2. Other Attributes
   • Offensive Awareness – Smart people like kingraph say it is thought to give AI better positioning for one-timers. High awareness means players are more likely to stay outside of defensive zone, positioned for breakaways.  I have not found much difference between high and low awareness players on Offense.
   • Defensive Awareness–  Again from kingraph, Believed to cause AI players close down to their own net, play closer in the defensive zone.   The likelihood of Checking is thought to be determined from the Checking Rating.   I’ve seen 30 rated D Aware / Checking still knock the crap out of people.
   • Passing – Passing speed and direction seem the same between players, thought it may be if player passes as drone.  Higher passing rating the more likely they will pass.
   • Checking –  Thought How often AI checks.  The higher the check rating, the more frequently your AI person will attempt a check.  Faster Players are better checkers when man controlled.
   • Aggressiveness – This is a leftover attribute from ’93. Determines how likely a player is to fight.  No clue if it has anything to do in NHL 95
   • Hidden Stat Roughness – There is a hidden attribute in the code that is not displayed in the game.  It’s believed to be passing bias for the AI — the higher the stat, the more passing the AI will attempt.  NOSE calls this stat “Roughness”.
3. All those Goalie Attributes – No Clue what specific attribute makes a good Goalie, but Great Goalies are rated high in everything.  Some swear going stick side instead of glove side you will score more goals.  Kingraph breaks it down for NHL 94, but 94 Manual Goalie feels you are on jacobs ladder at Ren fair after too many ales compared to 95
4. Hot / Cold Ratings – Your players attributes can vary 10% up are down each game, but there is talk that this is just fluff and they stay the same.  Can’t confirm.  But I feel a Cold player seems to play worse.  If you want to go down a worm hole of Hot and Cold Stats click here. Hot/Cold Explained  Smoz from NHL94.com also breaks it down below.
   • The players have base attributes. Gretzky has 4 speed and 6 agility (6 is the maximum for all the attributes except weight and fighting).  Roenick has 5 speed, 5 agility, as well as 5 shooting power and 5 shooting accuracy. Other attributes are offensive awareness and defensive awareness (inputs to the player AI, which I’ve heard represent basically how far the player can see), endurance (for line changes), passing accuracy..
   • When the game starts, the code reads in those values, multiplies them by 5 to give a value from 0-30, and then applies a little bit of randomness to each one (from -3 to +2). These values are used by the game to control how fast the player moves, how hard their shots are, etc.