Real-life hockey just had its toughest year in a decade. The NHL lockout continues to be a sports non-event as the league spirals into irrelevance, the World Cup of Hockey came and went without too much fanfare, and the Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup. Okay, so that last one wasn't so bad. Still, as poor a year as real hockey had, it was actually a pretty good year for puck games.

　　Not only did Sega release its strongest hockey title yet in ESPN NHL 2K5, but we also saw the return of Wayne Gretzky to videogames, another entry in EA's NHL series, the release of the long-awaited NHL Eastside Hockey Manager (sequel to the heralded PC original), and even a couple of mobile hockey games. That's probably way too many games representing a sport that is doing an absolute disservice to its rabid (yet rapidly diminishing) fan base. Gamers looking to go back in time to relive the glory days of videogame hockey could do worse than start with NHL 98, a game we gave a loving, nostalgic glance to in our first episode of GameSpot Sports Classic.

　　What does 2005 hold in store for hockey? Most likely, more of the same. Based on the general quality of this year's batch of titles, that's a boon for puck gamers. For real life hockey fans, wondering when (or if) their heroes will return to the ice, the status quo is simply too hard to think about.