NHL 07 (0)

Cover Athletes

• Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) - Main Cover Athlete
• Teemu Selanne (Anahiem Mighty Ducks) - Finland
• Henrik Lundqvist (NY Rangers) - Sweden

 

Game's Soundtrack

"This Is the End (For You My Friend)" by Anti-Flag
"Platitude" by Bloodpit
"There's a Class for This" by Cute Is What We Aim For
"Theatre" by Gatsby's American Dream
"Darkest Days" by Good Riddance
"My Only" by Goodnight Nurse
"Bring It on Home" by The Hellacopters
"Unkind" by Hurt
"Ecuador Is Lovely This Time of Year" by Inkwell
"The Shore" by Mashlin
"Montreal Calling" by Mobile
"Wolves in Wolves' Clothing" by NOFX
"Barely Listening" by Pilate
"Beni Accident" by Pistolita
"Talk to Her" by Priestess
"Divinity Within" by Protest the Hero
"Rise from the Ashes" by Quietdrive

Gameplay Changes

The Xbox 360 version of NHL 07 was the first current-gen iteration of the series and also the first to use the new "Skill Stick" control system.  With the Skill Stick, your left analog stick controls your player's movement, while the right analog controls the player's actual stick movement.  As an example, you would move it back and forth to deke, push forward quickly for a one-timer, or hold back and slowly release to fake a shot.  The only buttons on the controller that are used during gameplay are trigger buttons for such things as passing.

Gameplay Modes

 
Gameplay modes in NHL 07 include a Dynasty Mode that operates as a single player campaign, a "Dodge Shootout" mode which lets players skip straight to a shoot out between two teams, an "EA Sports World Tournament" mode which lets players pit country teams together in a tournament format and an Exhibition or "Play Now" mode. 
 

Dynasty Mode

 
This is essentially the main single player gameplay mode. Players choose a team to manage and are started at the beginning of a season.
 
 As General Manager for a team, players can upgrade various aspects of the franchise; from travel quality to improve road game stats, to scouting reports to receive more accurate reports about prospective players from around the world. Other manageable aspects of the team include: Various line changes, roster changes, team revenue and expenses, and team coaching focus (IE focusing on strength or speed).
 
 The Dynasty mode also has a calendar that contains the team's season schedule, and allows the player to simulate up to certain dates. Actual games can either be played, quickly simulated to just output a final score, or simulated period by period, allowing the player to intervene if their team is performing poorly. Bonuses are offered for intervening in games; the worse a team is doing, the bigger the bonus. 
 
As seasons progress in Dynasty mode, contracts with certain players will need to be renewed and some players may not return either due to retirement or contract expiration. Players can replace these athletes by either signing a new player during the yearly draft, or by calling up a player from their team's minor league roster. 

Dodge Shootout Mode

The Dodge Shootout mode allows players to skip the rest of the game and get right down to a shootout. Dodge Shootout mode features some changes from a shootout that is reached after playing a full game. These changes include:

• The ability to skate backwards without forfeiting a shot
• No time limit on shots

• The explicit option of controlling the goalie while on defense

 
It should be noted however, that certain shootout related achievements, such as Shootout Perfection, cannot be achieved in Dodge Shootout mode, and must be completed in either Dynasty mode or Play Now mode after a full game.
 
When a new profile is first loaded into NHL 07, the video tutorial explaining the Skill Stick is played, and the new player is then automatically put into the Dodge Shootout mode.
 

EA Sports World Tournament Mode

 
EA Sports World Tournament mode allows players to play out a tournament using the international teams of the included 21 countries, in either 8 or 16 team tournaments.  Countries with teams in NHL 07 include:

• Austria
• Belarus
• Canada
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Great Britain
• Italy
• Japan
• Kazakhtsan
• Latvia
• Norway
• Poland
• Russia
• Slovakia
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Urakine
• USA

 

Play Now Mode

An exhibition mode that allows players to play single games with any two teams in the game. Which player controls which team can be controlled mid-game, and every rule and setting in the game can be edited.