A hockey video game isn't about jerseys or sponsors. It's about playing hockey. Or else it would be called NHL Jersey.
Why was 94 so great? It had this feel to it that no other game had. I look back when I recieved NHL 94 for Christmas in 1993. I was excited, and I have fond memories of turning on the TV, inserting the cartridge into the SNES, turning on the SNES, hearing the "EA Sports...it's in the game!", watching the pucks float in the air, and choosing Hartford vs. anybody.
Someone gave me NHL 11 as a birthday present, I put it on my PS3, but it wasn't the same. It didn't have that great feeling you have whenever you played 94 on the SNES.
Create a Team, Alternate Jerseys, Sponsors...that's not what EA Hockey games are about. One of my friends got 97 for PC when it came out and he said it wasn't fun at all, and he got bored after an hour.
Also, to answer your 96 PC problem, did you download the game online? Or do you own a NHL 96 CD-rom? Try going on eBay or Amazon, find the cheapest version of 96 you can find, wait a few days, put the CD in your PC and have fun with that.
94 was, and will always be the best. I also owned 95 and 96 for the SNES, but 94 was the ultimate favourite.
So, download a SNES emulator, find someone online, and go play.