NHL'26 - '94 Edition

[von Ozbourne]

Took a bit longer than we were hoping, but it's nice to have this one complete now.

NHL '26 - '94 Edition

In recognition of the tradition of adapting EA's well deserved cover athletes to the the 16-bit stage, we're honouring that tradition in the best way possible.

New this year, a @Drezz background that does recognise the team got their name on the cup.
And giving Dave Reid a break, Bruce is lending his charisma as pre-game analyst.
Points leader match up proves that the freeze bug fix is applied.

 

Keeping many of the previous graphics changes including the modernized fonts and watermarks. Did decide to update the Cup this year though.

 

Updated center ice logos for a lot of coinciding anniversaries or just because teams felt like rebranding, including the new Utah Mammoth. Still branded for NHL Network.

 

Colour photos for every player.

 

Obligatory under the hood and minor graphical stuff and acknowledgements:

• New original custom player attribute stats.
• All 832 players have colour photos. Thanks @slapshot67
• Original JKline player sprite mod based on helmet patch for more accurate and varied uniforms.
• Pucks that also feature original customized sprites.
• Puck sprites that change with team colours. Thanks @AdamCatalyst
• The nets that those pucks can go in have also had their sprites redrawn.
• New Weight bug fix is applied. Thanks @chaos
• New Checking formula thanks to that new weight bug fix.
• New Hot/Cold calculations.
• SmozROM Ratings consistency fix - player ratings will match hot/cold overall. Thanks @smozoma
• Freeze Bug applied so no player stats and player name on second line.
• User Records set to "ON" can still cause crashes with Vegas, Washington and Winnipeg so caution is advised.
• Expanded goalie roaming area. Go out to the edge of the trapezoid or out to the face off dots to cut down the angle. Thanks @smozoma
• Goalie can also carry the puck out to the blue line before the automatic whistle. [if play isn't blown for holding the puck too long]
• Yes we know that the goalie can technically go to the red line, but that would mean having to figure out how to assess delay of game penalties and that's not likely to happen.
• Goalie Y-button control hack applied. Thanks @clockwise
• CPU will pull goalie if down by 1 or 2 goals with 1 minute remaining. Thanks @McMarkis
• Edit Lines hack for any player to play at any position applied. Allows for 4-1 Power play lines. Thanks @TheTome
• Note that Edit Lines hack does interfere with Saving and Loading Team Lines.
• Benches have been edited so the coach mod has been removed.
• EA Sports watermarks have been updated to modern logo. Thanks @Drezz

• Main menu background hack in use for full custom background image. Also thanks @Drezz
• New Utah Mammoth name and logo

August is a bit early to be thinking about hockey ain't it? Well, yeah, but we're testing some new stats and stuff so why wait.
So in a loose reference to the recently completed World Junior Summer Showcase, we figured we'll call this one:

Just to keep the old versions in here rather than making a new post or revising history.

The NHL '26 - Summer Showcase Edition

Obviously this is way too early for the upcoming season so we're still in beta-like mode. Some of the new players have been given new numbers on a "historical precedence or best guess" criteria when conflicts arose. Beyond that, we're trying a few things and wouldn't mind getting some feedback.

  

Some notes, due to how early this is and that there are some depth chart guys that haven't really secured a permanent spot yet, and in the interest of saving some effort later, there are some placeholder players in the game. Please just ignore them as they will be filled in as the actual season gets closer.

New for version 0.9.13

• Roster Updates. Still a few spots left open, but most are ready for camp.
• Changed the menu screen to get ready for the new season.
• Still hyping that cover athlete reveal. No leaks as of yet. 

 

New for version 0.9.10

• Updated center ice logos for all of the anniversaries happening this year and a couple new [mostly old] looks.
• A few minor roster updates as summer signings start to wind up.
• Cover athlete still to be revealed. Much hype to ensue.

Newest Version [as of 2025-12-07]

NHL 2026 - 94 Edition v1.13.bin

 

Beta Testing Summer Showcase Versions

NHL 2026 - Summer Showcase 0.913.bin

NHL 2026 - Summer Showcase 0.91.bin

NHL 2026 - Summer Showcase 0.9.bin

Edited Saturday at 10:58 PM by von Ozbourne

[GameHead]

Thank...LOVE IT!

 

[Jlsegafan2001]

I can already tell that this is going to be hype!

[von Ozbourne]

Small update for some new players [pictures coming later] and nine new logos, mostly to cover all of the anniversaries being marked this season.

NHL 2026 - Summer Showcase 0.91.bin

[GannErik]

Thank you very much for this release!

[Engelby77]

If it just had a season mode !

[halifax]

Thanks so much for doing this! I’ve shared it out on all the nhl94 social medias I run. 

[Snowboo]

On 8/24/2025 at 6:55 AM, halifax said:

Thanks so much for doing this! I’ve shared it out on all the nhl94 social medias I run. 

Hi there friend. Post links please! I would love to check them out.

[Jkline3]

Links are in the first post.

[Noodle69ish]

Thanks, is there a way to do goal songs that are team specific? Would love to hear some “You know you make me want to shout!” When I’m scoring as The Wild! 

[smozoma]

There's been a little work on learning how to inject organ songs, but it's experimental at this point. There's a Python script a few posts down on this page for extracting music data from a MIDI music file and replacing an existing organ song. It's not like injecting an MP3, it'll still have the organ sound.

There's also a ROM somewhere with a very well done class CBC Hockey Night in Canada theme song on the intro screen.

[von Ozbourne]

Version 0.9.13 is now available in the main post.

This will probably be the last of the Summer Showcase versions before the pre-season wraps and we have an idea what lineups are going to be looking like.
Unless there are some glaring glitches obviously, but we seem okay on that front hopefully.

Main updates for this version are the rosters getting some updates as players get traded, signed, assigned new numbers. Still some info in limbo, likely until training camp gets closer, but here we are.

Still yet to unveil the official cover athlete, but the menu screen gets some colour.

 

Edited September 8 by von Ozbourne

[77]

10 sec of playing... ANA has a null 18 player, and you have HEADS IN ASSES

unacceptable!!!

 

Edited September 9 by 77

[77]

NO ONES ROMS SHOULD HAVE THE SOCK OR STACKING BUG ANYMORE!!! NO ONES!!!

just a warning to you all.... =P

 

 

Sock fix for 94

A74EC - CHANGE 4801 TO 6801
A74FC - CHANGE 4801 TO 6801
A750C - CHANGE 4801 TO 6801

Here's the "head up asses" fix for NHL 94:

OFFSET A74E0: Change "0132" to "011e"
OFFSET A74E8: Change "0142" to "012e"
OFFSET A7500: Change "011e" to "0132"
OFFSET A7508: Change "012e" to "0142"

sock fix (nhlpa93 30 team rom)

76DDC    (A74EC)
76DEC    (A74FC)
76DFC    (A750C)

Here's the "head up asses" fix for NHLPA 93:

OFFSET 76dd0: Change "0132" to "011e"
OFFSET 76dd8: Change "0142" to "012e"
OFFSET 76df0: Change "011e" to "0132"
OFFSET 76df8: Change "012e" to "0142"

 

Edited September 8 by 77

[Jkline3]

A friendly "hey guys, you forgot the penalty box fix" would have sufficed. I'm sure it will be taken care of in the next release. Sorry it ruined your game.

The null players are there by design since this is a living rom and has been continuously updated all summer as players sign or are traded. Since @von Ozbourne creates an individual color photo for each player this leaves a little flexibility to add players without having to reconfigure everything anytime there is a transaction. None of the null players are part of any lines, so unless you took the time to open this up in NOSE and changed Anaheim's lines to add a null player he wouldn't appear in game. Not sure why you would have done that.

[von Ozbourne]

Huh. Got the socks corrected, must have missed the overlapping in some version control oversight since the code was fixed in my default build.

Since this qualifies as one of those aforementioned "glaring glitches" the update is in the original post.

 

@Jkline3 already addressed the null players, but to be fair, this was pointed out from the start.

On 8/3/2025 at 1:28 PM, von Ozbourne said:

... there are some placeholder players in the game. Please just ignore them as they will be filled in as the actual season gets closer.

[SNOHBAWL]

This looks great. Really like the anniversary logos you put in. 2 questions out of curiosity. 1) will there be a "wide screen" version of this when its released? and 2) very minor visual but any thought to adding the camera stuff into the nets?

Edited September 24 by SNOHBAWL

[von Ozbourne]

Thanks for liking it.

Actually I have to admit that I was confused by your question. I had been tweaking things with a "test bed" ROM for so long that I'd forgotten that this one wasn't already wide screen.

i also have to admit that I've gotten so used to the look of wide mode that going back the old-fashioned square screen looks weird. I'll probably roll that out with or shortly after version 1.0 is done [basically just waiting for the teams to figure out their final rosters at this point] Although now I'm wondering if a separate non-wide mode is worth it anymore. Maybe that's too drastic a step and a proper survey should be conducted before making any rash decisions. 

As for the net camera, to be honest, and I've seen a couple interpretations, but I never really liked the look of it. Given how few pixels there are to work with, it's either a choice of making something big, chunky and ugly, or small, obscure and ugly. Either way, there are some trade offs to be made and I just prefer to keep a clean look for some things.

[retroNYI]

Any update, appreciate your work!

[Jkline3]

Finishing up updating the new lines and players who made the opening night rosters. Hope to have ready shortly.

[g90f]

thanks for your hard work ! excited to see this updated so often , just playing the last version ... can't wait !

[Snowboo]

On 9/8/2025 at 7:33 AM, 77 said:

10 sec of playing... ANA has a null 18 player, and you have HEADS IN ASSES

unacceptable!!!

 

 

On 9/8/2025 at 1:12 PM, Jkline3 said:

A friendly "hey guys, you forgot the penalty box fix" would have sufficed. I'm sure it will be taken care of in the next release. Sorry it ruined your game.

The null players are there by design since this is a living rom and has been continuously updated all summer as players sign or are traded. Since @von Ozbourne creates an individual color photo for each player this leaves a little flexibility to add players without having to reconfigure everything anytime there is a transaction. None of the null players are part of any lines, so unless you took the time to open this up in NOSE and changed Anaheim's lines to add a null player he wouldn't appear in game. Not sure why you would have done that.

 

I kind of like the heads in asses glitch... can we somehow (wishful thinking) expand upon the glitch and have it appear after a dirty or cheap goal? That would be hilarious

[loudifigliano]

Hello and thank you for making this mod! It is super fun!

That said...
NYR:93
BOS: 92
NYI: 91
Columbus: 87
MTL: 85

Is insane when you look at where this small handful finished last season... And, factoring in the start of the season.
MTL made the playoffs last season and are currently at the top of the division... 
Are you Ottawa or Toronto fans? lol.


Certainly not looking to have MTL over-ranked... Just sorta realistically. Also, No clue why Kaapo is our backup G when Dobes has been under contract... When you add Dobes in as G3... Could you PLEASE use his mattress king pic? That would be EPIC.

 

Aside from all of that... Thank you again. It is a lot of fun playing this classic with current rosters!
 

[von Ozbourne]

To be fair, I think that rating was a hangover from last year when they were "anticipated" to be a bit better than that.

Also these are just predicted rosters from following news over the summer. There will be some changes when V1.0 is ready.

I will say that new player photos are in the works, but mainly just converting the official ones from NHL.com, I had to look up this mattress ad. [Jump into bed with Jakub with Jumpbed?] Pretty funny, but damn that is a horrible picture to try to colour balance.

[Tabs3121]

Hi.

Any word on when this version of NHL 26 will release?

Thanks

[von Ozbourne]

Hi.

We're hoping this weekend.

The good news is that we don't really have that much left to do in it, but the bad news was limited free time to do it and we can't put it out incomplete.

I would say that it will be dropped before GTA6 is, but that's not committing to much.

[von Ozbourne]

Better late than never?

Updated info in the updated original post.
Enjoy hopefully.

NHL 2026 - 94 Edition v1.0.bin

[AdamCatalyst]

NICE!!!!!!! It's about fracking time.  I was afraid this wasn't going to happen! Looking forward to giving this a spin this weekend. Also, get choice on the splash image.  

[Snowboo]

... And the world is put back into balance. Things were feeling off these last few months. 😌

Widescreen...?

 

[RT1977]

On 11/19/2025 at 6:59 PM, von Ozbourne said:

Hi.

We're hoping this weekend.

The good news is that we don't really have that much left to do in it, but the bad news was limited free time to do it and we can't put it out incomplete.

I would say that it will be dropped before GTA6 is, but that's not committing to much.

Thanks for releasing this version and overall release.  You and the other guy who worked on this kinda even beat the weekend for its release! I Noticed it late or even maybe it was  early  morning  last night and downloaded it immediately.