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=Legal Disclaimer=
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This document was _originally_ typed up in Vancouver B.C., Canada and posted by
GameFAQs(http://www.gamefaqs.com). Copyright 2002 Tony J. Tso. All rights
reserved. Nothing that appears in this document may be reproduced in whole or
in part without the expressed written(or typed up) consent of Tony J. Tso,
copyright owner. By even opening this text file, you instantly agree to obey
this disclaimer. You may not use this document with/on any kind of printing
device(s). If you wish to host this document on your website/magazine/ please
drop me a line at: chaosdemon007@yahoo.ca, or AIM me at ChaosDemon007, OR MSN
me with the address vampiro_07@hotmail.com. This FAQ may NOT be sold for
profits. Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of the guide!
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=Table of Contents=
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Version History...........I
Default Controls.........II
Offensive Strategy......III
Defenseive Strategy......IV
Play Now..................V
Season...................VI
Playoffs.................IX
Tournament................X
Create-a-Player..........XI
In-Game Strategy........XII
Team Rosters...........XIII (Coming Soon)
Credits.................XIV
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Version History
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Player with Puck (Keyboard)
---------------------------
Shoot: Spacebar
Pass/Faceoff: C
Speed Burst: X
Deke: Z
Directional Arrows: Skate in that direction
Player without Puck (Keyboard)
-----------------------------
Hook/Poke Check: Spacebar
Change Player: C
Body Check: X
Big Hit: Z
Directional Arrows: Skate in that direction
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Offensive Strategy
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Winners Pass
------------
When playing NHL 2002, it's important that you know when to pass and when not
to pass. When to pass: the perfect time to pass is either you're getting
hounded like you're holding a million dollars in your hands. By this I mean,
everybody playing hockey is fighting for the puck for their team, and when you
have the puck...you know what happens. So, what do you do when you're getting
attacked by big heavy hitters like Tie Domi? You pass! Pass it to anyone
that either can accept the pass without being checked or just anyone you see
fit. You can also dump into the opponents' zone and then charge in after
the puck again to gain possesesion of the puck again.
When NOT to pass: Passing is always... a good thing to do, but maybe it isn't,
take this example for...example. You're carying in the puck with Pavel Bure,
and then you look infront of you, it's Scott Stevens waiting for you. Then
you think "it's time to pass" you look to your right and you see Theoren Fluery
guarded by Bobby Holik. Then you turn to your left...you see Eric Lindros
and no one's guarding him! Thats the way to pass right? So, you pass, then
suddenly your pass was intercepted by... Patrick Elias, and, he scores!
The mistake here was Patrick Elias was just a couple steps away and he
was anticipating the pass all along. So look out for players who aren't
"doing" anything.
One timers = Goals
------------------
Although I don't guarntee each one timer you connect will score you a goal, I
do 61% of the time. This may sound like a load of horse feathers, but it's
true, one timers are VERY fast and usaully you barely see where the puck goes.
If you really want to see a strong one timer, try passing it to Rob Blake, or
Jarome Iginla. To perform a one-timer, pass a puck you one your wings or
defensemen, then press Shoot just before the biscuit gets to the player you're
passing it to. He will perform a quick shot to the goal, but it will miss 4%
of the time. Here's a little bit of strategy to get you on the 'winning side':
Bring the puck in from the centre, [you, not the player] stop and look at your
left and right for a left or right wing to pass it to as you move into the
opposition zone, move in to the outside slot and pass it to the right or left
then shoot. The goaltender will have to cover a lot of the net and he may not
get to the shot
in time.
Take a good look when shooting
------------------------------
When you bring it into the opposition zone, you might not want to just throw
the puck at the goaltender and hope for a rebound to come out and then charge
the goal with everything you've got. Thankfully, there's other things you
can turn to. When bringing in the puck, stop somewhere and look around for
one of your wingers open. If you find one, pass it to him and maybe take a
good shot with an open winger. The best way to do this is wait for one player
to come up and attempt to strip you of the puck and keep it long enough until
back-up comes. There is someone on your team guarnteed to be open, and that's
the player you want to pass it to.
Set up in the zone
------------------
[This one thanks to IGN Guides]
If you can consistently set up your offense in your opponent's zone, you
will score a lot of goals. The idea is to keep your centre and both wings
in a semi-circle in front of the goal. The two defenders will camp out near
the blue line. Keep the puck moving quickly with sharp passes that avoid
lunging defensemen. This requires discipline and good timing. Move the puck
to one of the wings flanking the goal, then work in a loose circle. Pass
back to the defender, over to the other, then down to the other forward.
Pass across to the center for a one-timer. Then, collect the rebound and
try anew. This much puck movement (as long as it's controlled) will destroy
your opposition. Make them pay for overpursuit.
Dumping in the puck in helps you
--------------------------------
If you're not such a good puck handler and you can pull off those sharp skating
moves, luckily for you, there's another way to charge the goal. Simply pass
around up to the blue line and shoot it in! Then with all your players,
charge in for the puck. This is risky sometimes, but it helps if you're one
of those bad stick handlers. There's also another benifitial point to this
tactic, if you like using just one player, tell the puck handler to shoot it
(this can be done with rapid pressing of B) then charge right in and grab
the puck.
Breakaway tactics
-----------------
I know, I know, a lot of you right now are thinking: "Why do we need help
on making breakaways, they're the easiest way to score!?" Yes, that's true,
but you most likely only get one or so oppurtunities, and if you miss scoring
the your first chance, then you might not get another. Luckily, you have a
decent amount of time to think, it helps even more if you're using someone
like Pavel Bure (fast skater) you can go five-hole or go glove side or here's
one of my tactics. If you're shooter is shooting left, bring it down the
left side of the ice, then hold B and hold A (while still holding B) and this
will perform a nice deke on the goaltender once you've done that, just let
go of A and press B to perform a beautiful goal(if you're shooter is shooting
right just do everything opposite.)
Odd-man rushes
--------------
Ahh...yes...one of the most dangerous plays in the history of hockey today.
An odd-man rush is when the puck holder charges into the zone with a winger
and there's only one defensemen, causing a 2-on-1, or 2-on-0, etc... this is
(in my view) the best oppurtunity for you to score. The defense will have to
think quickly and act even quicker, either way, there's gonna be someone open.
Most "D" will go after the puck handler, forcing a move, whether it's a quick
shot or (most likely) pass to the open wing in the zone. Once you carry up
the puck, move into the opponents' zone and hold down spacebar, but don't
shoot, instead, aim to the direction of your wing, then
press the pass button twice, this will one; fake out the "D" and Goalie, two;
leaves your teammate even more open.
Use the whole rink
------------------
When playing NHL 2002, this is one of the key things to do: use the whole rink.
Move all over the place, behind the nets, your own zone, just name it, when
you playing hockey, the most important thing is to have possession of the
puck and keep it. Do what you have to! Pass it back if you need to and even
just going back and forth.
Know The Symbols Under your Player's Icon
-----------------------------------------
In NHL 2002, there are some symbols implented into the game. These symbols
tell you what this player specializes in.
Hammer: The hammer means this player is a big hitter, and if you use the big
hit button, he will really bring down the player he's hitting in a big, big
way.
Hockey Stick: This means your player has a very powerful shot, and if you hold
down the shoot button to get to its maximum potential, it will be guaranteed to
be over 100MPH.
Target: This player has excellent acucracy. No matter what, his shots will hit
the net.
H on Shield: This player is a hero. He will step up when he has to. In other
words, these guys will score the big goals for your team.
Do NOT pass the puck infront of your goal
-----------------------------------------
If you feel like going 3-78-1 on the season, then do it.
Doing this is just assisting your opponent to an easy goal. Pass the puck
along the boards instead.
When being hounded by the Offense, don't be afraid to ice the puck
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If you're being attacked by a lot of attackers and attacking you at the same
time, and you just don't believe that your goaltender can withstand the
offense, then ice the puck! This will bring the puck back to your end, but
at least the action is stopped, and you may of taken a goal back from the
opponents.
Don't focus all your attention on one player
--------------------------------------------
It's okay to be afraid of guys like Pavel Bure and Joe Sakic, but don't be
frightened so badly that you put five checkers on them, this will leave all
the other players open. Don't even double team them, if they beat your first
defender, he'll have to beat four more, so just think of it that way.
Protect the middle of the goal
------------------------------
No matter how much I tell you, you have to listen, the middle of the goal
is like, where 97% of the goals get scored. No matter what, ALWAYS leave
at least one defender infront of the goal. Even better, have like four
players infront of the goal and then have one player go around and fore check
the others.
Defending the odd-man rush
--------------------------
If you are outnumbered as the offense enters your zone, they are on an
odd-man rush. Always skate to the player with the puck to force the issue.
Either he'll put up a weak shot or force a pass. If he does get a shot off,
most of your squad will make it back by that time to help out.
Short handed Defense
-------------------
[This one thanks to IGN Guides]
While the opposition is on the power play, defensive discipline is extra
valuable. Make sure you clog the area in front of the goal and knock down
anyone who enters this sacred realm. Don't lunge at every pass. Just attempt
to stay generally in front of the play as it's happening. If you go
aggressively at the puck, you could miss, opening up a clear path to the
goal. Clear the puck whenever you get it, or look for an outlet pass for a
counterattack. There is no penalty for icing when shorthanded.
===============================================================================
Play Now
===============================================================================
Here's the mode where you can just get to playing without worrying about
anything big happeninig to your team. Just to have fun with the team of your
choice (both opposition and yours) you can re-arrange the lines, change
the starting goalie, and everything like that. You may also set the skill
level: Beginner, Easy, Medium and Difficult are all at your finger tips.
Exhibition is the basic mode for you to get down and dirty, without worrying
about how well you're going to do. To me, this mode is just like a friendly
practicing session. Great for beginners and veterans alike. I still play
this mode sometimes, and we all know how good I am...but with practice, you,
thats right, _YOU_ might even be as good as me someday!
===============================================================================
Season
===============================================================================
Here's my abosulute favourite mode, this is where NHL 2002 really shines,
everything from Trading to signing a Free Agent is all at your finger tips.
This is the mode where every game counts, will you win the division and
advance into the playoffs or suffer the pain of being one game back of your
rivalling team? That's what shoots into you and adrenaline rushes into
going through your body when you play the games in the Season mode.
I especially like the fact that _your_ team takes it to the ice that
_you_ personally created, you think, "was it really worth it to trade
Curtis Joseph and Yanic Perrault for Rob Blake?" Your answer should come
in the first game, the two options of: "Yes, these two will bring the team
all the way!" or will it be: "@*#$! how can the guys not even register one
shot on the goal? And Cujo, 5 goals on 7 shots?!"
With NHL 2002's new added CPU Trading, you can no longer trade a rookie
for Pavel Bure. You will have to actually make logical trades. The CPU will
also prompt to trade with you, too, and it's up to your to decide is it worth
it.
At the end of the Season you will enter the Off-Season. This is where
the free-agent signings happen. If you picked big-market teams like the
Colardo Avalanche and the Detroit Red Wings, you can sign just about any player
there is.
It's important when playing Season that you make your very own lines, but
be careful when doing so. My favourite trio is the best line in the NHL today:
Brendan Morrison (Centre), Markus Naslund (Left Wing), and Todd Bertuzzi (Right
Wing). For your scoring line, don't put mediocre players, put all your best
players in your team.
Here is the playoffs mode where all y'all like. You can't
create-a-player,
here(which really sucks) if you want to go for the Stanley cup and see the
cup itself, you've come to the right place! To win the cup, you must defeat
the computer in a best-of-7 series (which can be lowered to 5,3 and 1) if
you manage to win the series, you'll win the cup. I recommend you don't go
with your back-up goalie unless you have a good one. Remember, to the best
of my ability, I'm going to tell you how to win. Play every shift with
passion, hunt down the puck, make the big hits, get those ugly goals and
play the powerplay like a pro. Remember, every shift you take and every shot
taken _COULD_ be a game breaker. Make the good passes and all those things
mentioned earlier, and I'm confident that you'll come out on top. Good luck
to you.
Here is another mode for basic hockey, you'll square off against any
teams of your choosing to attempt to bring home the GOLD MEDAL. Prospects
are in TEAM CANADA(My FAV TEAM!) and TEAM USA. Just in case you forgot,
there are a lot of ways to win games. First you'll have the round robin
in the basic table that looks like this: (12-or-8-teams allowed)
===============================================================================
Create-A-Player
===============================================================================
A very fun part of the game indeed. This is where you get to create your
own players! You can change everything from his height, to his shooting
ability. You can even import your very own face using the "Import" feature.
Once you create your player he will be in the Waivers section.
Funnel
------
Here is a nice strategy to generate more shots from the slot area, creating
more scoring chances. You're left wing will be near the two face off circles,
and you're defense, centre and right wing will try to get the puck to the
left wing and take some shots away. You can easily score with the strategy,
but if your opponents counters with the Box Plus 1, the Funnel's effectiveness
will be taken down greatly.
Positional
----------
Here's a tactic that I don't 100% understand, but I know if one your players
get taken off play, another will take his back, but that leaves and area
of the ice open for clear passes, but when attacking with this strategy,
dump the puck in more often to avoid big checks.
Triangle
--------
Here's the strategy that requires experts to use. If you're starting off,
don't use this one. This is designed to overload the left side of the ice,
and your offensive players attack in a triangle, and to keep this going,
you must keep the cycle going.
Crash the Net
-------------
This is a strategy that requires you to crash the net. All your offensive
players will charge the net with everything you've got.
...more to come
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Credits
===============================================================================
Jeff "CJayC" Veasy: For posting this FAQ
EA Sports: For creating this game
IGN Guides: For some strategies
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Thanks for reading!
