NHL Hitz 20-03 (XBOX, Playstation 2, Nintendo Gamecube)
Now, this is a game where Vegas Golden Knights fans can create their own team (or close to). Granted, it'll take facing off against lesser teams first and you won't play at T-Mobile Arena. But the alternative of playing at a disco rink or in Stockholm, Sweden, is just as fun. Combined with creating players like William Karlsson and Jack Eichel, fans can get as close to bringing life to their team in the 2000s as possible.
NHL Hitz 20-03 is vastly different from other hockey video games. You're playing in a 3-on-3 format and you can supercharge your players. They're on fire and can shoot blazing shots past opposing goaltenders. Fighting is also fun, where you can punish your opponents and leave them down a player.
The best part of the game is the soundtrack. Bands like Incubus, Rob Zombie, and Hoobastank constitute the soundtrack, providing a hard-hitting playlist for NHL fans. It's part of what makes games like NHL 25 special, where fans can be entrenched in a different world. It's no different with NHL Hitz 20-03, with fans adding memorable tracks to their traveling playlists (as I have). Whether you had the XBOX or PlayStation 2, this was the pinnacle of extreme NHL games during the old days.