This is the best hockey sim!
I think this game is perfect(or almost perfect) in almost every respect. The animations are smooth, most of players look good, commentary is awesome, franchise mode is extremely deep, and most importantly the gameplay is just exceptional this year. I can go on and on about how fun, entertaining and realistic 2k8's gameplay is but I can just tell you that I and two of my friends were playing this game non-stop until 4am last night and we had tons of fun.
Of course there are a few things here and there that can be frustrating. First of all (and I think this was the biggest concern for a lot of reviewers out there) is the difficulty of adjusting to the new controls. Yes, it takes some time to get used to them, but after a few hours of play I'm sure you'll feel right at home with the new controls and you will not want to go back to the old ones. Also, if you learn how to use the Pro Stick, you will have tons of fun playing the game. Another thing that I think disappointed me in this game is the music. It is not all that great. BUT you have an option of playing your own music, so there is a solution. The last minor thing that I did not like about the game is how the menus look. They are not really all that great, especially if you compare them to NHL 08's, but I guess that's always been the case with 2k sports and nothing new here.
All in all this is a must-have game for a true hockey fan. I strongly recommend playing it and enjoying the beautiful game of hockey! :)