Well, not the hard core hockey game we should expect from EA, but its a start
The stick:
Well, it was fun while it lasted. It is, in my opinion, cheaply made. After a few days, it unexpectedly broke in half. I'm not sure what happened, but even if it was operator error, the strength of it is weak around where the upper and lower pieces fit together. The gave poorly worded instructions to build it in the booklet with no images of what to do. After many minutes of struggling with assembling the stick, I put in the disk, only to find video instructions in the game. After that I had to figure out what way was easier to hold. I'm a lefty, but I was taught to shoot righty.
Overall, a pitiful thing that isn't worth the time to make. The game is playable without it.
Customization: The player creator is, no doubt, a disappointment. There is no customization beyond choosing a stick and picking your head. You change your number, first and last name, play-by-play name, position and play style.
Goalie is just the same. The same goalie pads for everyone, no custom colors, just changing the stick. No custom teams. The closest thing to it is your pee-wee team in Pee-wee to Pro Mode. But no custom colors, you have to pick from NHL team colors and pre-made emblems. Overall, just a pitiful attempt by EA in customization.
Overall, this was an okay game, but not much about it impress me and I'm impressed that they were able to make it sell. EA shouldn't be thrilled about making this game.