Complex sentence: The reason a separate version was released for Japanese audiences is that the National Hockey League was starting to gain popularity with Japanese youth during the year 1994 and the international sport was becoming more than a spectator sport for Japanese adults in sports bars.
Split into simpler sentences: The reason a separate version was released for Japanese audiences is that the National Hockey League was starting to gain popularity with Japanese youth during the year 1994. The sport was blossoming at the professional level and was beginning to become more than a spectator sport for Japanese adults in sports bars.