Take an about face. As soon as I got to the first game, I was wowed by the detail in the stadiums. My first game was in the stadium for the Nashville Predators. Besides detailed American and Canadian flags hanging from the ceiling, the stadium included the intricate girders comprising the roof. While the crowd looks bland and is a pixelated patchwork of colors, the rest of the stadium is great.
Lights reflect off the ice and cast shadows of the players.
You can also see the reflection of the boards in the ice. The glass even shakes when a player hits it too hard. The players also look great. Uniforms are detailed and there will be no mistaking player numbers. During replays, the quality bumps up a notch and details such as white teeth or plastic face shields on helmets are noticed.