Somewhere between punches were thrown, but you would be hard pressed to find them. The sound in NHL 2001 is shaping up well. The commentator does a good job at calling the action. There really is no color commentary in the game, which is actually kind of nice. The hockey sounds in the game are a little exaggerated.
Slap shots are too loud, and some hits produce unrealistic sounds.
In the initial preview, I played plenty of games in the Quick Start mode. The moment I started the game, I could think of only one thing - Rock the Rink with six men a side. The pace of the game was frenetic. All the realism you expect from Madden, Triple Play, and NBA Live was absent. I quickly paused the game to find the speed switch.