Hello and welcome to the NHL Series forums! If this is your first visit here, here are some things you should know:

The general discussion forum: Right now you're in the general discussion forum for NHL. This forum is for discussing various aspects of the game with your fellow fans. It's not the right place to ask questions or report problems you might be running into.

Where do I go if I need help? The general discussion forum may not be the right place, but don't worry... we've got you covered. Visit the Tech Help and Feedback forum if you a) have a question about the game b) need to report an issue or share detailed feedback about something you think could be improved or c) need to get in contact with customer support because something isn't working properly. http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/forums/show/3680.page

EA SPORTS Hockey League

The EA SPORTS Hockey League forum has been revamped to make discussion and recruitment for the EASHL easier and more specific for Xbox 360 and PS3 players. Follow the links below to visit the forums.

EA SPORTS Hockey League Team Talk: General Team Talk of the EA SPORTS Hockey League can be found and discussed here: http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/forums/show/539.page | http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/forums/show/3843.page

EA SPORTS Hockey League Recruitment: All EASHL threads looking to sign up users should be posted here: http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/forums/show/538.page | http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/forums/show/3920.page

Hockey Ultimate Team

New to NHL 11 is Hockey Ultimate team. Expand your use of the mode onto the forums by discussing your team roster and advertise items your setting up for auction.

Hockey Ultimate Team General Discussion: http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/forums/show/3912.page

Hockey Ultimate Team Trade and Auctions: If you're looking for new players or placing players on the auction or trade block, follow the following links: http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/forums/show/3913.page | http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/forums/show/3914.page

EA Terms of Service

All of our forums are moderated according to the EA Terms of Service linked at the bottom of every page. When you created your account, you agreed to these terms so it is important that you understand what is expected and what is not allowed. Although we have included specific rules below to help you stick to the ToS, it is important to review the terms and ask questions if you don’t know what something means. Even if you were not aware of one of the conditions of the ToS, you are still held accountable if a violation is committed using your account.

EA’s Terms of service can be found here:
http://legal.ea.com/legal/legal.jsp?language=en

The forums are a place for our community to have productive discussions with each other and EA staff about the game and other relevant topics. To make sure this forum is kept up to that task, we ask that you are aware of and follow all of the posted rules when on this forum.

Failure to follow these rules can result in your posts being moved, locked, or removed; repeated or serious violations can result in action against your account.

Forum Etiquette and Guidelines

We're all here on the boards for various reasons, and it's important that we treat each other in a manner that everyone can feel good about. Follow the tips below for recommended forum etiquette.

Avoid making redundant threads: Before making a new thread, there are some questions you should ask yourself to avoid making a topic that has been already been posted.

First, ask yourself if the topic of discussion been already posted on the forums? Check the stickies at the top of the first page and then scan through the first several pages to see if the same topic has already been made. If the answer is yes and the thread is open, then there isn’t a need to make a new topic and you can post your reply in the ongoing thread. Here’s an example of a duplicate thread topic, avoid doing this:

Thread A - “How can I make bone crushing hits?”

Thread B - “Bumping players too much instead of getting hard hits”

If a duplicate thread is created, the moderators will close the thread and post a link to the thread that’s open for replies. This is done to reduce redundant topics and avoid discussion in multiple threads on the same subject.

If you have a topic for a thread that isn’t the same, but similar to another thread, it’s okay to make a new thread if the subject of post wouldn’t fit in the related thread. Here’s an example of related but different thread topics:

Thread A – “What’s your opinion on the new passing system?”

Thread B – “How do you connect one timers with the new passing system?

If you do discover a thread of the same topic, but it is locked, then the rule of not making a new thread is still in effect. Since there’s a reason that the topic was locked, further discussion is not permitted. If you wish to create a thread on the topic still, send a private message to a moderator to verify if it will be allowed.

Don’t make multiple threads on the same topic: If you’ve already created a thread on a topic that’s open for replies, then please don’t make another thread on the same subject. Multiple thread creations on the same topic are considered spamming under the EA ToS and are disruptive to forum discussion. Let’s keep it simple and organized by sticking to one thread only.

If you’ve already created a thread on a topic and it was locked or hidden, then please don’t make another thread on the same subject. As said earlier about locked threads, it was locked or hidden for a reason, so no further discussion is allowed. If you have a question on a thread be locked or hidden, send a private message to a moderator to get an answer and reason.

Be descriptive when titling new topics: The next step in creating a thread is the title. Titling topics very specifically will help keep things in order. For example, a thread titled "Check this out", “Are you serious?”, “LOOK HERE” isn't as specific as "Video of a crazy play that happened" or “Looking for a challenge.” From now on, topics that are either not specific enough or inappropriately titled are going to be edited or locked by moderators to help keep things in order.

Posting etiquette: The most important part when creating a new topic or post is the text body itself. We ask when you’re typing up your post to make it as easy as possible for everybody to read. Avoid having majority of the text body consist of caps lock and make appropriate use of paragraphs and sentencing. Proper, or improper writing structure in your posts that just affect those who are reading it but you as well. Typing in all caps or having sentences that are difficult to read can turn people off from reading your posts and understanding what message you’re trying to send across. You’ve put some time into what you typed up, spend some time to make it something easy to understand and worth replying to.

Be respectful and helpful: For pretty much all of us, we’re here for a common interest. So don’t be rude to others and remain respectful even if they have a different opinion on subjects. Also be helpful to those whom need assistance. For some people, it’s there first time here, so it's easy to get lost or ask something that the vets might think is a simple question. Be friendly to anyone who is new and looking for help. We can continue to grow this community by bringing new people into the fold. Even if you think a question might be overly simple, be friendly and point people in the right direction where it makes sense.

Constructive Feedback: The developer and community interaction has been a strong asset for this community the past couple of years. And we continue to see it grow and develop as interaction gains more depth and direct communication. The developers check out the forums daily and at times will post on them. To ensure that they are making the best out of their visits and you get the most out of the feedback you provide, we urge you to remain respectful and do not be rude or insulting to the game developers or anyone for that matter. The moderators are going to be very strict to ensure this is the case.

We don’t hold censorship on feedback toward the game on the forums. We welcome both positive and negative feedback as long as there is no hostile tone in the post. Any attacks or bashing towards EA and the developers will be removed immediately and you will be assessed an infraction on your account, which could lead to suspension.

When providing feedback and suggestions on the game, it’s recommended that you are as detailed as possible. Providing suggestions simply by list/jot notes format is fine and dandy, but providing more details in your posts will be more helpful to the developers and lets them know exactly what you want.

Don't feed the trolls and help the moderators: While most of the posters we have here are great, we do see a few knuckleheads from time to time. If you see a knucklehead post, the best thing to do is ignore it. A thread can go downhill really quickly. We recommend to not get engaged because if your responses are a violation of the ToS, you will also be penalized along with the offending user(s). Instead, if you do see a post that you think is disruptive, use the alert button at the top right of every post , and feel free to report it to a moderator. If you do engage someone who is making knucklehead comments you might suggest a more positive approach, as that will always get better results here on the boards.

Avatars: You can add a small graphic to your username to distinguish you on the forums. To do so, click on your Profile link (found at the top of every page as My Profile) and scroll down to the Avatar Control Pane section. You may add the URL for a graphic of up to 150x150 pixels in the Use external Image as Avatar blank. Please note that Avatars are subject to the normal Terms of Service on the EA Forums.

Your avatar’s graphic size cannot not exceed this:


Signatures: You can further customize your posting experience through the use of a signature. Like Avatars, your signature can be accessed through the My Profile link at the top of the Forums page. You may add an image up to 665 pixels in width and 128 pixels in height to your Signature. You may also add up to 255 text characters, which will appear beneath the graphic.

Your signature’s graphic size cannot not exceed this:


Moderators and Staff: Moderators are volunteers who are passionate about the game and spend so much of their personal time helping out on the forums that EA staff members have granted them a special status. Although they may help with ToS/rules moderation by hiding or moving posts and threads, they are not EA staff and cannot affect your account in any way. Contact a moderator if you have a game/forum question, see a public post that is a ToS violation, or wish to forward information on users cheating in online games. If you have a question or concern about a moderator, please contact an EA staff member.

NHL Forums Moderators:
Senior Moderator = Joborule http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/user/profile/707522.page
Senior Moderator = LuGer33 http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/user/profile/710290.page
Moderator = oilersguru http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/user/profile/369257.page
Moderator = MD Rattlehead http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/user/profile/1529198.page
Moderator = SCARFACE909 http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/user/profile/1288828.page
Moderator = B-Bunny http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/user/profile/968659.page
Moderator = SirPsychoT http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/user/profile/1678514.page

The EA SPORTS NHL Community Manager is jdg_86 http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/user/profile/5959274.page

EA Staff are denoted by rankings showing whether they are Developers, Community Staff, or Administrators. Developers work on the game and may stop in to explain game mechanics or check out feedback. Community managers are usually very active and are your main resource for information, answers, and handling your game feedback. Administrators are Support staff that help upkeep the forums as well as post information to resolve issues that users may have with the game.

Thank you for reading and enjoy the forums!