For anyone browsing this game -- Hello! There is another similar game "Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey" (without the '98) that is a year or so older and almost identical to this one.

I added '98 to speedrun.com since it is technically a different game with modified Goalie AI and a couple extra features for changing rosters easily. I hope this helps avoid confusion between the two games -- I almost submitted times for the wrong version before I realized the cart I was playing on was the '98 edition of the game.

Although the categories for both games are currently similar, the rulesets used for submissions are different -- consider picking the one you like or try playing for a time on both games!

FYI:

In the United States, Minnesota updated their state flag on May 11, 2024. It looks like on player profiles the old flag is still present as of today. The new state flag is pretty slick tbh and I look forward to rocking it on this site at some point ^^

Hello! I would like to propose a rules update for the two current categories of Mutant League Hockey as of May 2024.

Single Game, and Playoffs

I find the rules "Period length: 3 mins. Penalties off. Reserves disabled. Death index(5)Annihilation." overly limiting and detrimental in both these categories. TL;DR: There is no reason for them to be in place, they hurt the game by restricting strategies, and they are against the spirit of Any% runs.

Period length: 3, 5, and 8 minute periods are possible. In Playoffs, forcing the period length to be 3 minutes can actually cause a delay, as it can cause a player to go to the period menu/playbook and face-off again when they would rather spend the time killing the rest of the other team.

Penalties off: Giving runners the option to turn penalties on allows them more methods of accessing the playbook. The playbook is important to access because it allows you to activate your special plays, a key part of the game that can give you an edge like weaponizing your whole team instantly ("Armed Force" play). While penalties may seem like they lose time, less players on the ice can make it easier to control the flow of the game/battle!

Reserves disabled: Why disable reserves? Reserves let you choose (after accessing your playbook during a time-out) which players hit the ice. This can let you bring your armed enforcers out early, or protect a key player that is about to die. This is major feature of the game, and many sports games. It is more interesting to open this up as something that can be used.

Death index(5)Annihilation: A major strategy in speedrunning this game seems to be killing players of the other team rather than scoring. Death Index 5 certainly makes this easier, as players on the ice take damage faster, but it is a rule that does not need to be forced, and may theoretically slow down an Any% run. For example, a runner may get exceptionally good at slaying the other team with starters "Mo Puke" and "Spew Puke" when playing the "Terminator Trolz" team, but in Playoffs you may find that if you lose both Mo and Spew, your run is over, so you may want to dial the violence back to 4.

Thank you for attending my Ted talk. While I hope these points seem relatively straight-forward, I wanted to take time to argue them thoroughly. It is out of love for the game I bestow this wall of text. <3