Inside the Crease Hockey Game:

Welcome to the world of Inside the Crease Hockey (ITC) !
We have two versions of the game available. A traditional board game with cards and a PC port of same but played fully on the Windows platform. Both versions are discussed and available for purchase below.

Inside the Crease (ITC) hockey is a tabletop simulation of the fast-paced game of pro hockey. In keeping with the pace of the sport of hockey this game uses double-sided Fast Action Cards (FAC) to move the game right along.

From the first face off players will perform on the ice like no other simulation out there. Skater’s cards are broken down with four separate offensive columns based on whether your team is at even strength, in the power play, shorthanded or the column for rebounds and great feed passes. These cards don’t just tell you whether a player takes a shot but the quality of the shot as well. Some guys will be shooting at the twine with quality shots most of the time while others will just be putting the puck towards the net. 

The slick-passing skaters are not left out here as a good playmaker on the ice can set up much better shooting opportunities for his teammates. Players are also rated on the frequency of giving the puck away. In ITC, a bone-headed pass that looses the puck isn’t just a turnover it can be a chance for a breakaway for the opposition.

Defense is covered equally in depth with four separate defensive ratings to set the players apart from one another. The ability to takeaway the puck, block shots, check players off the puck and general defensive ability all can force the action of the offense. You will be able to “see” a great defensive play stop a would be shot. Blocking a shot or forcing a shot wide with a defensive stop can be a goal saver. Controlling loose pucks can be a real game turner in ITC with this ability captured in the ratings as well. 

No hockey game would be complete without the ability to capture the penalty aspect. In ITC the players are not just rated for penalty frequency but the type as well. Whether it be a minor, major or misconduct you will know when it happens. If a fight breaks out you will watch the two combatants head to the box. When a minor is called you will get an actual penalty name (elbowing, holding, etc) for added flavor. The goalies are individually rated in their ability to stop shots in each of the six different shooting categories. You will be crushed to watch a weak slapshot trickle through for a goal but be ecstatic watching your goalie thwart an excellent scoring opportunity. In ITC, the ability of the goalie to control the action after a shot is also taken into consideration. You will see your goalie simply give up a rebound shot, hold the puck or be able to pass it off to a teammate. 

If strategy is your game ITC delivers with a simple and unobtrusive way to handle your coaching choices. If you push more forecheckers up the ice for better scoring chances you are leaving yourself open on the back end. It is your choice how to play it. ITC isn’t simply a hockey simulation it IS hockey. If you’ve seen it on the ice you will see it in the game. Whether it’s shooting, passing, defense, hits, saves or penalties ITC delivers. If it is inside the game it is Inside the Crease!

If hockey is your passion, lace 'em up and go Inside the Crease!

Inside the Crease Hockey Game Parts: $30.00 Printed & Shipped - Board game version Game comes with: Professionally made FAC deck (200 cards), Two fully laminated game charts, Nine game tokens, Scoresheets, Rulebook and, of course, a game box for the bookshelf. $8.00 for the PDF / eBook - Board game version Game comes with: FAC Deck, Scoreboard with Clock / Period & Injury Chart areas, Rule Book and the teams from the 2007/08 Stanley Cup Finals. That's everything needed to play the game including two teams (the 2007/08 Detroit Red Wings & Pittsburgh Penguins). Game rules can be found in the addons area of this site. *eBooks are in PDF format and are sent via email within 24hrs of purchase.   Printed Set (Ppd) eBook / PDF (via Email) Inside the Crease Hockey Game Parts $30 $8 ITC FAC DECK (purchased by itself) - An extra FAC deck for your ITC game. The game parts (above) DO come with a FAC deck. This if for an extra set. $22   ITC FAC DECK (purchased w/any other printed order) - An extra FAC deck for your IB game. The game parts (above) DO come with a FAC deck. This if for an extra set and discounted if you order anything else that is shipped from us at the same time. $17

'Very good hockey game. More depth than *****-*-*****' 'I find this game to be one of the smoothest table-top hockey games I have ever played' '...ITC seems to fall (comfortably) in the middle of all these games and may have the best overall design' 'ITC is truly a gem' 'This is THE Hockey game!'

Complete Seasons for Inside the Crease Hockey Recreate all the excitement of the fastest game in the world right on your table top. All of the great playmakers, shooters , grinders, role players, big hitters and goalies will come to life with their accurate abilities modeled in a very detailed, yet easy to use, way. Grab your choice of seasons ranging from the old Original 6 to the most recently completed season in the National Hockey League, you won't be disappointed! $26.00 - $58.00 Printed & Shipped - board game version Professionally laser printed on perforated card stock & shipped to your door ready to hit the ice. $10.00 - $17.00 for the PDF / eBook - board game version Game rules can be found in the addons area of this site. *eBooks are in PDF format and are sent via email within 24hrs of purchase. Season (Board Game) Printed B&W (Ppd) Printed Color (Ppd) eBook / PDF (via Email) $50 $60 $17 $50 $60 $17 $49 $58 $17 $49 $58 $17 $49 $58 $17 $49 $58 $17 $49 $58 $17 $49 $58 $17 $49 $58 $17 $49 $58 $17 $49 $58 $17 $49 $58 $17 $49 $58 $17 $49 $58 $17 $49 $58 $17 $49 $58 $17 $49 $58 $17 $49 $58 $17 $47 $55 $16 $47 $55 $16 $45 $53 $15 $45 $53 $15 $40 $47 $15 $40 $47 $15 $40 $47 $13 $40 $47 $13 $40 $47 $13 $28 $31 $10 $38 $43 $12 $38 $43 $12 $38 $43 $12 $38 $43 $11 $38 $43 $11 $38 $43 $11 $32 $35 $10 $37 $41 $10 $37 $41 $10 $32 $35 $10 $32 $35 $10 $32 $35 $10 $26 $28 $10 $26 $28 $10

"Closest thing to hockey game perfection I've found. All action deck driven; no dice or charts to bog you down. Easy-to-read player cards with several defense ratings; no confusing symbols to decipher. Penalties are handled well and game plays smoothly in an hour or less. Game engine can even handle statistical extremes like high shot or penalty totals. PC version plays exactly like the board game. Plenty of retro seasons available which is a must for me. Great customer service to boot. Highly recommended." "Excellent use of Fast Action Cards (front and back) to keep the quick flow of ice hockey in a sports simulation. The game does a great job of all aspects of the sport including quality of shots, ability to dig out the loose puck, breakaways, hot goal tenders, types and frequency of penalties, even strategy moves such as the number of fore checkers to try and get the puck from an opponent." "I have the Windows version of ITC...very faithful replication of the dice and card version on-screen. Computer generates random FACs and helps with line changes, timing and stat keeping. Literally the best of both worlds...you must enter the results (no autoplay of PC vs PC) Plays quickly and accurately.Having a blast with my 81-82 NY Islanders...Bossy, Trottier and Potvin are awesome!" 'To take a game with as much individual player detail as ITC has and put all that together to make the macro-level numbers come out right is quite a task. In the real 1967-68 season, there were an average of 60.55 shots on goal per game and 5.58 goals per game. In my replay, through 95 games, the averages are 60.46 and 5.56, respectively. Best of all, these results come from a game engine that flows like hockey. I love this game. Thanks a bunch, guys!' 'I will end up enjoying IN THE CREASE more than *** ***. It seems to flow more like real hockey' '... a very, very good hockey game that has much of the detail the ****-*** crowd likes, plays in 90 minutes or less, and has a better "flow" than ****-*** does' "Playing 41 game 2009-10 season. LOVE this game - does a great job at the conveying the "feel" of an actual game."

Inside the Crease Hockey (ITC) for Windows PC:

The Windows version of ITC plays exactly like the board game version of ITC. The player cards are displayed on the screen, the FAC's are automatically flipped in the program, and the program keeps stats.

ITC for Windows makes playing ITC an option for those who may prefer playing a PC sim instead of the board game version. Some people don't have room to line up all the lines, don't like to flip/shuffle FAC's, and want to keep stats easily. ITC for Windows accomplishes all this for them.

ITC features:
- Line info is stored (and easily edited), making startup time quicker.

- The program has a built in Autoline feature to use if you wish. This feature works based on the players' Shift rating and their current time on the ice. It will result in accurate time on ice for the skaters. It makes changing lines a breeze.

- Game stats can be saved and compiled. - Free agent features are included which make moving players from team to team a breeze (for those in season trades). The season databases can be easily edited. You can move players, release players, change a teams' names & colors. These options are perfect for those who prefer to play using their own custom teams.

- Compiled Stats can be viewed team by team or separated among Skaters, Goalies, & Team stats.

- Game reports & Stats can be exported to HTML format for easy internet posting.

- There is no Auto Coach mode or quick play mode. A game must be played from start to finish. The program also requires interaction from the person playing it. The goal was to maintain the feel of the board game version. The person playing will be making ratings checks, registering hits, goals, penalties, etc. ITC for Windows isn't a simulation in which you just read the displayed text describing the action, you will be a part of the game.

With ITC for the PC, even with minimal knowledge of the sport, you can be up and playing in no time and achieve accurate results.

The demo can be downloaded below. After unzipping the demo, it includes two setup files.

The files are:
Inside the Crease Hockey.exe : Run this file to install the demo of ITC. This is a fully functional version of ITC.

ITC Data File - Demo.exe : Run this file to install the demo data file which includes the two teams from the 2007-08 Stanley Cup.

The demo will run for 5 days before it becomes inactive. An unlock key must be purchased to register the demo.

Inside the Crease Hockey Windows / PC Game: *$30.00 digi-download of Game w/2 Teams (5 day demo is free & fully functional) *$10.00 - $17.00 digital download of Season Data Files A complete 100% port of our board game to Windows based PC's (Requires Windows XP or newer). You can download the fully functional game free of charge and play it as much as you like for up to 5 days. Once the 5 day trial period expires then you must register the game if you wish to continue playing. Registration is very simple and you will have an unlock code emailed to you once we receive payment. The two starter teams are 2007/08 Detroit Red Wings/Pittsburgh Penguins *All PC items are also available, upon request and for a small fee, on CD-ROM shipped to your door. Please contact us if you require the Game and/or Seasons on CD-ROM. DOWNLOAD THE PC GAME / 5 DAY TRIAL VERSION HERE Fully functional complete game v1.2.8 (NOV 4th 2020) - unlock with purchase to continue using. DO NOT UNINSTALL any previous version of ITC prior to installing version 1.2.7 Inside the Crease Hockey PC GAME DOWNLOAD PURCHASE DIGITAL DOWNLOAD REGISTRATION Including 2 Starter Teams: 2007/08 Stanley Cup Finals Teams Some items of NOTE: 1. The ITC demo must NOT be uninstalled and reinstalled, otherwise the demo will be expired! 2. The only way to get the ITC demo installed again after it has expired is to install it on a different PC. 3. If the ITC demo has been installed on multiple PC's and you want to purchase an Unlock Code, please make sure you submit the registration number from the main PC that you wish to run ITC on. 4. When an ITC Unlock Code is purchased, this gives the user a single PC license. - Additional licenses may be purchased at a much reduced rate. ITC for Windows Refunds Since you are provided with a 5 day free trial period to evaluate ITC and to ensure that the program runs successfully on your system, once an Unlock Code has been issued for ITC we are unable to issue a refund for the product.  Thank you.

'Even though you are playing on the computer, it feels like a table top game. The added bonus is that stats are kept for you' "I have the Windows version of ITC...very faithful replication of the dice and card version on-screen. Computer generates random FACs and helps with line changes, timing and stat keeping. Literally the best of both worlds...you must enter the results (no autoplay of PC vs PC) Plays quickly and accurately.Having a blast with my 81-82 NY Islanders...Bossy, Trottier and Potvin are awesome!" "PC version plays exactly like the board game."

Season Data Files for In the Crease Hockey / Windows PC: Recreate all the excitement of the fastest game in the world right on your Windows based PC. All of the great playmakers, shooters , grinders, role players, big hitters and goalies will come to life with their accurate abilities modeled in a very detailed, yet easy to use, way. Grab your choice of seasons ranging from the old Original 6 to the most recently completed season in the National Hockey League, you won't be disappointed! Once purchased, the file will be emailed to the address that you used to order. Please use a valid email address for that reason.  The ISG data file attachments are rejected by Gmail.  Customers who use Gmail will need to provide an alternative email address for the data files to be sent to. Season (Windows PC) Electronic File sent via Email $17  $17  $17  $17  $17  $17  $17  $17  $17  $17 $17 $17 $17 $17 $17 $17 $17 $17 $16 $16 $15 $15 $15 $15 $13 $13 $13 $10 $12 $12 $12 $11 $11 $11 $10 $10 $10 $10 $10 $10 $10 $10