The World's Greatest Hockey Game is a simulation hockey game based on player performance from the previous year. The player cards are broken down on a percentage basis, reflecting how often a particular player shot the puck, forced a face-off, took a penalty, threw an interception or passed. Separate sections on the cards reflect a player on a powerplay or playing shorthanded. Delayed penalties and shooting off the rebound were also factored in by special rules reflecting these aspects. One additional detail regarding TWGHG should be noted. In this game, the players for each team in a given season are those who were set to appear on opening day for the current year. This differs from hockey game systems such as Strat-O-Matic or Statis Pro, where card sets were published only after a season was completed. TWGHG was intended for players who wanted to use the opening day rosters and play out a season as it was progressing.