 The cover of the game features Steve Yzerman and Scott Stevens, then team captains of 1995 Stanley Cup finalists the Detroit Red Wings and New Jersey Devils respectively.The Genesis, SNES and DOS versions of "NHL 96" were shipped to stores in North America on September 30, 1995 and released on October 6, 1995 to coincide with the opening of the 1995–96 NHL season.The same versions were released in Europe the same month.