EA Sports has definitely done a great job on NHL '97. The gameplay is great. All the checking and penalties are included.
The graphics are excellent for a 32-bit console.
NHL '97 also includes the feature of creating your own players, and dividing up the available points to different attributes.
Best of all, each player has their own signature technique that you can always use while playing with the push of a button.
NHL '97 is definitely a great hockey game for the Saturn. Although when compared to later versions, it just can't compare to NHL '99. Would make a great addition to your Saturn library!