NHL FaceOff 2003 lets you play as a General Manager for an NHL team. You can build your team using drafts, free agency, trades, and signings. Other modes of play include skating in single elimination Tournament Mode as either an NHL or international team, going one-on-one with the goalkeepers in Shootout Mode, or Practice Mode.
There are three difficulty settings for the different modes of play: rookie, normal, and veteran.
The gameplay features new presentations such as watching players walk through the tunnel before the game, pre-game warm-ups, player shoves after the whistle, jibes from the penalty box, and post-game celebrations.