NHL FaceOff 2003 allows you to play the role of General Manager for an NHL team. Players can build a 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 also three difficulty settings for the different modes of play: rookie, normal, and veteran.

New presentations in the gameplay include watching the 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.