Table Hockey

[Don Wassall]

I loved table hockey as a kid, and still love to play it on the rare occasion I run across one in a bar or club.

I had no idea that the game had evolved to the point that the best players have world rankings and that there's a Let's Play Hockey International Expo currently taking place in Las Vegas, with Claude Lemieux among the attendees.

According to this smirking, "irreverently" written piece, the Swedes and Russians dominate competitive table hockey. Who knew?

http://www.lvrj.com/sports/table-hockey-a-blast-eh-174730941.html

 

[jaxvid]

I loved table hockey as a kid, and still love to play it on the rare occasion I run across one in a bar or club.

I had no idea that the game had evolved to the point that the best players have world rankings and that there's a Let's Play Hockey International Expo currently taking place in Las Vegas, with Claude Lemieux among the attendees.

According to this smirking, "irreverently" written piece, the Swedes and Russians dominate competitive table hockey. Who knew?

http://www.lvrj.com/sports/table-hockey-a-blast-eh-174730941.html

I wore that game out as a kid playing with my brothers and friends. A couple of times me and a few guys from the neighborhood formed a "league" and made up a schedule and played at each others "home" stadiums. Guys would customize their rinks and know all the bounces. Had one guy that would hit it off the back wall have it bounce in front and knock it in with the center.

We used a cooking timer as the game clock. Funny thing, back in the 1970s there were no clocks. The family had one on the mantle or hanging on the wall and that was it. Nowadays everything has a clock, phones, radios, games, I remember we had to stop playing for a while because the timer broke and we had no way to time the games.

Every once in a while I'll come across the game in a bar and school the young kids playing it. I'm still pretty good 40 years later. Some things you never forget how to do. Don, next time I'm in Las Vegas we will have to find a game and see if you really can still play.

 

[Don Wassall]

I wore that game out as a kid playing with my brothers and friends. A couple of times me and a few guys from the neighborhood formed a "league" and made up a schedule and played at each others "home" stadiums. Guys would customize their rinks and know all the bounces. Had one guy that would hit it off the back wall have it bounce in front and knock it in with the center.

We used a cooking timer as the game clock. Funny thing, back in the 1970s there were no clocks. The family had one on the mantle or hanging on the wall and that was it. Nowadays everything has a clock, phones, radios, games, I remember we had to stop playing for a while because the timer broke and we had no way to time the games.

Every once in a while I'll come across the game in a bar and school the young kids playing it. I'm still pretty good 40 years later. Some things you never forget how to do. Don, next time I'm in Las Vegas we will have to find a game and see if you really can still play.

We might as well do a full-fledged Pub Olympics -- table hockey, air hockey, pool and darts. I'll whip you at all of them. :eyebrows:

 

[jaxvid]

We might as well do a full-fledged Pub Olympics -- table hockey, air hockey, pool and darts. I'll whip you at all of them. :eyebrows:

Beat me at pool! c'mon you're talking to a guy who grew up in Detroit...