Air Hockey Facts & Trivia

The idea behind the invention of air hockey tablethe 1970s when football and pool was very
was to provide a surface that does not havepopular, no one thought there could be innovative
friction. So a team of three engineers namedtechniques (Zero friction) for table games. Who
Crossman, Kendrick and Baldwin of Brunswickshould get the credit for air hockey table - Bob
started working on this idea in order to create aLemieux or the three Brunswick engineers - is still
frictionless surface and increases playing speed.a question. But at the end of the day, what really
Even after working hard for many years on thematters is the results.
idea, they failed to generate interest in their idea.As with most games, the present hockey rules
Then, in 1972, Bob Lemieux, a dedicated personand prototypes are different from the original
who himself had played air hockey with a puckbecause players have developed new and
and mallets, took the idea from the originaldifferent stances and grips over the years. The
engineers and picked up where they had left off.drifts have become more complex. The shots are
Lemieux finally succeeded in creating the firstoften hit out of "drifts," where the puck travels in
hockey table that was without friction because ofset patterns designed to throw off the
its low flowing air vents.opponent's expectations and timing. Sometimes
Air Hockey was an immediate success. It isthe drifts are grouped into sets such that the
became so popular among people that it becameplayer can hit the puck in a particular manner to
the first choice of every bar, club and arcade.send it back and hit it number of times in
The game quickly led to tournament play and insuccession to confuse the opponent. For more
1973 the Houston Air Hockey Association formedconfusion to the opponent, one can play the puck
the air hockey team. Two years later, the Airin a way to make it look like a specific drift shot
Table Hockey Association established the officialin a particular direction, but the puck flies in some
rules for the game. Following that time, annualother way and direction due to spin or quick
championships and tournaments have been held.movement.
In fact, twelve players have won the title ofWhether you want to get into the technical play
World Air Hockey Champion.mechanics described above or just have some
No one had ever imagined that a game likefun in your basement or game room, definitely
hockey would become such a popular pastime. Indelivers.