Okay, so maybe we went a bit overboard with all that table hockey nonsense back in the old days. But at least we weren't getting involved in identity theft or abusing drugs. We took the little game with the flattened hockey players further than most normal people could ever imagine, and must have surprised even ourselves when we saw all the attention to detail being lavished upon it; which included exhaustive statistical coverage of each and every 5-minute ('stop time' in last 30-seconds) contest.
With comical team names like The Waffles, The Fiends, The Greats and the Wombats, we obviously didn't take ourselves too seriously. There were no mid-game brawls after a goal was scored, or foul language to the opposing coach across the set, and (except for an obvious time-wasting tactic behind their own net by 'The Bangers' defencemen after they'd scored the opening goal) there was never any real cheating in evidence.
For my part, I enjoyed working with fellow table hockey enthusiast Bartholomew Woods (The Greats) in providing a yearly statistical summary booklet for each full season. Actually, all I contributed was the cover art. It was up to Bartholomew to supply all the brain work - like figuring out just who it was that had the highest scoring left winger, or who was it that controlled the best goaltender (least goals against).
Beginning with four 'teams' in the 1960s under the casual title of the 'House Hold Hockey League (the H.H.H.L.) we eventually upgraded our image to where we were holding table hockey tournaments that drew more than two dozen players winning all kinds of classy trophies. Each playing a balanced schedule with home-and-away games on an assortment of different model sets. Of course this rise in corporate stature from a 'mom & pop' outfit required us to change our league name to more reflect our place in the sporting world. So out with the garbage went the H.H.H.L. and in with the modern times came the I.H.A. - the Irrelevant Hockey Association!
Altho none of us have played the game in the last 20 years now, I still have the same hockey set I first received for Christmas 1967 stored in my downstairs storage locker. I suppose I'm assuming that it will eventually be providing the scrapping and sliding sounds of a game in progress again someday, because I could easily have ditched it at any point over the years. But something told me not to. Maybe it was one of the players wearing the cartoon 'Fiends' team jersey seen here. Yeah that's just great; now I'm hearing little table hockey players talk to me.
2 comments:
Those were the days my friend, we never thought they'd end.
Those were the good old days.
Was able to beat you a time or two.
I'm free, Rob's on strike.
Set up the table hockey set!
Sounds like a good time to have a tournament.
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