BookmarkAll About Bubble Hockey
An arcade classic becomes a worldwide sport
Bubble hockey is the modern arcade version of classic table hockey. Bubble hockey is named for the large plastic dome or bubble that covers the playing surface to prevent the puck from being lost or stolen. The popularity of bubble hockey has flourished in recent years, and bubble hockey tables can be spotted not only in bars and arcades but also in the basements and rec rooms of table hockey aficionados worldwide.
Bubble hockey history
The history of bubble hockey is inseparable from the history of table hockey. Table hockey games have been around since the 1920s. The first table hockey games featured players assembled from wood and wire. On these early models, players could only spin in place, making it necessary for table hockey games to have a hump in the center for continuous puck movement and game play. It was not until the mid-50s that modern style games, featuring full color players capable of sliding up and down the playing surface, were introduced in North America. Similar table hockey models had existed in Europe since the 30s.
A proper history of bubble hockey begins in 1982 with the creation of the first Chexx bubble dome hockey game. The Chexx bubble hockey game, which pitted the USA hockey team against the Russian hockey team, struck a chord with American hockey fans still buzzing from America's miraculous 1980 Olympic hockey victory. Today, the Super Chexx bubble hockey game is the model of choice for serious fans of bubble hockey.
Bubble hockey game play
A typical bubble hockey game resembles a small scale hockey rink with a covering plastic dome. A player positioned at each end of the bubble hockey table controls his team by pushing, pulling, and twisting long metal or fiberglass rods. These rods stretch beneath the playing surface and are connected to three forwards at the far end of the table and two defensemen and a goaltender at the near end.
Bubble hockey games are much more technologically advanced than older table hockey models. Today's bubble hockey games include such features as electronic time clocks, automated scorekeeping and shots on goal counts, magnetic pucks, crowd noises, overhead lighting, and pre-game national anthems.
Bubble hockey tournaments
With bubble hockey games now more commonplace than ever, table hockey tournaments have become a popular way for bubble hockey players to match their skills against the best the world has to offer.
The table hockey World Championship is held every two years, and will be held next in Moscow, Russia, in 2007. Sponsored by the International Table Hockey Federation, the World Championship has been won every year by a Swedish player. The 2005 tournament was held in Riga, Latvia and featured 132 participants from 22 different countries.
In America, the 2006 National Bubble Hockey Championship was hosted in March by the St. Louis Blues and the International Bubble Hockey Federation (www.ibhf.net).
If a national or world championship sounds a little daunting, there are many local bubble hockey tournaments to be found. Such tournaments often feature both one on one and doubles play.
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