The idea behind the invention of the air hockey table was to provide a surface that was frictionless. So a team of three engineers named Crossman, Kendrick and Baldwin from Brunswick started working on this idea to create a frictionless surface and increase game speed.

Even after working hard for many years on the idea, they failed to generate interest in their idea. Then, in 1972, Bob Lemieux, a dedicated individual who had himself played air hockey with a puck and mallets, took the original engineers’ idea and picked up where they left off. Lemieux eventually succeeded in creating the first hockey table that was frictionless due to its low-flow air vents.

Air Hockey was an immediate success. It became so popular with the people that it became the first choice of every bar, club and game room. The game quickly led to a tournament and in 1973 the Houston Air Hockey Association formed the air hockey team. Two years later, the Air Table Hockey Association established the official rules of the game. After that time, annual championships and tournaments have been held. In fact, twelve players have won the title of Air Hockey World Champion.

No one had imagined that a game like hockey would become such a popular pastime. In the 1970s, when soccer and billiards were very popular, nobody thought that there could be innovative techniques (Zero Friction) for table games. Who should get credit for the air hockey table, Bob Lemieux or the three Brunswick engineers, remains a question. But at the end of the day, what really matters is the results.

As with most games, the current hockey rules and prototypes are different from the original because players have developed new and different stances and grips over the years. Drifts have become more complex. Shots are often made “drift”, where the puck travels in set patterns designed to throw off the opponent’s expectations and timing. Sometimes drifts are grouped into sets such that the player can hit the puck in a particular way to return it and hit it multiple times in a row to confuse the opponent. To add to the confusion for the opponent, one can play the puck so that it appears to be a specific drift hit in a particular direction, but the puck flies in another shape and direction due to spin or rapid movement.

Whether you want to get into the technical gameplay described above or just have some fun in your basement or arcade, it definitely delivers.