Founding Fathers of the Original Air Hockey Table
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There is some controversy in exactly how air hockey got started. Urban legend is that it invented by a Brunswick Billiards employee named Bob Lemieux in 1972. Truthfully it was invented in 1969 by three Brunswick engineers named Phil Crossman, Bob Kenrick, and Brad Baldwin who were attempting to create a game with a frictionless surface. Stories are that the first game included a round disk and square mallets with doorbells hooked at each end with a photo sensor to signal a “goal”.
After much refining, by the mid-1970s, the game was becoming more and more popular in arcades and pool halls. As early as 1973, players in Houston formed the Houston Air Hockey Association, and soon local tournaments began. In 1975 the United States Air-Table Hockey Association (USAA) was formed as an official sanctioning body. Since 1975 there has been at least one national or world championship each year, crowning 12 different champions over 30 years. The USAA remains at present the only recognized worldwide player organization for Air Hockey.
For home players, air hockey is a great family sport, not causing injury or harm while being more action-packed than a board or card game. Best of all, players of all ages can enjoy air hockey, and there is an extensive variety of air hockey tables to suit the varying requirements of different players and available space.
Air hockey tables come in a wide range of sizes, since many families don’t have room for a 90” by 50” full-size arcade-style table. Small, cheaper tables can be found at franchises like Dick’s Sporting Goods and Big 5. For more advanced, higher quality and officially designated tables, it is usually best to research sites online, looking carefully for return policies, customer reviews and guarantees. It is important to understand there is a range of quality from basic air hockey tables to mid-level and top quality.
For less than $100 there are table-top versions that are portable and give you a taste of the game. For the real thing with some price ranges you can check out Excalibur 5′ Charger Air Hockey ($239.99), Harvard XH 6000 Air Hockey Table ($499.98),Sportcraft TurboAire Hockey Table ($699.98),and Sportcraft Flow Aire Hockey Table ($799.98). If you are looking for a very unique item, there are air hockey tables designed for outdoor use, airless tables, and even three-way tables for innovative and thrilling multi-player fun.
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