The idea behind the invention of the air hockey table was to provide a surface that is frictionless. So a team of three engineers named Crossman, Kendrick, and Baldwin from Brunswick began 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 person who had himself played air hockey with a puck and mallets, took the idea from the original engineers and picked up where they left off. Lemieux finally managed to create the first frictionless hockey table due to its low-flow air vents.
Air Hockey was an immediate success. It became so popular with people that it became the first choice of all bars, clubs, and game rooms. 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. Subsequently, annual championships and tournaments have been held. In fact, twelve players have won the title of World Air Hockey Champion.
No one had ever imagined that a game like hockey would become such a popular pastime. In the 1970s, when soccer and billiards were very popular, no one thought that there could be innovative techniques (zero friction) for board 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, current hockey rules and prototypes are different from the originals because players have developed new and different grips and stances over the years. Drifts have become more complex. Shots are often taken from “drifts,” where the puck travels in established patterns designed to throw off the opponent’s expectations and timing. Sometimes the drifts are grouped into sets so that the player can hit the puck in a particular way to return it and hit it several times in a row to confuse the opponent. For further confusion of the opponent, one can play the puck in a way that looks like a specific drift shot in a particular direction, but the puck flies in another direction and direction due to spinning or rapid movement.
Whether you want to get into the technical game mechanics outlined above or just have fun in your basement or arcade, it definitely delivers.