Tabletop Hockey

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

For more than three-quarters of a century, tabletop hockey has been
played by Canadian children and their parents. Now, through Tabletop
Hockey, those wanting to improve their playing skills and strategies can
avail themselves of the expertise of Greg Peden, the North American
tabletop hockey champion.

The slim volume is generously illustrated with colored photographs of
various historical and contemporary versions of the game, with the
models likely coming from Peden’s own collection, reputedly one of the
world’s largest. Following a brief history of the table/floor game and
a “Play Right” (rules-of-play) section, seven pairs of facing pages
are devoted to shooting, taking face-offs, passing, using your wingers,
playing defence, and goaltending.

Dotted throughout the book are colored circles containing an “expert
tip.” Peden also suggests some practice drills and comments on Top
Corner Hockey, a newer version of the game. Much like locker-room chalk
talks, many of the helpful hints are illustrated with an overhead shot
of the playing surface showing the movement of the puck and/or players
by way of dotted lines and/or arrows. Missing is any real mention of
holding/manipulating the rods or handles that control the hockey
players’ movements, a matter of significant concern to youngsters
whose manual dexterity is not well developed. An annoying aspect of the
book is Peden’s repeated use of the words “enemy” and
“enemies” to refer to the opposition player(s). A good addition to
public, school, or home libraries. Recommended.