Rod Hockey

Flash back to your childhood with a rod hockey table

Rod hockey, also known as dome hockey, or table hockey is a tabletop version of ice hockey that features small plastic hockey figures that for the most part are encased in a plastic dome. Players manipulate their side’s figures to score points. Rod hockey was most popular in the 1980s, but is still alive and well. At Purewater we have a great selection of bubble hockey tables at all price points.

Play

Rod hockey is played for three periods that last 90 seconds each, according to the International Bubble Hockey Federation. Players flip a coin to see who goes first. Players play by using the game unit’s levers to spin the plastic hockey figures in order to knock the puck into the other player’s goal. Players cannot touch the rod hockey table during play; they can only touch the levers.

Scoring

In rod hockey, players score one point for knocking the puck into the other player’s goal. A puck that bounces into and out of the goal isn’t scored, even if the game table registers a goal. To win, a player must be ahead by at least two goals at the end of the three 90-second periods. If the players are tied or one is ahead by only one goal, play continues until a player is ahead by two goals.

Penalties

Common offenses include stalling by holding the puck longer than five seconds or shaking the goaltender figure in order to move the puck without the puck actually touching the goaltender. Players also receive a penalty if they spin any of the hockey figures for more than one second at a time. A player who kicks, shakes, strikes, or lifts the bubble hockey table is immediately disqualified, even if it is the player’s first offense.