Second Battle at Binghamton is set 9-3-09
The organizers of this year's Battle at Binghamton have a set a tournament date. It's Saturday, Nov. 21. The first edition of this tournament last November got great reviews from those who attended. To sum them up: it's good fun, good table hockey fun and an ice hockey game at night to boot. Thank you to organizers Mike Horan and Jerry Kiballa. You can get all the information on this great event by clicking here.

Table hockey updates 8-14-09
We don't have a traditional-style blog here yet at the USTHA, but I'll post some updates from time to time on the organization's official message board at tablehockeyheaven.com. The latest has some information about old tournaments and potential new ones. You can read it by clicking here.

Axelsen wins U.S. Open 8-2-09
The new North American Stiga Tour year began much like the last one ended: with Bjarne Axelsen of Denmark winning a tournament. Axelsen defeated Bernie Kunzler of Canada 4-1 in the finals to become the 2009 Stiga U.S. Open champion. The tournament in suburban Chicago drew 38 players. Winning the B Group was Jeff Farwell of Yorkville, IL. C Group champion is Ron Chesick of Montreal, QUE and the D Group was won by Pierre Chastenais also of Montreal. Results will be posted soon but you can get a preview of them by clicking here.

Several North American events part of ITHF World Tour 7-25-09
Four events in the U.S. and Canada are part of the 2009-10 International Table Hockey Federation World Tour. They are: Chicago U.S. Open (Aug. 1), Edmonton Centennial (Sept. 26), Let's Play Hockey Las Vegas (Jan. 25) and Detroit SNAC (March 27). You can see all the World Tour events by clicking here.

Slight changes to North American Tour tournament ratings 7-24-09
There's a slight change to how tournaments are rated this year on the North American Stiga Tour. Instead of assigning a letter grade (A, B, C, D, etc.) based on benchmarks for number of players and strength of field, tournaments now will be rated under an incentive/bonus system. As approved, all tournaments with 16 players and a minimum of 50 strength of field points will be worth 20 points. For every four additional players, the tournament's value goes up 5 points. And for every 50 additional strength of field points, the tournament's value goes up 5 points. We have posted a more detailed explanation with examples here.

North American tour kicks off in Chicago with U.S. Open 7-22-09
The 2009-10 North American Stiga Tour kicks off Saturday, Aug. 1 in suburban Chicago, IL with the Stiga U.S. Open. The organizers once again are making it a full table hockey weekend with a Coleco tournament the night before. For more details, you can visit the tournament web site by clicking here.

Edmonton Centennial VI unveils Web page 6-25-09
The organizers of the Centennial Challenge Classic in Edmonton have put up a Web page with information about the tournament. Check it out by clicking here.

Axelsen from Denmark wins Rose Bowl VIII 5-31-09

Bjarne Axelsen, the ITHF president, returned to North America and won the Rose Bowl Classic VIII in Montreal, QUE on Saturday, May 30. Bjarne also won the Las Vegas tournament in January. Taking the B pool was Matt Rogers of Rowley, MA and C pool was won by Eric Chesick of Montreal. Congrats to Pierre Chastenais, veteran TH organizer, for putting on a tournament that had the strongest field of any in North America this year. His efforts are getting rave reviews on the table hockey message boards. With the California tournament postponed until later in the year, the Rose Bowl is the final tour of the 2008-09 tour year. Thanks to everyone who played table hockey this year and we hope to see you on tour next year.

Update: Stats have been posted here.


Date of California tournament pushed back to December 4-26-09

Dr. Kevin Rafferty announces that the 2009 date of the U.S. Stiga Shootout has been changed to Saturday, December 12, 2009. The location has been changed to Davis Magnet School in Costa Mesa, California, just 3.6 miles from the John Wayne Orange County Airport.

The reason for the change: Dr. Rafferty is now the principal at Davis Magnet School. With his change in job location, comes the change for the tournament date and location. I hope the new December 12, 2009 tournament date works for you. If you're interested in playing in the United States Stiga Shootout, please contact Dr. Rafferty at: kevin.n.rafferty@gmail.com

Kunzler is king in Detroit 3-28-09

Kitchener, Ontario's Bernie Kunzler bested a field of 37 players to win the Stiga North American Championships tournament in Romulus, MI. He defeated Matt DiDomizio of Cromwell, CT 3-1 in the finals. Taking the B pool was Lou DiDonato of Windsor, CAN over Eric DiBacco of West Virginia. The C pool winner was won by Noah VanDenEnden over his father, Rein VanDenEnden. Both are from Brantford, ONT. The Friday night Coleco tournament was won by Dave Kraehling and the Sunday Munro Crystal Ice doubles tournament went to Ivan Sanislo and Steve Murri.

Dubois wins Hartford 2-22-09

The Boston area's Ken Dubois won the Hartford Open on Feb. 21, besting a field of 25 players according to early reports. Dubois defeated young Matt Rogers of Rowley, MA 4-2 in the Best of 7 finals. Update: The B pool was won by Jeff Puopolo of Groveland and the C pool by Bob Muggleston of East Hampton, CT.

Information about three future tournaments 2-12-09

Hello everyone. A quick news update for your about the North American Stiga Tour. The Rose Bowl event in Montreal will take place Saturday, May 30 and will be a one-day affair instead of the traditional two. The Stiga U.S. Open near Chicago will be held Saturday, Aug. 1, with a Coleco tournament the night before. And the organizers of the tournaments scheduled for New York City April 17-18 have canceled the event, citing the economy, a lack of player interest and other factors. Stay tuned to this web page for more Stiga table hockey event news as it becomes available.

Two weeks until Hartford Open  2-7-09

Matt and Chris DiDomizio will be putting on the Hartford Open once again this year. It's Saturday, Feb. 21. You can still sign up. Click here to get more information on the tournament web site.

Detroit organizers announce tournament information 2-7-09
We've got details on the big Detroit weekend. The Motor City 5380 Classic tournament will take place late Friday afternoon/early Friday evening on March 27. The main event Stiga North American Championships tournament is Saturday morning, March 28. A Munro Crystal Ice doubles tournament is being planned for Sunday morning. And there's a Red Wings game on Sunday night (also Friday night if Coleco ain't your thing). Location is the Clarion Hotel Detroit Metro Airport. All the information is available here: SNAC web site.

Southern California date announced 2-7-09

Dr. Kevin Rafferty has announced the date of his annual Stiga Shootout event in Ladera Ranch, CA. It's June 6. You can find out more information here.

Axelsen wins Vegas 1-27-09

Bjarne Axelsen of Bronderslev, Denmark won the 2009 Let's Play Hockey tournament in Las Vegas, NV. He bested Anette Engel, also of Denmark, in the finals. She's also his girlfriend, but that didn't stop him from a 4-0 sweep in the finals. We can report they were still holding hands at the casino lounge afterward and looked very happy. Taking third was Denis Maille of Montreal, QUE over Kevin Rafferty of Laguna Hills, CA. Winning the B pool was Matt DiDomizio of Cromwell, CT. And taking the C pool was Pierre Chastenais of Montreal, QUE. Next up: Mr. DiDomizio's Hartford tournament.

Update: Las Vegas full results can be viewed here: tournament results.

New calendar year starts out with two tournaments in first two months 1-12-09

The North American tour starts back up after a hiatus of a couple months with two tournaments in January and February. The fourth edition of the Let's Play Hockey tournament in Las Vegas by Jim Rzonca is up first on Jan. 26, followed up by the return of Matt DiDomizio's Hartford Open on Feb. 21. Check out the left-hand column on this page for links to the tournament web sites.

USTHA first-ever election results 1-11-09

Happy New Year. All the responses are in and we've got the results of the USTHA election. Two people were nominated for president and one accepted. Eric Krol is the new USTHA president. A total of 13 people were nominated for six board spots. Six accepted. Your new USTHA board is: Paul Brotz, Paul Ruiz, Kevin Rafferty, Jim Rzonca, Mike Horan and Mike Caponetti. The terms are two years, meaning another election process should start around November 2010 so the election can be completed by January 2011. Thanks to all who made nominations, all who were nominated and all who accepted.

USTHA seeking nominations for first-ever election 11-19-08

The USTHA board recently voted to hold an election. The positions available are president and six board members. Nominations can be submitted through Wednesday, Dec. 3 to usthaelections@yahoo.com. Only USTHA members can nominate and run in the election. For more information, please see this post in the official USTHA message board on Tablehockeyheaven.com.

Dubois wins inaugural Battle at Binghamton 11-9-08

Ken Dubois (Shrewsbury, MA) defeated Bernie Kunzler (Kitchener, ONT) in four straight games in the finals to capture the tournament championship at the inaugural "Battle at Binghamton" Stiga tournament on Saturday, Nov 8. Dubois lost only one game in the entire tournament. Semi-finalists were Mike Caponetti (Framingham, MA) and Matt Rogers (Groveland, MA). Dubois and Kunzler reenacted the final game of their match before a crowd of nearly 3,000 hockey fans at center ice during the 1st intermission of the AHL Binghamton Senators game versus the Worcester Sharks. The Binghamton Senators are the AHL affiliate to the NHL Ottawa Senators and the Worcester Sharks are the AHL affiliate to the NHL San Jose Sharks.

Division II 1st Place finisher Dana Rogers (Groveland, MA) defeated Binghamton Area Table Hockey League member and phenom 10-yr-old Zak Kiballa (Owego, NY). Kiballa, coming off a 1st place showing in Division IV of the Canada Challenge, is definitely a future Division I contender. Division II 3rd place went to Mike Horan (Endicott, NY) over Jerry Kiballa Owego, NY) in 4 games of the best-of-5 series. Horan and Kiballa were tournament co-chairman of the event. Division III went to another Kiballa: 8-year-old Luke (Owego, NY). He defeated first-time tournament player John Ciampa (Binghamton, NY). The 4th place finisher in Division III was Thomas Ciampa (Binghamton, NY), who was defeated by his father, Dave (Binghamton, NY), who took home the 3rd place trophy. Father and son also were first-time tournament players. The tournament Sportsmanship Award was presented to Cameron Bernstein (Framingham, MA).

Finally, the Youth Division 1st place trophy was presented to John Brown (Binghamton, NY) for finishing 2 points ahead of Max Bernstein (Framingham, MA), who claimed the 2nd place trophy. The 3rd and 4th place medals went to Ian Roll (Endicott, NY) and Andrew Caponetti (Framingham, MA).

Tournament organizers Mike Horan and Jerry Kiballa congratulated all participants and encouraged them to share their experience with others in and out of the table hockey community and invited all to come back next year for the 2nd annual "Battle at Binghamton." Thanks to Mike Horan for the full report.

Update: The rankings have been updated to include the Binghamton tournament.


Don't call it a comeback: Turner wins Gatineau 10-18-08

Bruce Turner, once of Kitchener and now of South America, won the Canada Challange in Gatineau. He doesn't play as much as he used to since moving all those thousands of miles away, but he's been playing in more and more tournaments, arriving earlier this time and sparring with the great Bernie Kunzler in Kitchener. On Saturday, Turner defeated Junior Gelinas in the finals. Taking the second group was Hugues Dery of Quebec over Matt Rogers of the Boston area. In the third group (groups divided up in a unique way) was tournament organizer Eric Desjardins over Steve Bernstein of Framingham, MA. And in the final group, youngster Zak Kiballa of Owego, NY won over Dana Rogers of the Boston area. Next up: Binghamton!


Battle at Binghamton unveils web site 10-3-08

The organizers of the Battle at Binghamton tournament have unveiled a web site with a special logo. You can view the web site here.


Detroit announces 2009 date 10-3-08

The organizers of the Stiga North American Championships have announced the dates of their tournaments next year. The action kicks off with a Coleco s-slot tournament on late afternoon Friday, March 27. The Stiga main event will be held Saturday, March 28. They also list a TBA for Sunday, March 29. They've double the room space this year. The new location is down the street from the 2008 venue and it's all close to the airport. It'll be held at the Clarion Hotel, 8600 Merriman Rd, Romulus MI 48174.


New champion in Edmonton 9-27-08

Kent Richter of Edmonton, AB won the fifth edition of the Centennial Challenge Cup over Reggie Stefaniszyn at West Edmonton Mall at the Centre Fountain under a skylight. The two tough competitors are practicing partners who've played each other probably thousands of times by now. Taking the B group was Dr. Kevin Rafferty of Laguna Hills, CA over Wade Hopfe. C pool winner was won by Rick Socha over Thomas Hunter and Bob Cookhouse took the D pool over Thanh Pham.


Gatineau tournament web site back up 9-16-08

Hello. Eric Desjardins would like everyone to know that the Canada Challenge web site is back up. You can check it out here.


Junior strong at Stiga Collision 9-15-08

Jean "Junior" Gelinas bested a field of 35 to win the Stiga portion of the Stiga-Coleco Collision in Repentigny, QUE. Gelinas swept Bernie Kunzler of Kitchener, ONT in the finals. Winning the B was Eric Ouellet over Mario Myre and Francois Cote defeated Greg Scoma to win the C. The rankings have been updated as well. Next up: Edmonton!


Announcing a new tournament: The Battle at Binghamton 9-12-08

The USTHA is proud to announce a new sanctioned tournament taking place Nov. 8 in upstate New York. Organizers Mike Horan and Gerald Kiballa, whom some of you may have met at this year's tournaments in Hartford and Boston, are excited to be putting on an event. They're excited and they've got their ducks in a row and you can read all about it at the tournament Web site. There's information about entry fees, venue tournament schedule, awards, lodging and food. Look for a new logo soon.


NYC tournament unveils Web site 8-22-08

The organizers of the April 2009 New York City tournament have launched a Web site. You can get all the details here.

Chargo wins Chicago 7-26-08

Rob Chargo of Gurnee, IL won the 7th annual U.S. Open in Lemont near Chicago, beating Reggie Stefaniszyn of Edmonton, AB in five games. This is Chargo's second U.S. Open title. He also won the Las Vegas tournament in January. Taking third in the top group was Bernie Kunzler of Kitchener, ONT over Bruce Turner of Peru. The second group was won by Tim Walker of the Detroit, MI area and the third group was won by 15-year-old Sean Rafferty of Laguna Hills, CA.

Update: (7/28/08) Rankings page now updated.

New North American tour year starts in Chicago 7-20-08

The new CTHA/USTHA tour year starts with the U.S. Open in the Chicago area on July 26. Around 40 players are poised to make it another successful event with a Coleco-style tournament once again on the menu the night before for those who like their table hockey action old-school. Not too late to register and get in on the action. Results will be posted throughout the day on tablehockeyheaven.com.
The tour is poised to repeat the same cities as last year, with an exciting exception: the Boston event is scheduled for new location, New York City. There also has been some interest in holding new tournaments in upstate New York and Calgary and the USTHA looks forward to working with those organizers. Our friends at the CTHA are working to bring a resolution to the Repentigny sanctioning issue and we hope to announce some news on that front soon.

As for the ranking system, we're standing pat this year after some significant changes were approved last year. You'll notice the ranking points for tournaments held during the 2006-07 tour year start to disappear as we make our way through the schedule, with those tournaments replaced by tournaments from the 2008-09 tour year.

Best of luck to all the players and organizers this year. Let's make it another fun one!

"The Score" newsletter enters the modern age 6-23-08

The USTHA/CTHA official newsletter, "The Score," is back with a new issue. This time, instead of e-mailing out or mailing out the final product, we've posted it on a web site. In this issue, we've got stories that provide game-playing tips, one Stiga player's Coleco experience, a flashback to 1977, and a profile of Edmonton's finest, Reggie Stefaniszyn. Only members of the two associations can access it, however (password required). So feel free to sign up if you're curious...we don't hard-sell memberships. It's $10 for a one-year membership in the USTHA and a limited-edition souvenir Stiga puck is included. Just click on the membership tab up above. USTHA members already have this issue's password and instructions in their e-mail inbox.

Tour year concludes with Dubois on top yet again 6-13-08

The 2007-08 USTHA/CTHA North American tour year is over and Ken Dubois of Shrewsbury, MA is once again the top player. Dubois won literally half the tournaments played this year, taking first place a record five times. Congrats to Ken for another stellar year on the tables! The only other player to win more than one tournament was Reggie Stefaniszyn of Edmonton, AB, who won two tournaments. Rob Chargo of Chicago, Bernie Kunzler of Kitchener, CAN and Lars Fridell of Sweden were the other three winners. Top Canadian player was Jean "Junior" Gelinas.

The tour grew to 10 events this year, a record. Of those events, 1 was rated A, three were rated B, 1 was C and five were D. That mix is probably mostly attributed to a decline in attendance at some tournaments. Table hockey players have more options these days, most visibly seen in the strong Classic Coleco scene in Quebec province and the Coleco events that piggyback on some of the Stiga tournaments in the US. In the most recent two tour years, we've had 186 ranked players and 250 players who've participated in at least one event.

The USTHA/CTHA directors adjusted the ranking system last year to reflect recent trends and we'll be looking to see what tweaks might be needed again before the next tour year starts at the end of July. Speaking of which, the Stiga U.S. Open in Lemont will see rankings points from 2006 disappear to be replaced by the results from this year's (2008) tournament. The same thing will happen to the other 2006 tournament results as tournaments are held in the upcoming tour year. Have a great summer everyone and hope to see you on tour, as they say!

Reggie wins Stiga Shootout in SoCal 6-7-08

Reggie Stefaniszyn of Edmonton, AB won the third annual U.S. Stiga Shootout in Ladera Ranch, CA, becoming the third player to win the tournament. He defeated Eric Krol of the Chicago suburbs 4-0 in the best-of-7 finals. Taking third was Peter Orum of Denmark. Winning the B pool was tournament organizer Dr. Kevin Rafferty over John Medema of Tinley Park, IL. C pool winner was Jeff Wilens of Yorba Linda, CA and D pool winner was Ricky Soto of Ladera Ranch, CA.

Update: Rankings pages have been updated to reflect the Stiga Shootout.

Dubois wins RBC VII in Montreal 5-26-08

Kenny Dubois, a last-minute entrant, won the seventh edition of Pierre Chastenais' Rose Bowl Classic in Montreal, QUE. He defeated Bruce Turner, formerly of Kitchener but now in South America, 4-1 in the Best of 7 final. Third place was Junior Gelinas over Eric Desjardins, both of Quebec province. The field was top-notch, featuring many of the top Canadian Stiga players. Winning the B pool was Bernie Kunzler of Kitchener, CAN over Hugues Dery and the C pool champ was Stephen Klump of Ottawa over Regis Ouellet, to give you an idea of the talent level that was present.

Update: The rankings pages have now been updated as of 5/27/08.

NYC, Chicago, Vegas part of ITHF World Tour next year 5-21-08

The International Table Hockey Federation recently announced that three US tournaments will be part of the World Table Hockey Tour next season. The tournaments are: U.S. Open near Chicago on July 26, the Las Vegas tournament on Jan. 26, 2009 and the New York tournament on April 18, 2009. You can catch up on all the international table hockey news at the ITHF web site.

Strong Swede wins Boston Challenge 4-21-08

From ithf.info: 27 participants enjoyed a fun-filled day of table hockey competition at this year’s edition of the Boston Challenge. Lars Fridell (Sweden) won the prestigious trophy beating Kenny Dubois (USA), 4-1 in a very competitive and entertaining finals series. Reggie Stefaniszyn (Canada) and Matt Rogers (USA) were the semifinalists. Dana Rogers (USA) won the B Group finals over Russ Guertin (USA) and 8-year-old Luke Kiballa (USA) won the C Group over Derek Koplin (USA).

This year’s tournament also featured some other very good and developing junior talent in the names of Cameron and Max Bernstein, Andrew Caponetti, Zak Kiballa (finished 14th in the Elite group! And brother of Luke) and Alexander Sobrinski.

Update: Rankings updated on 4/24/08

Charity table hockey tournaments part of hockey expo in Denver 4-7-08

Colorado was the state many credit with table hockey's rebirth through Garey "Hound Dawg" Sutherby's tournaments in Grand Lake. Now it's Denver as the hockey hotbed. Coleco player Greg Scoma has joined with The Hockey Guild to put a pair of table hockey tournaments on May 3-4 with the goal of raising money for Hockey Fights Cancer. On May 3, a multi-board tournament is scheduled to take place on the Chexx, Custom Coleco and Stiga games. A Stiga-only tournament is slated for May 4. "There will be an autogaphed Colorado Avalanche jersey added as a prize to one of those two days. Same with prize money," organizer Scoma said. The Stiga tournament will count in the rankings provided a minimum of 12 players participate and the USTHA has agreed to waive the $1/player sanctioning fee since it's for a great cause. For more information, visit the event web site.

Dubois wins Detroit 3-30-08

Ken Dubois of Shrewsbury, MA won the Stiga North American Championships tournament held in Romulus, MI (near Detroit airport) on Saturday, March 29. Dubois defeated Kent Richter of Edmonton, AB in the finals 4-0. Taking third was Reggie Stefaniszyn of Edmonton over Bernie Kunzler of Kitchener, ONT as Canadian players captured four of the top seven spots overall. Winning the B Group was John Medema of Tinley Park, IL and taking the C finals was Josh Brotz of Canton, MI.

New: Rankings page has been updated.

Boston tournament to be held April 19 3-05-08

The organizers of the long-running Boston Challenge have set a date for this year's tournament. It's April 19 at the Athletic Center of Framingham State College, the same venue as last year. Originally, the Boston folks were hoping to hold their event in New York City, but logistical concerns have caused them to hold off on those plans until 2009. More details will be available at the tournament web site.

Dubois dominant in Hartford 2-24-08

Ken Dubois of Shrewsbury, MA ran the table to win the Hartford Open. Organizer Matt DiDomizio reports 35 players, including nine kids, braved the snow to have some fun playing table hockey in Cromwell, CT. Dubois upended Reggie Stefaniszyn of Edmonton in the finals. Sharing third in the A Group were Mike Caponetti of Framingham, MA and Chris DiDomizio of Cromwell, CT. Taking the B Group was Matt Rogers of Groveland, MA. He upended CT's Vic Handel, with Manuel Lopez of New York City taking third. The C Group was won by Kevin Roderiques of New Bedford, MA over Mike Horan of Endicott, NY. Taking third in the C group was Ed Melanders. Congrats to all who supported this tournament that's getting rave reviews.

Update: The rankings have been updated to include Hartford.

Chargo wins Vegas 01-28-08

Rob Chargo from the northern suburbs of Chicago won the Stiga Las Vegas tournament this year. He defeated Kent Richter of Edmonton 4-1 in the finals. Jeff Thill of South Holland, IL upended Bernie Kunzler to take third place. The B Pool featured tournament organizer Jim Rzonca of Lemont, IL over Len Mecca of Cherry Hill, NJ. And in the C Pool, Jay Petrick of Las Vegas defeated Rich Thill, the father of Jeff Thill.

Update: Stiga rankings are now updated to reflect the Vegas event.

New year brings three tournaments in first three months 01-03-08

Happy New Year to all in the table hockey world. The turning of the calendar brings us three Stiga tournaments in the first quarter of 2008. Starting things off is the Let's Play Hockey tournament in Las Vegas. Jim Rzonca is putting on the main event on Monday, Jan. 28, a tournament featuring international playing figures. On Tuesday, Jan. 29, there's a tournament featuring NHL-style players. The day before, Sunday, Jan. 27, AJ Sarma will put on a tournament on the old-school Coleco 5380 games.
Hartford Open: on Feb. 23, Matt and Chris DiDomizio will put on a tournament near Hartford, CT. Definitely one worth supporting if you can make it. See the post below for more kind words about this event. To find out more information or sign up to play please go here.
Detroit: the Detroit boys are back for their second tournament on the tour. They started out small last year as a test run and are ready to blow the doors off this time out. A web page is now up with details on this thing, and you can find it right here.

Detroit league to host fund-raising tournament for the USTHA 11-19-07

Dates announced for three tournaments 11-19-07

Happy to announce there is now a date for the Hartford Open: Saturday, Feb. 23, 2008. Many of you know Matt and Chris DiDomizio from tour events and they're a couple of outstanding guys. I know Matt is paying close attention to the details of his tournament and it's sure to run smoothly and be a good experience for table hockey veterans and newcomers alike. You can find more information on the tournament web site (click on Hartford in the column on the left). The venue information has been updated as well.
In other news, Dr. Kevin Rafferty has changed the date of his U.S. Stiga Shootout to June 7 due to a conflict with the venue. But wait, there's more! Pierre Chastenais will hold the Rose Bowl Classic for the seventh year in a row. What's new this year? It's one day, not two. The action unfolds Saturday, May 24. That's Memorial Day weekend in the U.S.

Detroit league to host fund-raising tournament for the USTHA 11-19-07

A new table hockey league in Detroit will put on a holiday tournament Dec. 29 with $1 from each entry going to the USTHA. The CAGA league is run by Kevin Williams in suburban Detroit. It started out last year as a way for some players in the Detroit Table Hockey League to get more table time in as they tried to learn the game. This event is not a sanctioned tournament (that event will take place in March 2008) but a way for the league's players to gain some tournament-type experience. Thanks to Kevin Williams and Paul Brotz for their efforts.

Dubois on top at Canada Challenge 10-21-07

Ken Dubois of Worcester, MA took this year's Canada Challenge in Gatineau on Saturday, Oct. 20. He bested a 43-player field, including a finals win over Hugues Dery. Third in the top group was Bernie Kunzler of Kitchener, ONT. The second group was won by Mike Dimarco, with Reggie Stefanizyn the runner-up and Luc Bisson of the hosting LAHTO taking third. In the Players Group, Matt Rogers of the Boston area took first place, defeating Daniel Bordeleau in the finals. Third was John Power of New York. Congrats to the classy LAHTO crew for another successful tournament.

Update: The tour rankings page has been updated.

Reggie wins Edmonton again; Gatineau next up 9-27-07

Reggie Stefaniszyn, a world table hockey traveler, won his hometown Centennial Challenge in Edmonton last weekend. He defeated Kent Richter, who also represented Canada in this year's ITHF-sponsored WC, in the finals. Taking the B pool was won by newcomer Tim Dyck, while C group honors were won by Ken King. Your next chance to play in a tour event is Oct. 20, when the Canada Challenge in Gatineau (Canada's biggest and deepest Stiga event) unfolds.

Shawinigan shakes up the rankings; Edmonton is next up 8-29-07

The North American rankings got a bit of a makeover after the successful Shawinigan tournament last weekend. Ken Dubois is still on top, but several other top players made a surge. Junior Gelinas overtook Bernie Kunzler for the top spot in Canada (and second overall). You can check it all out on the rankings page. Let's not forget that September is a busy table hockey month as well, with the Centennial Challenge in Edmonton taking place Sept. 22.

Dubois prevents Canadian clean sweep at Shawinigan 8-26-07

Ken Dubois took the first-ever Shawinigan Challenge, defeating organizer Jean Junior Gelinas in the finals. Hugues Dery and the rapidly-improving Eric Ouellet shared third. Taking first in the B division was Dany Laclerc, followed by Michel Decarie and Steve Levesque. The C Division saw Eric Chesick take home first with Claude Dube runner up and Francois Boucher third. Congrats to Junior, Hugues and Jonathan Belanger for putting on a tournament that drew more than 40 players in its first year in what was a very deep field of talent.

Kunzler wins Stiga U.S. Open 7-29-07; Updated 7-20-07

The always-popular Bernie Kunzler of Kitchener, ONT became the first Canadian player to win the LTHL Stiga U.S. Open near Chicago. He upended former champ Rob Chargo in six games in the finals. Denis Maille of Montreal took third over tournament organizer Jim Rzonca. Winning the B Division was John Medema of Tinley Park, IL; C Division was taken by Alex Raikhman of Palatine, IL, and the D group was won by Jerry Miller Jr. of Joliet, IL. The night before, a first-ever Coleco U.S. Open was held, courtesy of NYC organizer John Power. Patrick Cote defeated Dave Kraehling in the finals of an event that kicked off a great weekend of table hockey as well as this year's tour.

New tour year begins in Chicago with a couple small changes 7-1-07; Updated 7-20-07

The North American Stiga Tour season is set to begin Saturday, July 28 near Chicago with the Stiga U.S. Open. This marks the 6th edition of the tournament, which traces its roots back to 2002. This year, the organizers added another tournament on a different type of table hockey game for the evening before the big Stiga blowout. The U.S. Open marks the start of the 2007-08 tour year, which is scheduled to include a record 11 events. There are new tour stops in Shawinigan, Orlando and Hartford. The Boston organizers will be holding their event in New York in December, while the Detroit folks plan to hold a bigger event after getting their feet wet last month. The USTHA and CTHA soon will post a new sanctioning requirements document, and a few minor tweaks to the ranking system are possible in advance of the full-blown review we promised last spring when we solicited for working group members. Both organizations are excited about this year's expanded schedule and, as always, we hope to see you on tour!

Update: You can view the new sanctioning document by clicking on the "Organization" link up above.

Update #2, 7-20-07: You can view the changes to the tournament rating system by clicking HERE



Two U.S. candidates elected to ITHF boards 6-15-07

The USTHA is pleased to congratulate Mike Caponetti of Framingham, MA on his election to the International Table Hockey Federation's Executive Committee. Caponetti traveled to the 2005 World Championships where he made table hockey connections and friends. He's volunteering his time to help the ITHF and will be a voice for the U.S. in the international table hockey world. In addition, USTHA administrator Eric Krol was elected to the ITHF Legal Committee. That's the panel charged with resolving disputes between nations. For more on the ITHF, click here: ITHF


2006-07 Tour Year Over; Dubois on top again 6-11-07

The 2006-07 Stiga North American tour year has been completed following the Detroit tournament. Taking first place once again is Ken Dubois of Worcester, MA. He played in four tournaments, winning two (U.S. Open and Las Vegas) and finishing runner-up in Boston and in the final four in Gatineau, for a total of 127 tour points. Junior Gelinas of Quebec province in Canada was second with 105 points, playing in three tournaments. He won the Montreal tournament, was runner up in Gatineau and was final four in Boston. Bernie Kunzler, who played in six of the nine ranking tournaments, was third. If we had to name an MVP of the North American tour this year, it would have to be Dr. Kevin Rafferty of Southern California. He not only held two tournaments, but played in five of the nine ranking tournaments on the season. He's putting table hockey on the map in the nation's largest state, and is always out and about at Mighty Ducks' games promoting table hockey and trying to attract new players. And he does it without ego. So, a round of applause, if you will, for a guy who's clearly passionate about table hockey and a great asset to the game.

Tournament table hockey returns to Detroit 6-10-07

Back in the day, Detroit was a capital of tournament table hockey. On June 9, Hockeytown USA became Tablehockeytown USA once again as the Detroit Table Hockey League put on a test-run tournament in advance of their big one next March. The Battle for Hockeytown was won by Ron Marsik of Hickory Hills, IL. He defeated Bernie Kunzler of Kitchener, ONT, in the Best of 5 finals 3-2. The win marked Marsik's second tournament victory in the span of three weeks. And it also marked a measure of revenge for Marsik, who lost to Kunzler in the finals of the 2006 Vancouver tournament. The two previously met in the 2002 finals of the Big 54 Open in Lemont, IL, the forerunner of the U.S. Open. Marsik won that one in the wee hours of a hot and humid morning. Congrats to Paul Brotz and Tim Walker for bringing back tournament table hockey to Detroit. Brotz also won the B pool while Mike Sowa won the C pool.

Junior comes out on top in Montreal 5-30-07

The 6th annual Rose Bowl Classic was held over Memorial Day weekend in Montreal, QUE. Junior Gelinas defeated Hugues Dery 4-2 in a Best of Seven finals to take first place. Edmonton's Reggie Stefaniszyn was third, winning a seven-game series over the fast-rising Eric Ouellet. B pool went to Francois Larrivee while second went to Matt DiDomizio, the top US finisher. C pool was won by Eric Chesick. Twenty players competed in the two-day tournament where the round robins are held Saturday and the playoffs on Sunday. It's the only current tour stop with that format, with some players liking the chance it affords them to come back fresh on the second day. Only one more tournament scheduled for this tour year: the Battle for Hockeytown on June 9 near Detroit, MI. Registration is limited to 20 players and they're nearly filled up.

Marsik wins Stiga Shootout in Southern California 5-20-07

Table hockey veteran Ron Marsik won the 2nd annual U.S. Stiga Shootout in Ladera Ranch, Calif. on Saturday, May 19 in a field of 33 players. He defeated Matt Ross of the Vancouver area in the finals. Marsik, of Hickory Hills, IL, was the runner-up in last year's inaugural Shootout event. Marsik adds to his history of table hockey titles dating back some 30 years. Tournament organizer Dr. Kevin Rafferty was third. In the B group, Victor Paguia took first, followed by Sean Rafferty and Justin Na. In the C group, the champion was Steven Campos, with Jacob Na in second and Ricky Soto in third. In the D group, Zac Campos was the winner with Jax Lurie the runner-up and Tiffany Soto taking third. Congrats to Dr. Rafferty for organizing another tournament and having such success in bringing table hockey to the next generation.

All Hail The Hermanator! 4-15-07

Sweden's Herman Steen won the Boston Challenge on April 14, defeating Kenny Dubois in a thrilling seven-game finals. Third-place went to Pontus Eriksson of Sweden and Junior Gelinas of Canada. The B pool was taken by Matt Rogers of Groveland, MA over Stephen Klump of Ottawa. C pool winner is Len Mecca of Cherry Hill, NJ over Vic Handel of New Haven, CT. Please join us in congratulating Steve Bernstein, Mike Caponetti and Dubois for putting on another successful tournament. The trio made an announcement about a December tournament in NYC and we'll post the details right here as we get them. You can also click on the Boston Challenge logo on the left to get to the tournament web site. Update: North American rankings have been updated.

Detroit to host 16-player tournament 4-9-07

Those guys in Detroit just can't wait until next year. They're hosting a small tournament called the Stiga Hockeytown Battle on Saturday, June 9. The event is open to all players (as insisted upon by the USTHA), but due to space concerns is limited by the organizers to the first 16 players who register. This event will bring the current tour year to a close, with the Vancouver tournament scheduled for the end of June likely to be cancelled. The Hockeytown Battle will be replaced in the tour standings in March 2008 by the bigger tournament that the Detroit Table Hockey League has planned, much like next month's Stiga Shootout in SoCal will replace last September's results in the ranking system. For more details on the Hockeytown Battle, please go here: Detroit tournament

Boston deadline approaches; SoCal, Montreal next 4-6-07

The entry deadline for the prestigious Boston Challenge tournament is approaching. The tournament will take place on Saturday, April 14. If you plan to attend but haven't registered, please do so ASAP to help the organizers ensure a great tournament experience for all. Next up in May are a pair of tournaments. One is Stiga Shootout in Southern California, which is May 19. Plenty of players already registered there due to Dr. Kevin Rafferty's hard work. The following weekend is the Rose Bowl Classic VI in Montreal put on as always by Pierre Chastenais. Details are now available on the RBC website. You can find out more about all three top-notch table hockey tournaments by clicking on the icons on the left. Good luck to all players and organizers in those three great events.

2nd annual NHL playoff pool to raise money for CTHA 3-14-07

Our Canadian friends at the CTHA are holding another fund-raiser. Here's the message from Pascal Theriault: The donation and the Pool is open to everyone who knows hockey, from casual to big time fans, table hockey players, hockey players, or simply just the amateur. Everybody can participate and try to win the the 2007 CTHA Hockey Pool. The goal of the pool is to raise funds for the CTHA to enable the association to offer improved services to table hockey aficionados across the country. Your membership will make a difference to allow the CTHA to better serve its members and their respective leagues and tournaments, to gain more visibility through marketing activities, and to help promote table hockey to potential sponsors to help send our best players to participate in the 2007 World Cup in Moscow if possible.

Payout: All participants will also be eligible for prizes to be drawn. More prizes will be determined shortly. 50% of the money will go to the winners (amount depending on numbers of participants). The other 50% of the money will go to the CTHA. Also: nextPLAY and Canada challenge 2006 DVDs. Free entry to all NA Tour Event for one year.

How to Enter: Complete the entry form ensuring that all of the fields are filled correctly, so that we could send your password by email: Click here

Once the entry form has been completed and submitted, participants will be required to send a $15 donation. Participants will have the option of settling using either PayPal or check by contacting Ron Chesick (CTHA Treasurer) at nissan_maxima97@yahoo.com to get the mail address. Once the funds are received by the CTHA, participants will be contacted by email (with the link, User ID, and Password) so that they will be able to go in and indicate their Pool choices. For any technical difficulties, please contact Pascal Theriault (CTHA President) at lahto_pascal@hotmail.com.

New issue of The Score now available 2-28-07

The USTHA and Canadian Table Hockey Association are proud to announce that the latest issue of The Score, our official newsletter, is now available. Without giving too much away, we've got articles on the State of Table Hockey, table hockey innovator Paul Ruiz, and an interview with top player Junior Gelinas. But the only way you can get The Score is to join your country's national association. Membership in the USTHA, which gets you all the issues, plus discounts at online table hockey stores, among other things, starts at $10. To join today and get your copy of The Score immediately sent to you, please Click Here.