Welcome to the United States Table Hockey Association Web site

Upcoming Tournaments

April 27, 2013
Ottawa, ONT

Canadian Masters of Stiga

June 1, 2013
Montreal, QUE

CAN

Great Lakes Invitational

(late) June 23, 2013
Madison, WI

USA

Stiga U.S. Open

July 20, 2013
Chicago, IL

USA

Battle at Binghamton

2013 DATE TBA

Binghamton, NY

USA

Centennial Challenge Cup

Sept. 15, 2013
Edmonton, AB

CAN

Let's Play Hockey Stiga Las Vegas

Oct. 15, 2013
Las Vegas, NV

USA

November 2013
Toronoto, ONT

CAN

Stiga North American Championships

March 21-22, 2014

Detroit, MI

USA

Current Events

Montreal to host Canadian Stiga Masters on June 1 4-8-2013
Veteran table hockey organizer and player Pierre Chastenais has announced the annual Montreal tournament, formerly known as the Rose Bowl Classic, will take place June 1. You can check out the web site: HERE.

Next up: Gatineau tournament on April 27 3-25-2013
CTHA President John Cooke will be putting on a Stiga tournament in Gatineau, OTT on Saturday, April 27. It's the 10th edition of the event known as the Canada Challenge. It'll be held at the Walter Baker Sports Centre. More details to come. For more information, please check out the web site: HERE.

Axelsen four-peat in Detroit 3-24-2013
Denmark's Bjarne Axelsen won the Stiga North American Championship tournament in suburban Detroit for the fourth consecutive time on Saturday. He defeated US table hockey legend Kenny Dubois of the Boston area in the finals. Video of the finals, which were broadcast live on the Internet, can be viewed HERE. Some results can be viewed HERE. For more information, please check out the web site: HERE.

Detroit SNAC signup strong 3-8-2013
The Stiga North American Championships, to be held March 22-23 in suburban Detroit, have pretty strong interest this year. So far, 40 players have signed up for Stiga and another 25 for the Friday night Coleco event. Organizers Eric Krol, John Medema, Kevin Williams and Paul Ruiz are making preparations for this event. For more information, please check out the web site: HERE.

Gatineau tournament scheduled for April 3-4-2013
CTHA President John Cooke has announced there will be a Stiga tournament in Gatineau, OTT on Saturday April 27. It's the 10th edition of the event known as the Canada Challenge. It'll be held at the Walter Baker Sports Centre. More details to come. For more information, please check out the web site: HERE.

Roman Nezhyba wins Stiga Shootout in SoCal 1-5-2013
The first table hockey tournament of the calendar year was won by Roman Nezhyba over Reggie Stefaniszyn 4-3 in the Best of 7 Finals Saturday in Southern California. Roman, a speedy player from the Czech Republic who now lives in Southern California, came back from a 3-1 series deficit to win. Dr. Kevin Rafferty, the tournament organizer, upended Ron Marsik of suburban Chicago for third place.

From left to right: Kevin Rafferty, Roman Nezhyba and Reggie Stefaniszyn.

Detroit SNAC weekend dates announced 1-4-2013
The Stiga North American Championships will be held March 22-23 in suburban Detroit (Livonia, MI). Organizers Eric Krol, John Medema, Kevin Williams and Paul Ruiz are making preparations for this event. For more information, please check out the web site: HERE.

New Year starts with tournament in Southern California 1-1-2013
The first table hockey tournament of the calendar year is Saturday in Southern California. Dr. Kevin Rafferty will host the U.S. Stiga Shootout. For more information, please check out the web site: HERE. Following this event, we're waiting word on a tournament date for the yearly event in Binghamton, N.Y. Then in March, it's the SNAC weekend in Detroit.

Gamache wins in Gatineau 11-24-2012
Alain Gamache won the Canada Cup of Table Hockey event in Gatineau, Canada. Taking second was David Donar, a Detroit native who's now in South Carolina.

Southern California tournament date announced 11-11-2012
Dr. Kevin Rafferty has announced the date of the U.S. Stiga Shootout. It will be held Saturday, Jan. 5. For more information, please check out the web site: HERE.

Axelsen repeats in Toronto 11-4-2012
Bjarne Axelsen of Denmark defeated Reggie Stefaniszyn of Edmonton in the finals to repeat as Stiga Canada Cup champ in the Toronto suburbs. Anette Engel of Denmark took third over Paul Shabi of suburban Detroit. Alain Gamache of Gatineau, CAN won the B group. More info at the web site: HERE.

Tournament announced for Ottawa 11-1-2012
CTHA President John Cooke has announced the Canada Cup of Table Hockey event to be held Saturday, Nov. 24 in Ottawa. Check out the web site: HERE.

Toronto nearly sold out 10-31-2012
The spots in the Stiga Canada Cup event in Toronto are nearly gone. Just one left, according to organizer Eugene Kurz. More info at the web site: HERE.

Rafferty wins Vegas 10-16-2012
Dr. Kevin Rafferty of Laguna Hills, CA defeated Reggie Stefaniszyn 4-3 to win the Let's Play Hockey tournament in Las Vegas, NV. Jim Rzonca, the tournament organizer, was third. Check out some photos and results here: CCC

Reggie repeats in Edmonton 9-29-2012
Reggie Stefaniszyn won the CCC tournament at the West Edmonton Mall, defeating Kent Richter 4-1 in the finals. Congrats to Reggie, who won last year's event and organized them both. Results and stats to come, but in the meantime you can catch up on some of the action and see links to videos here: CCC

Kevin Rafferty is 2011-12 USTHA Player of the Year 7-21-2012
Dr. Kevin Rafferty of Laguna Hills, CA is the 2011-12 USTHA USA Player of the Year. He picked up the most points of any player on the North American Tour this year. He was presented with a trophy marking the occasion at the 2012 Stiga U.S. Open before the start of the second round. Kevin is pictured below.

Young Paul Shabi wins the 2012 Stiga U.S. Open in Chicago 7-21-2012
Sixteen-year-old Paul Shabi of Fraser, MI has captured the 2012 Stiga U.S. Open championship. See a picture of him with his father, Viktor, and trophy, below. He bested a field of 29 players, including Eric Davis of Byron, IL in the finals. B Pool went to Darwin Sampson of Madison, WI. The C Pool went to hometown gal Claire Rzonca for the second year in a row. And the D Pool went to rookie Bobby Bailey of Olympia Fields, IL. Round robin and playoff results at here: U.S. Open Results Page.

Stiga U.S. Open is July 21 in suburban Chicago 6-25-2012
The Stiga U.S. Open will take place on Saturday, July 21 in Lemont, IL. This long-running event has been held since 2002 (the precursor was called the Big 54 tournament). There will be a Coleco tournament on Friday night. For more details on the event, please click here: 2012 U.S. Open. To discuss this event on tablehockeyheaven, please click here: U.S. Open message board.

Medema wins in Madison 6-24-2012
John Medema of Tinley Park, IL won the Great Lakes Invitational on Sunday, June 24 in Madison, WI. He defeated Eric Davis of Byron, IL in the finals to claim his first tournament win on the North American Tour. For more details on how the day unfolded, please click here: GLI 2012.

Axelsen wins Canadian Masters 6-9-2012
Bjarne Axelsen of Denmark defeated Eric Desjardins of Gatineau to win the first Canadian Masters of Stiga tournament in Montreal (formerly the Rose Bowl Classic event). For more details on how the day unfolded, please click here: Canadian Masters.

Madison, WI tournament returns 4-27-2012
The Great Lakes Invitational tournament will return to a Sunday date this year. The event in Madison, WI will be played on June 24. Registration is now open. For more information, please click here: GLI site.

Canadian Masters in Montreal web site launches 4-2-2012
Veteran Montreal table hockey organizer Pierre Chastenais has launched the web site for the Canadian Masters tournament that will be held June 2. This is the new name for the event formerly known as the Rose Bowl Classic. For more information, please click here: Canadian Masters site.

Axelsen threepeats in Detroit 3-24-2012
Bjarne Axelsen of Denmark won the Stiga North American Championships in Detroit, defeating Reggie Stefaniszyn of Edmonton in the finals 4 games to 2. Taking the B group was Eric Davis of Byron, IL. Winning the C was Paul Ruiz of Toledo, OH. Dave Wright of the Pittsburgh area won the D division. Turnout was strong at 48 players, with 13 taking part in a Coleco tournament the night before. For some quick results, please click here: SNAC results thread on tablehockeyheaven.com.

Stiga North American Championships in Detroit taking shape 2-20-2012
The 2012 Stiga North American Championships are the next tournament on the tour. This fun weekend of table hockey is set for March 23-24 in suburban Detroit (Livonia, MI). There will be a Coleco tournament on Friday night followed by a Stiga event on Saturday. To find out more, please click here: SNAC web site.

New champ crowned in Binghamton 2-18-2012
The 2012 Battle at Binghamton saw a new champion crowned. A player from the Boston area (who asked that his name not be used) defeated Mike Hubbard of the Pittsburgh area 4-1 in the finals. Dave Wright of the Pittsburgh area won the B Group 4-2 over tournament organizer Mike Horan. C group winner was Tom Livanis of New York. For more, click here: Binghamton Results Thread.

UPDATE:Tournament Stats now posted.

Binghamton registration closing fast 2-9-2012
Registration for the Battle at Binghamton is closing fast. There's a 24-player limit at this year's event. So far, 23 spots are taken. It's possible the organizers will have a waiting list. More info here: Binghamton web site.

ITHF News all in one place 1-30-2012
We'll try to post International Table Hockey Federation news in one place. We've added a link in the right-hand column of his home page. That link takes you to a thread on tablehockeyheaven.com: ITHF News.

Battle at Binghamton registration going strong 1-21-2012
The latest edition of the Battle at Binghamton tournament will take place on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012 in upstate New York. Participation is limited to the first 24 registered and paid entrants. As of this writing, 15 players have registered. Don't be shut out...register today. The tournament web site is here: Battle at Binghamton.

Stefaniszyn wins Southern California U.S. Stiga Shootout 1-14-2012
Reggie Stefaniszyn defeated Kevin Rafferty 4-1 in the finals of the U.S. Stiga Shootout. There was also a major youth tournament that drew more than 40 players who had a great time. For some results, click HERE. For some photos, click here: Las Vegas THC Facebook page. Also try the Las Vegas THC Twitter feed.

2012 starts with tournaments in January, February, March 12-31-2011
The 2012 calendar year will start off with three tournaments in three months. First up is the U.S. Stiga Shootout on Jan. 14 in southern California. Then the Battle at Binghamton will be held on Feb. 18 in upstate New York. And the Stiga North American Championships will take place March 23-24 in Detroit. Click on the tournament links in the left-hand column for more information. Happy New Year to the table hockey world!

Stiga U.S. Open 2012 weekend dates announced 12-30-2011
Longtime organizer Jim Rzonca has announced the dates of the Stiga U.S. Open Weekend: July 20-21 in Lemont, IL. There will be a Coleco tournament on Friday late afternoon and a Stiga tournament on Saturday. The tournament web site is here: STIGA US OPEN.

Axelsen wins the inaugural Stiga Canada Cup tournament 11-26-2011
Bjarne Axelsen of Denmark defeated his fiancee Anette Engel 4-0 in the finals to win the Stiga Canada Cup tournament on Saturday, Nov. 26 near Toronto. Edmonton's Reggie Stefaniszyn took third. Taking the B Division was Christopher Hutsell of Toronto and the C Division was won by youngster Ricky Sugden of the Toronto area. Some results are here: CANADA CUP. And congrats to organizers Eugene Kurz and Rick Grisdale, the distributor of Stiga games in Canada. Update: Rankings have been updated.

Rick Grisdale, left, and Eugene Kurz congratulate runner-up Anette Engel of Denmark (Eric Krol photo)

Updates from the Stiga Canada Cup tournament 11-23-2011
We'll be posting updates and photos from the Stiga Canada Cup tournament as time and technology allow. The tournament is Saturday, Nov. 26 near Toronto. We'll use the USTHA Twitter page. You don't have to be a Twitter user to see the information. Just visit the Twitter page HERE.

Battle at Binghamton Adds Facebook Page 10-20-2011
Mike Horan, the organizer of the Battle at Binghamton tournament, has added a Facebook page. He's got some tournament date info and photos. Check it out HERE.

Registrations rolling in for Stiga Canada Cup tournament in Toronto 10-20-2011
The inaugural Stiga Canada Cup tournament is gaining momentum. Now 16 players signed up for the event, which will take place on Saturday, Nov. 26, just outside the world-class city of Toronto. Check it out HERE.

Ostlund wins Las Vegas tournament 10-16-2011
Peter Ostlund of Sweden defeated fellow countryman Pontus Eriksson in the finals of the Let's Play Hockey tournament in Las Vegas today. Taking the B Group was hometown favorite John Labianca over Dwayne Pankiw of Edmonton. The C group went to college student Sean Rafferty of Laguna Hills, CA over "Vegas Jay" Petrick. We've posted some results from the Las Vegas tournament, with more to come. You can check it out in this thread at TABLE HOCKEY HEAVEN and photos on the Las Vegas Table Hockey Club TWITTER FEED.

New table hockey tournament in Toronto 10-6-2011
There's a new addition to the table hockey slate this year. The Stiga Canada Cup will take place on Saturday, Nov. 26 in the Toronto area. Mr. Eugene Kurz and Mr. Rick Grisdale are teaming up to put on a sanctioned tournament. There are cash prizes, trophies, team packs and other Stiga merchandise to be given out, in addition to a trophy for the best player 14 years of age and under. Those eliminated in the playoff rounds early on will get a chance to play in a 2-on-2 team tournament and a '3-puck challenge' tournament. We don't want to spoil all the great details, so go to the tournament web site: HERE.

LTHL promotes table hockey with Chicago Blackhawks 9-23-2011
The Lemont Table Hockey League promoted our great game in front of a sold-out crowd at the Chicago Blackhawks' fan training camp festival on Saturday, Sept. 17. The games were hopping all day in the concourse of the United Center. More pictures are on display: HERE.

Stefaniszyn wins in Edmonton 9-18-2011
Reggie Stefaniszyn won this year's Centennial Challenge Cup tournament at the West Edmonton Mall. He defeated Kent Richter, his longtime player partner, in the finals 4 games to 3. Taking third was Phillipe Majerech of Calgary. Kevin Rafferty of Southern California was fourth. More results to be posted HERE.
Update: Rankings page has now been updated.

Binghamton tournament moves to February 8-31-2011
The Battle at Binghamton tournament will move from November 2011 to February 2012. Organizers Mike Horan and Gerald Kiballa have put together a statement, and here it is: The organizers of the Battle at Binghamton have announced a date change for the event. It will now be held in February instead of November. A push back of three months will give the organizers better flexibility with date conflicts they had and additional time to plan for this great event. The tentative date for the next “Battle at Binghamton” will be Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012. The current plan is for the location to remain the same (at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena – Arena Club) as well as a post-tournament AHL (American Hockey League) game featuring the 2010-2011 Calder Cup champions, the Binghamton Senators. Thank you for your support of our event.

Edmonton tournament web site now live 8-5-2011
The web site is now live for the Edmonton Centennial Challenge Cup table hockey tournament that will take place on Saturday, Sept. 17 at the West Edmonton Mall. It's the next stop on this season's North American Tour. You can check it out here: Tournament Guidelines

USTHA board approves tournament guidelines for organizers 7-28-2011
The USTHA board earlier this month approved a set of tournament guidelines for tournament organizers to use to help plan their events. The effort was led by board member Mike Horan, who puts on the Binghamton tournament every year in upstate New York. Mike thought it would be helpful to gather some guidelines in one place for current and prospective tournament organizers to use. You can check out the document here: Tournament Guidelines

U.S. Stiga Shootout tournament details released 7-27-2011
The next edition of the annual U.S. Stiga Shootout tournament will take place on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012. The tournament will take place during the MLK holiday weekend. It will be played at Davis Magnet School in Costa Mesa, California, just three miles from John Wayne Airport in Orange County, ya hear pilgrim?. The tournament web site is here: STIGA SHOOTOUT. And below is a photo of three-time defending champion Reggie Stefaniszyn of Edmonton.

Rankings now updated after Stiga U.S. Open 7-27-2011
The North American, Canadian and USA rankings have been updated following the 2011 Stiga U.S. Open. The 2009 U.S. Open fell off the books. Thanks again to Pierre Chastenais of Montreal for the pdfs of the rankings. Check them out here: Rankings Page

Shabi gets Player of the Year trophy 7-25-2011
The USTHA board was happy to present a trophy to 2010-11 Player of the Year Paul Shabi before the start of Saturday's Stiga U.S. Open tournament in suburban Chicago. The teen from suburban Detroit was extremely happy to get the award, as you can see below.

Axelsen wins U.S. Open for second time 7-24-2011
International Table Hockey Federation President Bjarne Axelsen won the Stiga U.S. Open in suburban Chicago for the second time, defeating Ron Marsik of the Chicago area in the finals. Taking the B Group was Paul Shabi, while hometown teen Claire Rzonca won the C Group. Joe Salazar of Chicago won the D Group. Check out some of the results HERE.

New tour year starts in Chicago, see U.S. Open results 7-22-2011
The 2011-12 tour year starts on Saturday, July 23 with the annual Stiga U.S. Open tournament in suburban Chicago. The organizers will be posting results from time to time online HERE.

Shabi, Kunzler top U.S., Canadian rankings at end of tour year 6-26-2011
With the 2010-11 tour year now in the books, it's time to check out the rankings. Topping the list in the U.S. is teen Paul Shabi of suburban Detroit. He combined strong showings in the U.S. Open and Stiga North American Championships to claim his spot. Atop the Canadian rankings, at least for now, is Bernie Kunzler, a popular player from Kitchener, ONT. In the North American rankings, Bjarne Axelsen (Denmark) led the way, winning tournaments in Edmonton, Las Vegas, Detroit and Montreal. Also winning tournaments this tour year were Eric DesJardins (Canada) in Gatineau, Reggie Stefaniszyn (Canada) in Binghamton and southern California, and Edgars Caics (Latvia) in Chicago. Congrats to all the tournament winners and to those on top of the rankings. And thank you to everyone who played this past year. You're what make this all go. As always, the rankings pages are: HERE.

2010-11 North American Tour is complete 6-26-2011
The 2010-11 North American Tour year is complete following Saturday's tournament in Madison, WI. Eric Krol won over John Medema 4-2 in a Best of 7 finals. Both players are from the Lemont Table Hockey League in suburban Chicago. You can read more about that: HERE.

North American rankings updated 6-19-2011
The rankings page has been updated following the Rose Bowl Classic X in Montreal, Que. This includes the Canadian, USA and North American pages. The rankings home page is located: HERE.

USTHA now on Facebook, Twitter 6-11-2011
The USTHA is now on Facebook and Twitter to better promote table hockey. The Facebook page is here: USTHA Facebook page while the Twitter feed, @USTableHockey, is here: Twitter feed.

USTHA elects president, board members 6-10-2011
The USTHA announces that a president and six board members have been elected to two-year terms. Eric Krol of suburban Chicago won the election for USTHA president. The board members are: Kevin Rafferty of southern California, Paul Ruiz of Toledo, Eric Dibacco of Weirton, WV, Jim Rzonca of Lemont, IL, Mike Horan of Binghamton, NY and Darwin Sampson of Madison, WI. Eric Dibacco and Darwin are new to the board. Congrats to all the winners and thank you to everyone who ran. You can read more here: USTHA elections thread on TableHockeyHeaven.com.

Madison tournament closes out tour year 6-5-2011
The Great Lakes Invitational in Madison, WI will take place on Saturday, June 25. Registration is open. There's a special room rate across the street from the venue: $74 at the Best Western Inn at the Park. Just mention that you're performing at The Frequency. You can find out more about the tournament here: GLI info page.

Axelsen three-peats at Montreal tournament 6-4-2011
Denmark's Bjarne Axelsen three-peated as champion at the Rose Bowl Classic X. He defeated David Decrozant of Gatineau in the finals. Taking the second division was Stephen Klump of Gatineau over Dany Leclerc of St. Hyacinthe, QUE. And the third division was won by Simon Harvey over Dan Casciati.

USTHA to hold elections 4-10-2011
The USTHA board unanimously approved guidelines for the 2011 election. The spots on the ballot: board president and six board positions. To read about how it will work, including who can run, how to nominate and how it all will work, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

Montreal tournament details announced 4-1-2011
The 10th edition of the annual Rose Bowl Classic table hockey tournament will take place on Saturday, June 4 in Montreal, QUE. Organizer Pierre Chastenais is once again at the helm of this prestigious event. You can use NHL or International playing figures. Tournament is limited to 48 entrants. To find out more, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

Axelsen repeats as Detroit champ 3-25-2011
Bjarne Axelsen of Denmark won his second Stiga North American Championship tournament and his second in a row on the Stiga North American Tour. He defeated Kent Richter of Edmonton 4-1 in the finals. Taking the B Group was Dean Moore of Hookstown, PA and the C group was won by Jason Huberty of Madison, WI.

Update: The rankings have now been updated: PLEASE CLICK HERE.

Detroit SNAC tournament to be held March 19 1-19-2011
The Stiga North American Championship in Detroit, MI will be held on Saturday, March 19, with a new group of organizers hoping to carry on the fine tradition of Paul Brotz. The tournament web site is HERE.

Axelsen wins Stiga Las Vegas 1-18-2011
Denmark's Bjarne Axelsen won the 2011 Let's Play Hockey Stiga tournament in Las Vegas, NV. He defeated his fiancee, Anette Engel, in the finals. B Group winner was Kevin Rafferty, who defeated John Labianca in the finals. C Group went to Pierre Chastenais of Montreal, who defeated Jay Petrick of Las Vegas. For more information on how it unfolded, please CLICK HERE.

Detroit SNAC announcement coming soon 1-14-2011
Check back here for an announcement (most likely next week) about the Stiga North American Championship tournament to be held on Saturday, March 19, 2011.

Where to get Stiga Las Vegas updates 1-14-2011
We'll be providing some updates on the Stiga Las Vegas tournament on Monday, Jan. 17. They are likely to be posted HERE.

Stiga Las Vegas is first tournament of 2011 12-18-2010
The first tournament of the 2011 calendar year will be held on Monday, Jan. 17 in Las Vegas at the beautiful Paris Hotel and Casino. The tournament, put on by Chicago's Jim Rzonca, is always a lot of fun in the sun. For more information, visit the TOURNAMENT WEB SITE.

Reggie wins again in SoCal 12-12-2010
Reggie Stefaniszyn of Edmonton, AB won his third straight U.S. Stiga Shootout tournament in Costa Mesa, CA. He defeated tournament organizer Kevin Rafferty 4-1 in the Best of 7 finals. Winning the B Group was Kelly Rafferty of Lake Barrington, IL.

Reggie wins Battle at Binghamton 11-20-2010
Reggie Stefaniszyn of Edmonton, AB won this year's Battle at Binghamton, defeating David Decrozant in the finals. The second division was won by Francois Prevost of the Gatineau area. The third division was won by Sean Horan. You can check out some results if you CLICK HERE.

Tournaments in upstate New York, Southern California close out calendar year 11-1-2010
The holiday season is quickly approaching but we don't stop playing table hockey in North America. The 3rd annual Battle at Binghamton tournament will take place in upstate New York on Saturday, Nov. 19. There's still time to register and play in the tournament known for having the best food on the tour. Then in December, Dr. Kevin Rafferty is once again putting on the Stiga Shootout tournament on Dec. 11-12. The playoffs for the top group will be held at the Anaheim Ducks game that Sunday. For more information or to register to play in either tournament, check out the tournament logos in the left-hand column and click on the tournament that catches your eye.

DesJardins takes Canada Challenge 10-30-2010
Eric DesJardins won today's Canada Challenge in Gatineau. As tournament organizer John Cooke wrote "The hometown boy wins in four straight," defeating Kent Richter of Edmonton in the finals. Taking third was Reggie Stefaniszyn of Edmonton over Bruce Turner, formerly of Kitchener, ONT and now of South America. The event featured many of Canada's top players. To read more about how the day unfolded, please CLICK HERE. Rankings now updated.

Axelsen defends title in Edmonton 9-19-2010
Bjarne Axelsen of Denmark successfully defended his title at the CCC tournament in Edmonton on Saturday, Sept. 18. He defeated tournament organizer Reggie Stefaniszyn in the finals 4 games to 2. Congrats also are in order for Kalder Pelkey-Muniz, who won the junior tournament.

Battle at Binghamton tournament date announced 9-11-2010
The organizers of the Battle at Binghamton tournament in New York state have announced a date for this year's event. It's Saturday, Nov. 20. They're in the process of updating the web site with details. You can check it out by clicking here.

Still time to register for the CCC in Edmonton 8-27-2010
The Centennial Challenge Cup tournament is just a few weeks away. The seventh edition of this fine tournament in Edmonton is held at the West Edmonton Mall, which is a draw itself. Plenty for table hockey players and their families to do. The tournament, which also is part of the ITHF World Tour, will take place on Saturday, Sept. 18. Thanks to Reggie Stefaniszyn and his crew for putting on the tournament again this year. Get more information by clicking here.

Canada Challenge details announced, kids tournament added 8-7-2010
The Canada Challenge tournament will be held on Saturday, Oct. 30 in Gatineau, Ottawa. The tournament is making a return to its traditional October date. It's been a classic over the years with a high level of competition. This year, organizers have announced a kids' tournament for Friday night, Oct. 29. You can go to the tournament web site for more details. You can discuss the Saturday tournament by clicking here or the kids' event by clicking here.

Stiga Shootout to be held once again this December 8-7-2010
Dr. Kevin Rafferty is busy putting the finishing touches on organizing the details of the annual Stiga Shootout tournament in beautiful Southern California. It's the fifth edition of this event. More details in the coming weeks, but the tournament web site reveals that your entry comes with one ticket to the NHL game between the Anaheim Ducks and the Minnesota Wild on Sunday, December 12, 5:00 p.m., at Honda Center in Anaheim. Additional tickets to the game for family and friends are available at a discounted table hockey tournament group rate.

USTHA presents awards to top 10 U.S. players for 2009-10 Tour Year 7-25-2010
USTHA board member Paul Brotz of the Detroit area presented framed certificates to most of the top 10 U.S. players on Saturday, July 24 at the Stiga U.S. Open in suburban Chicago. Brotz wanted the organization to honor the top 10 finishing players for the recently-concluded 2009-10 tour year and carried through the idea. Seven of the players, including Player of the Year John Labianca, got their awards handed to them. Three others will get theirs in the mail. The USTHA plans on continuing the practice in the years to come.

#3 Player in the World Wins Stiga U.S. Open 7-24-2010
Edgars Caics of Latvia, ranked #3 in the world, won the 2010 Stiga U.S. Open in Lemont, IL on Saturday, July 24. He went 39-0 on the day, showing off his skills to an enthusiastic crowd. He faced Jeff Puopolo of Groveland, MA in the finals. Taking third was Kent Richter of Edmonton over Dany Leclerc of the Montreal area. Winning the B group was Jeff Thill of South Holland, IL, while the C group was won by Eric Dibacco of Weirton, WV. D group honors went to Steve Puopolo Jr. of Groveland, MA.

Update: The rankings have now been updated. Please click here.

Stiga U.S. Open kicks off 2010-11 North American Tour 7-23-2010
The U.S. Open tournament in suburban Chicago is the site of the first stop on the new tour year. Around 40 players are scheduled to battle it out, with Edgars Caics of Latvia headlining the event. He's ranked #3 in the world and is believed to be the highest-ranked international player ever to play at a North American Stiga event. Organizers plan to post results from their two tournaments. The Friday night Coleco tournament results will be posted here. The Saturday Stiga main event results will be posted here. Thanks to Paul Ruiz of tablehockeyheaven.com, the official message board of the U.S. Open and the USTHA.

North American Tour 2009-2010 over after inaugural Madison event 6-28-2010
The 2009-2010 North American Tour is in the books after the final event of the year, the first-ever sanctioned Great Lakes Invitational, was held in beautiful Madison, WI last weekend. We'll have more on the recently-concluded tour year --- and some notes on the 2010-11 tour --- in the coming weeks. The Madison tournament was organized by Darwin Sampson and Jason Huberty, two Stiga die-hards in a town known for its local microbrews. The A Pool went to Eric Krol of the Chicago area, winning the finals 4-3 over Tim Walker of the Detroit area. The B Pool went to Darwin Sampson of Madison over Mike Hibbard of New Glarus, WI. Tournament was penalized 5 points for falling under the 16-player standard, but gained 5 points on strength of field. Thanks to everyone who took part in a tour event the past 12 months. If not for the players, we wouldn't all be having so much table hockey fun.

Still time to sign up for Madison tournament 6-6-2010
Still a couple weeks left to sign up for the first-ever Great Lakes Invitational. It'll be held in Madison, WI on Sunday, June 27. It's the last tournament of the 2009-10 tour year. For more information, please click on the tournament logo in the left-hand column of this page.

Axelsen repeats in Montreal 6-5-2010
Bjarne Axelsen of Denmark successfully defended his title at the Montreal tournament, winning the Rose Bowl Classic IX. He defeated Denis Maille of Montreal in the finals. Maille got there by beating Bernie Kunzler of Kitchener, ONT in the semifinals in a 7-game thriller. Arne Holmin of Norway won third. Patrick Cote's alter ego won the B Pool and Francois Larivee won the C Pool. Congrats to organizer Pierre Chastenais for another talent-filled edition of his long-running event. UPDATE: You can see the results by clicking here.

Update: Rankings page has been updated to reflect Montreal 2010. Falling off were results from Montreal 2008 and Southern California 2008.

Kunzler wins Gatineau 4-25-2010
Bernie Kunzler of Kitchener, ONT defeated Dany Leclerc of the Montreal area to win the 2010 Canada Challenge on Saturday, April 24 in an efficiently-run tournament. Taking the B group was Michel Decarie of the Montreal area over John Cooke, the tournament organizer who hails from Snake River. Making the trip up north was a group from Binghamton, NY, which will put on their next tournament in November. The next tournament is the Rose Bowl Classic IX in Montreal the first weekend in June.

First-ever Great Lakes Invitational announced 4-15-2010
A group of organizers in Madison, WI has announced the first-ever Great Lakes Invitational. The players had talked about holding a tournament since last summer and after attending the fine Stiga North American Championships in Detroit, were inspired to submit their sanctioning application at the end of March. It was approved unanimously to join the tour and also approved to be the last event of the current 2009-2010 tour year. You can find out more about the tournament at the event web site. And you can discuss the tournament in this post at tablehockeyheaven.com. Best of luck to the organizers of this new event.

Preparations underway for Canada Challenge in Gatineau 4-05-2010
Tournament organizers are busy prepping for the next event on the Stiga North American Tour. It's the Canada Challenge, a long-running tournament held in Gatineau, Ottawa. This year, the profits will go to the Ottawa Food Bank. There are lots of talented table hockey players in Gatineau, so it's a trip worth making. Sign up today! For more information, please click here.

Axelsen wins Detroit 3-27-2010
Denmark's Bjarne Axelsen won the Stiga North American Championships tournament in Detroit, besting Bernie Kunzler of Kitchener, ONT in the finals. It was a rematch of last summer's U.S. Open finals. Taking third in the top group was Kent Richter of Edmonton, AB. B pool winner was Jeff Thill of South Holland, IL. C pool winner was Paul Ruiz of Toledo, OH and D pool winner was Eric Dibacco of Weirton, WV. To see a list of winners, please click here.

Update: Rankings page has been updated.

Detroit table hockey weekend results 3-25-2010
The Stiga North American Championships are going on this weekend in Detroit. The Coleco tournament is Friday night. We'll be posting results as we can. And the Stiga tournament final will be carried live on the internet. To see Coleco results, please click here: Coleco results. To see Stiga results, please click here: Stiga results. To see the Stiga finals live, please check the tablehockeyheaven.com Web site by clicking here: Watch Stiga finals live.

New Web page for Canada Challenge tournament 3-13-2010
Canadian Table Hockey Association President John Cooke has put up a Web page with the details on the April 24 Canadian Challenge tournament in Gatineau. Find out everything you need to know about the tournament, including how to register, by going here: Canadian Challenge web site.

Detroit table hockey weekend builds momentum 3-1-2010
The Detroit double shot of table hockey is less than four weeks away. The Saturday Stiga tournament is humming along with 27 players already signed up. The Friday night Coleco tournament has about half that amount. The details are here: SNAC web site.

Now we go to school 2-28-2010
Top Swedish player Thomas Petersson has set up a Table Hockey School web site to teach some Stiga basics. It's a great resource for both new players looking to get a few tips and veteran players looking to tighten up their games. You can check it out here: tablehockeyschool.com site.

Detroit tournament details announced 2-8-2010
Organizer Paul Brotz has delivered on the details of the Stiga North American Championships. The two days of table hockey will take place on March 26-27, 2010. The main event is the Saturday Stiga tournament. On Friday night, there will be a Coleco 5380-style tournament. The details will be available here: SNAC web site.

Fridell comes all the way back to win Las Vegas 1-26-10
Lars Fridell overcame a 3-0 deficit in the finals to defeat Pontus Eriksson 4-3 in the Best of 7 finals at the Let's Play International Table Hockey Championships on Monday, Jan. 25 in Las Vegas, NV. The two Swedish stars played a series for the ages. Taking third was Bjarne Axelsen of Denmark over Juri Artamonov of Estonia. B Pool winner was Jim Rzonca of Lemont, IL over John Labianca of Las Vegas. C Pool winner was Kevin Rafferty of Laguna Hills, CA over Jay Petrick of Las Vegas. Full results soon, but for now you can click here to check it more information.

Update: Rankings have been updated. Please click here.

Las Vegas tournament results 1-25-10
We'll hopefully be posting some results from the round robins and playoffs at the stigalasvegas tournament throughout the day Monday. Keep in mind, Vegas is in the Pacific time zone. The results will be available on tablehockeyheaven.com, the official message board of the USTHA. Please click here to check it out.

Check out these table hockey videos 1-18-10
Hello. Hoping to make this a semi-regular feature here on the USTHA web site: table hockey videos. We've got three this time. First up, check out this How-To center trick by TC Yarin by clicking here. Next up, check out this European battle from the JML Open. It's got Sweden's Jimmy Eklund, ranked 72nd in the world. Check it out: by clicking here. And last up, a league match from the Detroit CAGA league. It's Mike Sowa on the left and Kevin Williams on the right: Click here for CAGA.

Canada Challenge on its way back 1-9-10
The Canada Challenge tournament in Gatineau is back on the schedule. CTHA President John Cooke and player/organizer Eric DesJardins are working on staging the great tournament once again. It'll take place Saturday, April 24 is the date being targeted at the Clarion, the same venue as before. Check back at this web site for more later or check out the developments by clicking here.

Vegas first tournament of the year 1-7-10
The new year kicks off as it has for five years now --- with the Let's Play Hockey tournament in Las Vegas. Organizer Jim Rzonca is putting on the fifth edition of the Stiga Las Vegas event, this time at the MGM Grand. Several European players are expected to attend the tournament on Monday, Jan. 25, 2010. Check out the links: Discuss the tournament, Visit the tournament Web site, Learn about the Coleco tournament the day before. You can also chat live Jan. 11 at tablehockeyheaven.com.

Stefaniszyn repeats at Stiga Shootout 12-12-09
It was an all-Edmonton finals at the U.S. Stiga Shootout in Southern California. Reggie Stefaniszyn defeated Kent Richter 4-0 in the finals to repeat as champion. Tom Warren, from the San Fran area by way of Detroit, took the B group finals over Dan Brown of Manchester, NH. More results up at tablehockeyheaven.com so please click here.

Update: The rankings page has now been updated.

Gamache wins Binghamton 11-21-09
The second Battle at Binghamton was a smash success, drawing 30 players plus more for a kids' division. Taking the top group was Alain Gamache of the Gatineau, CAN area. Winning the B pool was Matt DiDomizio of Cromwell, CT over Eric Dibacco of Weirton, WV. The third group honors went to Len "Rodwarriors.com" Mecca of Cherry Hill, NJ over Jerry Kiballa, one of the local tournament organizers. And ring up the fourth group for Don Heckathorn over Sean Corrigan, both from the Binghamton area. Earlier, we got some live results up at tablehockeyheaven.com click here.

Update: The rankings page has been updated. To check it out, please click here.

Momentum building for second Binghamton tournament 10-29-09
The player list continues to grow for the 2nd edition of the Battle at Binghamton table hockey tournament. It's a USTHA/CTHA sanctioned event taking place Saturday, Nov. 21 in upstate New York. A great tournament for traveling players and East Coast-based players alike. Several recent signups include players from north of the border. Don't get shut out...sign up today. The tournament web site is here.

New Stiga table hockey tournament in Toronto 10-28-09
There's a new Stiga tournament just announced that's taking place on Saturday, Nov. 7 in Toronto. It's called the "Great Canadian Stiga Expert Table Hockey Championship." It's limited to 48 players and you can use NHL figures only. The new tournament is not part of the Stiga North American Tour (at least not in its first year). You can find out more information about the event by clicking here.

New web site, date announced for Rose Bowl Classic IX 10-27-09
Pierre Chastenais has announced the date for his ninth RBC tournament. It's June 5, 2010. He's also working on a new web site. You can see by click here.

Axelsen wins Edmonton Centennial 9-27-09
Denmark Bjarne Axelsen won his fourth North American tournament since January when he took the Centennial Cup Challenge at the West Edmonton Mall on Saturday, Sept. 26. He bested tournament organizer Reggie Stefaniszyn 4-1 in the finals. Third was Kent Richter. Taking the B Pool was Eric Krol of suburban Chicago. C Pool went to Wesley Miller and D Pool to young Kalder Pelkey-Ruiz. Axelsen won Vegas in January, Rose Bowl Montreal in May, U.S. Open in August and now Edmonton. Binghamton is next.

UPDATE: The rankings have been updated.

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.

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