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Chicago Coin's Hockey Champ (1969)
Hockey Champ is a welcome addition to the gameroom. This is a unique machine so I thought I'd talk about its operation as well as how it plays.
The game must be played by 2 players and can offers some fast action! This game offers no awards in the form of replays and is simply an amusement only machine.
A dime will play 1 period and 25 cents will get you 3 periods of play. A jumper inside the machine can set the length of a period up to 4 minutes. Timing is achieved by a motor which activated a stepper. The playfield slopes to each side so there is never a dead ball. The ball is ejected onto the playfield from the side of the machine on to the center of the ice. The unit is called a ball elevator. It is a large metal disc on a motor shaft. As balls return from the goal via a trough they are fed to the disc which has holes in it which a ball will fall into. When the motor rotates it lifts the ball to the playfield where a relay will kick the ball on to the playfield.
A ball is automatically ejected upon game start up and when each player scores. Each ball is alternately ejected on to each players side of the center line. There is also an Emergency Ball Lift button. This is used when after scoring, a ball is not ejected, but this happens infrequently.
The two teams, Blue team and Red team are operated by players at opposite ends of the machine. Each player has 2 FLIPPER buttons. The right button operates both Men on the right and moves the goalie to the right, the left button operates the left Men and moves the goalie to the left. Due to the fact that 2 coils operate the goalies (move left and move right), the curcuitry is such that if you press both FLIPPER buttons at one time nothing happens! Luckily a Chicago Coin pinball was acquired at the same time with the Hockey Champ.The pinball was cosmetically beyond repair, but the coils I needed to complete shopping out the Hockey were a blessing. If you are an Electro-mechanical Fan you would love the wonderful sounds which emanate from the machine. From the beginning of the game after the steppers "ka-lunk" while they reset, the timing motor hums away stepping the timing unit during every minute of play. The firing of the solonoids as each player operates his or her Men as well as the 'clink' of the ball off of the Hockey sticks. The bell rings everytime a goal is scored acompanied by a flash from a large red lamp behind the goal, followed by the ball elevator rotating and a new ball being ejected into play. The best is saved for last when the BUZZER sounds the end of the game! Orignally I thought this game was early 60's because of the metal manikins (as they are called on the schematic) on the playfield. More recently I have been told of a flyer which dates this machine from 1969. I'd be glad to hear about and see pictures of other machines like this. So far I have found out about a Chicago coin Slapshot Hockey (pictured below)
Slapshot Hockey has a unique feature not available in the Hockey Champ. At the end of game if the score is tied, you can eject a 'tie-breaker' ball via a button! Back to the Top