To finish the month-long look at hockey-themed games, with some snow finally staying on the ground, and with wind chills of -18, it finally is hockey weather too, so I’ll end with a game from a Winnipeg designer.
Simply called Hockey, it is a game designed by Ida A. Spence way back in 1961. I can say way back since I am pretty much the same vintage having been born a year earlier.
Spence created the game to be played with a standard 52-card deck of cards, so that is a definite bonus as there is nothing to buy to give this one a whirl. Of course that is the magic of a deck of cards, it is essentially the heart of a thousand games to explore.
If you are looking for card games to try head to the computer and visit www.pagat.com It is a resource for tonnes of games.
So from the introduction to Spence’s game on the pagat site we find; “This simulation of Ice Hockey using playing-cards is played mainly in Canada. Ida A Spence tells me that she invented the original version of the game in Eddystone, Manitoba during the hockey season 1961-62. In the mid 1960’s many of the players moved to Winnipeg and introduced the game there.
“This is a game for just two players, one representing each team.
“The play mechanism is, perhaps coincidentally, quite similar to that of the Turkish game Pishti and the French Canadian game Mitaines, so on this site Hockey has been placed with those games in the “fishing group” - games where cards from hand are used to capture matching cards from the table. In Hockey, points are scored by matching the card played by your opponent to create a ‘breakaway’ (also known as ‘clearing the ice’) and then also matching the opponent’s following play to score. These points are known as goals and the object is of course to score more goals than your opponent.”
I rather like that the material shows connections to other card games. It allows players to explore the mine ages of games.
The ruleset for Hockey is pretty straight forward.
“The players pick up the cards they are dealt, look at them, and play in turn. The first card is played by the non-dealer.
“A turn consists of playing one card from your hand face up to the centre of the table. The cards played by both players are stacked in a single pile so that only the most recently played card is visible.
“If a card is played which matches the rank of the top card of the pile (for example an 8 is played on an 8), this creates a breakaway for the person who played the matching card. Also, any time that a Jack is played, this creates a breakaway for the player of the Jack.
“If a player who creates a breakaway then matches the next card played by the opponent, the player scores a goal.”
Playing once through the deck - four deals of 5 cards each and one of 6 cards each - is known as a “period”. This 6th card in the final deal is considered as “an extra attacker” for the “last minute remaining in the period”.
After a period is over, the next period begins and players switch as dealers. Three periods constitute a complete game (unless there is a tie, in which case a fourth “overtime” period is played.
The game is a quick play one, that could easily be played between periods when you’re watching a game on the tube with a bud.
The other great thing about pagat.com is that it includes variants for games.
I found this one of interest because of its Saskatchewan roots; so I will include it here;
“In another version of the game, described by Ralph Wiggum of Saskatchewan, four cards are dealt to each player and a pile of four cards to the centre of the table to start the play pile. Then each successive deal during the period is four cards each - six deals in all. In this version Twos act like Jacks - they also create a breakaway, also known in this version as “clearing the ice”. When you clear the ice you remove the play pile from the table leaving it empty. Then after your opponent’s next play you can score a goal either by matching your opponent’s card or by playing a Jack or a Two. A goal also clears the ice (the play pile is cleared away) and so you can score several goals in succession if you keep matching your opponent’s card (or playing a Jack or Two on it). Your opponent can however stop this by the safety play of playing his own Jack or Two to the empty table. This is immediately cleared away, stopping you from scoring and clearing the ice for your opponent. In the first deal of each period the players may inspect the four cards that start the play pile. They must not contain any Twos, Jacks or pairs - if they do, they are shuffled into the pack and four new centre cards dealt.”
This is a game well worth trying because of its simplicity, and because you only need a deck of cards to play.
