This is a combination of THREE hobbies I had when I was kid: tabletop hockey, hockey cards, and hockey sticker albums. I present a mini tabletop hockey set that is adorned with players and stickers found in hockey card packs. This sort of thing would only be possible if a tabletop manufacturer partnered with a hockey card maker.
I was just thinking about how these things I enjoyed as a kid are essentially extinct today. To make these ancient things appealing to today’s kids, I felt a combination of toys and playing cards might draw their attention, sort of like Bakugan.
This is a 3 on 3 tabletop hockey set that is the size of a shoe box (13″ x 8″ x 5″). Hockey players are punched out of plastic hockey cards and tabbed into stands in the table (you could even play without any players). Stickers would cover the outer table, rink boards, and pucks.
This being a 3 on 3 format allows for a mini table that even adults could use. Yes, the lone defenceman would have to take the face-offs, so purists will have to deal!
This idea was even more ambitious when I first started. I wanted a “travel” tabletop that opened like a suitcase to store hockey cards, and even had a clear bubble top. However I kept envisioning cards being spilled everywhere so that was nixed. The final idea presented here is, in my opinion, both feasible to make and affordable for kids.
BONUS IDEA: you know how Imports Dragons (formerly McFarlane Toys) makes 2.5″ NHL player figurines? I think it would be sweet if they made these specifically for tabletops. Tabletop enthusiasts would go bonkers for players that detailed. Might have to scale them down to 2″ though.
Dave's Geeky Ideas 
I should point out that video games killed my interest in tabletop hockey and hockey cards. Darn video games!
When I was a kid I did try to customize my Wayne Gretzky tabletop hockey game. I cut out pictures from the newpaper and pasted them on the rink boards for the banner ads. I drew names and numbers on the players. Ah, the good ol’ days.
Gotta say, this is an awesome idea. I’m a table hockey enthusiast. I’ve got like five different tables. This is one thing that has always been lacking, is the ability to customize your teams. I mean, if your teams it the blues, you can buy the blues for stiga but that’s where it ends. You can’t put your favorite players in the positions they play. I’d buy this in a heartbeat. Has the idea gone anywhere?
No this idea hasn’t really gone anywhere. Table hockey isn’t a big draw here it seems.
Where can I get this? It looks so much fun! I have 5 tabletop games from 1970 to now and I collect cards. This looks amazing. It may seem weird but Nebraska is big in table hockey.