World Record, baby

When Dom Hasek and the Czechs played for the shootout in the 1998 Winter Olympics, something clicked in this country. Canadians of all stripes called for heads on platters and executives on ice. The consensus? This is our game, damn it, so fix it and bring home the gold medal. Enter GMs Wayne Gretzky and Steve Yzerman. Enter heroes Joe Sakic and Sidney ‘Golden Goal’ Crosby. Enter come-from-behind goaltenders Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo.

Table hockey is Canada’s game, damn it. Photo by Clint Trahan / ShutterDreams.

A few months ago we found out that the Guinness Book of World Records recognized a group of eight Czechs for the longest continuous table hockey game, a 26-hour, 16-minute affair by Martin Ženíšek and seven friends in 2008. We at Pucked in the Head believe that this is our game, damn it. So we fixed it. We brought home the record.

Six Canadian men stood at the centre of Robson Square ice rink this weekend to claim the record, raising awareness, money and food for Canuck Place Children’s Hospice and Five Hole for Food. Jason Kurylo, Chris Withers, Dr Rob Tarzwell, Brent Corba, Derek Macdonald & Jamie Macdonald played from 1pm Friday until 7pm Saturday, breaking for just five minutes at a time as per Guinness rules. The final tally, 30 hours played, 4,840 goals scored, twenty-four blistered fingertips.

Chris Withers (left) sports a Five Hole for Food shirt during the Vancouver Table Hockey Extravaganza in Robson Square. Photo by Clint Trahan/ShutterDreams.

We’d like to thank a whole raft of people and organizations for helping us get there. First and foremost, Andrew Delbaere, he of the Surrey Eagles and SFU men’s hockey program, who did the heavy lifting — sometimes literally — to get this event running on event day. I won’t embarrass myself by publishing an incomplete list off the top of my head right now. (My brain is still recovering from the sleep deprivation this weekend, after all…) There were a couple dozen volunteers who put time and energy into making this happen.

Chris Withers, Jamie Macdonald, Derek Macdonald, Dr Rob Tarzwell, Brent Corba and Jason Kurylo celebrate setting the world record for the longest continuous table hockey game on September 20-21, 2013. Photo by Clint Trahan/ShutterDreams.

That said, I can give shout outs to ING Direct, Booster Juice, the Southsiders, Fitness Science, the FanZoo, Vancouver Canucks social media, Salt Spring Coffee Company, BC Floorball, Lions Gate Hospital, Beaver Buzz, the Vancouver Giants and let’s not forget the good people over at Rackets & Runners on Oak Street. Without all of these people, our wee event could not have taken place. We humbly thank you.

Furious action at centre ice on the Booster Juice table during the Vancouver Table Hockey Extravaganza on 20-21 September 2013. Photo by Clint Trahan/ShutterDreams.

Original Article published by http://www.puckedinthehead.com/