Olympic Hockey (1972 Williams Electronics)
Click on image to visit IPD listing.
The Story: Growing up in the 80's & 90's, I didnt get to expierience what I call the "disco era" of gaming, which consisted of mostly electromechanical games & pinballs (now known as "EM" for short). I've always been more of a video game fan but I do enjoy pinball every now and then. I grew up on pinball games like Dr. Dude, Elvira & the Party Monsters and others, and recently added a Mr. & Mrs. Pac-Man Pinball to my collection. Up until now, this was the only pinball game in my basement.
While I'm sure I played a few EM's as a child, my earliest memory of them was about 6 years ago. My family and I had stayed a few nights at a Holiday Inn during a road trip. They had a gameroom with a few vids, but also quite a few EM pinball games. Theres just some charm to these older and simpler games. Who needs multiball, LED displays and a million sound effects when a few simple bells, drop targets and bumpers can be just as fun? Not to mention how nostalgic the artwork on many of these older pins really is. Turns out my wife really likes these kinds of pins as well.
More recently, A few collectors (including myself) got together for a night of fun and games. We hit 2 private gamerooms and the first stop was Glen's place. He's an avid EM collector and has a nice working collection, all on free play. After spending an hour or two playing all those EM's, I expierienced the fun of simple pinball gaming in the disco age once more, and I came to the conclusion that I was going to be on the hunt for an EM of my own.
The Score: This one popped up on our local CL. It was shopped out and had a pretty good price tag on it. It was also only 10 minutes from my job, and my wife happened to be with me, we were hosting an open house event that evening. I contact the seller and arrange for the both of us to come take a look after the event. These days, it's not too often the seller is totally honest about what he's selling, but this was one exception. He claimed it was shopped out and it was obvious it was. For a complete and working 40 year old game, I had no complaints. While it does have minor backglass flaking, minor wear along the pop bumpers and a few battle scars on one side of the cabinet, I wasnt going to let that discourage me. This game had just the right amount of character, but most improtantly, it was fully operational and was fun to play. I've always been a hockey fan (go Blues) so this would fit in nicely in my game room.
Theres also a coule of neat features which truly make this game unique. For one, youre not only trying to achieve a high score, but youre also trying to score goals. The backglass features a hockey rink display with an animated puck that advances one way or the other (depending on whether the first or second player is in play). The object is to advance 10 times to score a goal, and there are a number of ways to achieve this. Then you can ether go for higher points or try to reset the puck to center ice and try to score another goal. Its a fun game to play alone but it also really invites competition. Play with a buddy and see who can score the most goals and/or achieve the highest score.
Turns out the seller has a few video games as well, but admits to being more of a pinball guy. He mentions a Shinobi with a monitor problem and that he had a hard time trying to sell it. At that point I figured it wouldnt hurt to ask if he'd throw that game in with the deal. He agreed and from there it was a done deal. We took both games home a few days later. While Shinobi likely wont be a keeper for me, it'll make an easy fix and flip which will help offset most of the purchase price for both games. Over the weeks we've acually started a friendship and will likely be helping each other out with pinball & arcade game needs in the future (always nice to make more contacts like that). As a matter fact I have another game of his that I'm working on now.
The Service: Although the game was completely shopped out, it is 40 years old and started showing some small problems a few days after bringing it home. I began to notice it wasnt "advancing" correctly for the second player. It was also giving the second player free goals on occasion, and a few lights quit working. After much trial and error servicing, I was able to take care of the issues. I also noticed an adjustment to the flippers was necessary, at least for my taste, to get some more speed and action on the playfield. Otherwise this one has basically been plug and play. This one not only marks the first and only EM game in the cave, but it's also the first and only Williams game. Now Mr. & Mrs. Pac-Man isnt the only pinball in town.
While I'm sure I played a few EM's as a child, my earliest memory of them was about 6 years ago. My family and I had stayed a few nights at a Holiday Inn during a road trip. They had a gameroom with a few vids, but also quite a few EM pinball games. Theres just some charm to these older and simpler games. Who needs multiball, LED displays and a million sound effects when a few simple bells, drop targets and bumpers can be just as fun? Not to mention how nostalgic the artwork on many of these older pins really is. Turns out my wife really likes these kinds of pins as well.
More recently, A few collectors (including myself) got together for a night of fun and games. We hit 2 private gamerooms and the first stop was Glen's place. He's an avid EM collector and has a nice working collection, all on free play. After spending an hour or two playing all those EM's, I expierienced the fun of simple pinball gaming in the disco age once more, and I came to the conclusion that I was going to be on the hunt for an EM of my own.
The Score: This one popped up on our local CL. It was shopped out and had a pretty good price tag on it. It was also only 10 minutes from my job, and my wife happened to be with me, we were hosting an open house event that evening. I contact the seller and arrange for the both of us to come take a look after the event. These days, it's not too often the seller is totally honest about what he's selling, but this was one exception. He claimed it was shopped out and it was obvious it was. For a complete and working 40 year old game, I had no complaints. While it does have minor backglass flaking, minor wear along the pop bumpers and a few battle scars on one side of the cabinet, I wasnt going to let that discourage me. This game had just the right amount of character, but most improtantly, it was fully operational and was fun to play. I've always been a hockey fan (go Blues) so this would fit in nicely in my game room.
Theres also a coule of neat features which truly make this game unique. For one, youre not only trying to achieve a high score, but youre also trying to score goals. The backglass features a hockey rink display with an animated puck that advances one way or the other (depending on whether the first or second player is in play). The object is to advance 10 times to score a goal, and there are a number of ways to achieve this. Then you can ether go for higher points or try to reset the puck to center ice and try to score another goal. Its a fun game to play alone but it also really invites competition. Play with a buddy and see who can score the most goals and/or achieve the highest score.
Turns out the seller has a few video games as well, but admits to being more of a pinball guy. He mentions a Shinobi with a monitor problem and that he had a hard time trying to sell it. At that point I figured it wouldnt hurt to ask if he'd throw that game in with the deal. He agreed and from there it was a done deal. We took both games home a few days later. While Shinobi likely wont be a keeper for me, it'll make an easy fix and flip which will help offset most of the purchase price for both games. Over the weeks we've acually started a friendship and will likely be helping each other out with pinball & arcade game needs in the future (always nice to make more contacts like that). As a matter fact I have another game of his that I'm working on now.
The Service: Although the game was completely shopped out, it is 40 years old and started showing some small problems a few days after bringing it home. I began to notice it wasnt "advancing" correctly for the second player. It was also giving the second player free goals on occasion, and a few lights quit working. After much trial and error servicing, I was able to take care of the issues. I also noticed an adjustment to the flippers was necessary, at least for my taste, to get some more speed and action on the playfield. Otherwise this one has basically been plug and play. This one not only marks the first and only EM game in the cave, but it's also the first and only Williams game. Now Mr. & Mrs. Pac-Man isnt the only pinball in town.
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