One of the best things about heading north of the border every season is the passion for hockey. It’s everywhere. From TSN (Canada’s version of ESPN), to the local pubs and sports bars, to the billboards around town, almost everything is hockey-centric. And in Toronto, you can find the mecca of the world’s greatest game, the Hockey Hall Of Fame Museum.
Now, in a perfect world, you can spend countless hours in there. Literally get there in the morning, check out some of the display cases and exhibits, break for lunch, and head back to watch some of the feature presentations, check out the trophies, etc. However, since I’ve been to the HHOF before, I went with more of a crash course approach, brushing up on the awesomeness that’s there with the intention of bringing it to you in this blog….
So, here are some nuggets from my tour (for a more complete gallery of the photos I took, please visit our Flickr page)
The Hall Of Famers – Display cases featuring some of the game’s greatest players, and moments
Johnny Bower – Known as the “China Wall” (I have no idea why), Bower was one of the great goaltenders of his generation. He’s also well known (at least amongst goaltenders) for his use of the poke-check.
Here are the arm and shoulder pads worn by Johnny Bower, who finished his long NHL career with 250 wins in addition to 3 Calder Cup titles at the AHL level.
I mean, look at those things! It could not have been painless to stop a piece of vulcanized rubber with those pads covering your upper body. Bower played for Providence & Cleveland in his AHL career and went into the HHOF in 1976.
Bobby Orr – One of the greatest players to ever play the game. He racked up 915 points as a defenseman, and revolutionized the game with play-making / skating ability. Pictured here are his “Gold Skates” among other pieces of memorabilia from the great career of “#4”.
The “Great One” – Brantford, Ontario native Wayne Gretzky ended his career with more assists (1,963) than anyone else has points. Enough said. There are several spots in the museum that pay tribute to the greatest goal scorer ever, including a display case for his record-breaking 802nd goal.
“Franchise Alley” – Each of the 30 NHL teams and their AHL affiliates are showcased
The Minnesota Wild / Iowa Wild display features Jake Dowell’s game-worn jersey from Opening Night, 2013.
Each of the teams also have “graduating player” that is spotlighted. This is very fitting since almost 90% of today’s NHL players spent time in the AHL. The Wild’s spotlighted player is goaltender Josh Harding, who has played 122 career AHL games (including 2 with Iowa this season) and another 151 in the NHL.
NHL Dynasties / Canadiens Dressing Room
You can argue that there will never be another true sports dynasty – in any major league sport. With salary caps, free agency, parity, and a slew of other factors it’s just too hard to get to the top of the mountain year after year. The LA Kings and Chicago Blackhawks two Stanley Cups in recent seasons are about as close as it gets (in hockey) since the late 90’s. But there’s a chance no team ever reaches the heights achieved by the ’56-’60 Montreal Canadiens (5 straight Cups), the ‘80-‘83 New York Islanders (4 straight Cups) and the ’84-’88 Edmonton Oilers (5 Cups in 7 years). All of the NHL dynasties from yesteryear have a dedicated spot in this wing of the museum, where you can read up on their unbelievable achievements.
The best thing about this part of the museum is that it connects into a replica version of the Montreal Canadiens dressing room from the old Montreal Forum. This is, without question, one of the coolest parts because of the “please touch” aspect. I mean, you can literally sit in the stall of Guy LaFleur, Ken Dryden, and the litany of great Montreal Canadiens.
Pictured here is the stall of “Boom Boom” Geoffrion, one of the innovators of the slap shot!
Interactive Games / Zones & Broadcast Area
Put on a catching glove and grab a goalie stick, it’s time to face shots from some of the game’s best players! The computer-generated software is unreal. The projector screen shows players like Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin and Patrick Kane bearing in on you…and when the computer-generated graphics show them shooting, a foam puck comes flying out of the wall and towards the net you’re defending. Now if only I had someone with me on my tour…instead I was relegated to taking photos (for the purpose of this blog / photo gallery) of random peeps living out their goaltending dreams. #borderlinecreepy
You can also head upstairs to the broadcast area where there’s a timeline with some of the great broadcast moments in hockey history. There are booths where you can select a highlight and try out your play-by-play skills. I think it’s fair to say I need more practice before trying that out……….
International Play & Junior Hockey
Don’t forget that it’s the Hockey Hall Of Fame, not the NHL Hall Of Fame. If you’re a fan of the Olympics or international competition (World Championships / World Junior Championships), there’s plenty of display cases and a jersey from pretty much every country imaginable.
Here’s the display case in honor of Team Canada’s overtime, gold medal victory against Team USA at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.
The Memorial Cup, Canada’s top, amateur championship trophy, is also on display next to the museum’s tribute to the OHL, WHL and QMJHL. Can you name all of the current Iowa Wild players that have won a Memorial Cup? (the answer is at the end of this blog)
The AHL & Other Professional Leagues
The American Hockey League, as well as other current, and defunct, professional leagues also have a spot in the HHOF. What’s really cool for Minnesota Wild fans is that there’s still an old Houston Aeros jersey, worn by John Scott, on display.
The Aeros were Minnesota’s top affiliate for 12 seasons before relocating to Des Moines.
The Trophy Room
Any time I’m fortunate enough to visit the Hockey Hall Of Fame, I always go to the “trophy room” last. Now, I’m not sure what this actual room is called (on the HHOF website it’s called “Silverware”), but you have to walk upstairs into this cathedral-like setting where you stand amongst the game’s greatest pieces of hardware. It’s an absolutely unbelievable setting! The Conn Smythe, the Vezina, The Art Ross and Norris trophies – you name it, they’re all there for you to take in – to read the legendary names that are engraved and stand in their aurora…
The Stanley Cup stands on a platform by itself (as it should), with no glass case around it (don’t dare touch it, of course). It’s the greatest trophy of any sport, and there’s not even a close second. Its tradition and legacy go back countless decades. There’s even a separate “vault” that contains the original Stanley Cup as well as the rings that have been removed to make room for new teams / names. Really cool stuff…
**Stick Tap to the retro jersey section (I’m a huge fan of old school, hockey sweaters) and memorabilia area, where they have all kinds of NHL promotional items, ticket stubs, etc. I even spotted a Minnesota Wild ticket stub from a 2001 game against Columbus. #random
Hope you enjoyed this blog-tour of the Hockey Hall Of Fame. It’s a must for any hockey fan, so if you’re near Toronto, make it happen!
Don’t forget to check out the photo gallery, which has a bunch more photos from my visit.
– Wild Joe Radio
**TRIVIA ANSWER: Danny Syvret, Justin Falk, Zack Phillips and Jon Blum all won the Memorial Cup during their respective junior careers.
ALL THINGS WILD 