Established in 1943, the Hockey Hall of Fame has been housed at Brookfield Place in downtown Toronto since 1993. Combining a traditional museum facility (historic artifacts with accompanying write-ups) with a modern, immersive atmosphere, the Hockey Hall of Fame isn’t your typical “look and don’t touch” establishment! It is, rather, an experience – one that’s appealing to hardcore hockey fans and casual viewers alike. What that means is you can basically make of your visit whatever you like! If you want to spend hours exploring the main concourse level and soaking up the literal history laid out before you, then by all means! Or, if you just want to have fun – take in a bit of history but focus on the interactive exhibits (call some play-by-play or go “one on one” against a hockey great) – you can do that, too! And the best part is, whatever you choose, you don’t have to do it all in one go. After you pay your modest admission ($25 per person), you get a stamp on your hand that provides you with unlimited re-entry within a given day. How’s that for value?
In any case, I’m far from a major “hockey head.” In fact, I’d barely even call myself a casual viewer; however, that doesn’t dampen my enjoyment of the history. Indeed, the history of hockey in this country runs deep and the Hockey Hall of Fame gives you a great overview of Canada’s favourite game right from its humble beginnings to the multi-million dollar sport it is today. Seeing the historic jerseys and goalie masks was a lot of fun and makes one yearn for the return of such things – especially the masks, which seemed so varied and creative compared to modern ones.
Of course, the Hockey Hall of Fame doesn’t just pay homage to the sport itself. It also includes memorabilia from important hockey films like the still epic SLAP SHOT (1977) and the movie that gave birth to an actual NHL team, THE MIGHTY DUCKS (1992). Quack, quack . . . if only the actual team did that when they were coming out onto the ice . . .
I think the major attraction for those who visit here is, undoubtedly, the Stanley Cup. Housed in the historic Great Hall (built in 1855), this space initially served as the HQ for the Bank of Montreal. The ornate ceiling, stained glass windows and hockey trophies give the space an almost royal feel. The centerpiece is, of course, Lord Stanley’s Cup (be sure to get a selfie), but the vault contains even more valuable hockey treasures like the ORIGINAL Stanley Cup, acknowledgement plaques and other such trophies. For me, it was nice to see Vancouver’s name on the cup – their only Stanley Cup win coming in 1915. At that rate, I don’t think I’ll be alive to see their next win (haha).
We spent just under 2 hours here, but I can easily see someone spending the better part of a whole day – especially if they’re major hockey fans. We enjoyed our visit and concluded our explorations with a stop in the gift shop ;)
On vient de Québec donc on aime le hockey, et tout ces souvenirs et objets du vieux temps sont incroyables et mon jeune avait les yeux très grands , surtout dans le vestiaire du canadien très bel expérience à vivre