Since the NHL Stanley Cup ice hockey playoffs are coming to an exciting end, it’s probably a good time to head up to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. While hockey’s basically a winter game, it’s usually pretty busy up at the Hall during the summer months. There’s isn’t a sport on the planet hat brings the passion out in Canadian residents quite like ice hockey does, but you don’t have to be Canadian to have a great time at the Hall of Fame (HOF).
I guess its home in Canada’s biggest city is just natural though. The building is actually a mixture of a museum as well as the hall of fame. There are items on display there from some of the greatest hockey players to ever lace up a pair of skates. These include players such as Bobby Hull, Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby.
There are also quite a few exhibits that pertain to specific eras, player records, and teams on display. One of the HOF’s biggest and most popular attractions are the NHL trophies, including the famous Stanley Cup. Some of the most special and historic moments in the history of the sport are also featured.
But the best thing about the hall is that it isn’t just dedicated to NHL and North American hockey. There are also many sections that showcase the European and amateur game and there’s a huge World of Hockey Zone that’s dedicated to international hockey. There are 15 total exhibit areas in the HOF that feature equipment, trophies, and memorabilia. There are also details, stats, and portraits of each member of the hall.
As well as the famous players, the building also honours other important people who helped develop the sport. This includes officials, builders, general managers, coaches, team owners and television and radio commentators. Actually, just about anybody who has dedicated themselves to hockey could be voted in to the hall by the 18-person committee that handles the inductions. Those people are then honored as HOF members each autumn during an annual ceremony.
If you’ve got kids, they’ll love the several interactive areas of the hall as these let visitors test a variety of their hockey skills by competing against computer simulation. There’s also a broadcast zone where fans to see how hockey broadcasts are put together.
The hall has always been in Toronto, but it used to be at the CNE grounds, where it was placed in 1961. Up until then it was in Kingston, Ontario, where it opened in 1943. The place became so popular though and big as more memorabilia was added all of the time. It ended up moving to downtown Toronto, at the corner of Yonge and Front Streets.
The HOF now has over 50,000 square feet of space for all of its attractions and it acyually pulls in over 300,000 visitors from all over the world each year as hockey is becoming more popular now in non-traditional countries. It’s easy to get to by walking, the underground and buses.
It’s a great place to visit if you’re interested at all in hockey and the only days it’s closed are Christmas, and New Year’s. It’s also closed once a year on Induction Day, which is usually in November. It’ll be Nov. 8 this year (2010).
The price to get in is pretty reasonable too as it’s $10 for kids up to 13 and $15 for adults. Seniors get a discount too and children up to three are free.
