Wayne Gretzky
Toronto’s Frozen Pond hobby shop a haven for hockey and celebrity autographs, collectibles
Hersh Borenstein got a phone call in early 1992, with the caller asking if he liked roller coasters. He replied, “Yes … why?”
He was told that NHL star Pavel Bure, a rookie for the Vancouver Canucks during the 1991-92 season, was coming to Borenstein’s hometown of Toronto and he wanted to ride roller coasters. Borenstein took Bure to an amusement park, and the two spent the day together at Canada’s Wonderland.
Borenstein also had Bure sign 700 autographs for $4 each, which was Borenstein’s first large autograph signing. He placed an ad to sell the Bure autographs in The Hockey News — and sold them all in three weeks.
Borenstein quickly realized, “I could be onto something.”
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Sure enough, he booked other autograph signings, focused on Canada’s favorite sport: hockey. He did signings with Paul Coffey and Vladislav Tretiak, among others.
So was born Borenstein’s Frozen Pond, a collectibles company that was founded in September 1993, with its first retail location in Toronto opening in 1996.
“It wasn’t like I had this master plan, it just evolved,” said Borenstein, 54, who has built Frozen Pond into one of the hobby’s most trusted sources for autographed sports/celebrity memorabilia, particularly hockey collectibles.
Frozen Pond has held signings with more than 350 past and present hockey players, including 100-plus Hall of Famers.
On National Hockey Card Day on April 15, Frozen Pond welcomed former NHL players Mark and Marty Howe for a public signing session.
Frozen Pond also has conducted private autograph sessions with more than 300 pro athletes and entertainers, including: Gordie Howe, Mario Lemieux, Maurice Richard, Bobby Hull, Mark Messier, Jean Beliveau, Eric Lindros, Ray Bourque, Patrick Roy, Guy Lafleur, Glenn Hall, Dominik Hasek, Phil Esposito, Tony Esposito, Mike Bossy, Frank Mahovlich, Paul Coffey, Johnny Bower, Henrik Lundqvist, Martin Brodeur, Borje Salming, Doug Gilmour, Georges St-Pierre, Joe Carter, Julius Erving, Charles Barkley, Marcus Allen, Jerome Bettis, Mike Tyson, William Shatner, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Stan Lee, Michael J. Fox, Henry Winkler and many more.
Frozen Pond is celebrating 30 years in the hobby.
“This isn’t really like work. I wake up every day excited to come in [to the store],” Borenstein said. “I work with hockey players; I work with famous people, celebrities … it’s fun.”
The week that SCD visited Borenstein, for instance, he received calls from Phil Esposito and Bryan Trottier. Years ago, it was Gordie Howe or Don Cherry calling Borenstein.
“Our first 20 years were mostly hockey; we added celebrities to the realm about 10 years ago,” said Borenstein, who attends Comic-Con events across North America, where he works alongside Michael J. Fox, Chuck Norris, Sean Astin, Dean Cain and others.
Does it feel like 30 years?
“This is all I know,” Borenstein said.
He spent about a year planning for Frozen Pond’s 25th anniversary, which included a massive signing session of hockey players, all benefiting charity.
“The landscape in our industry has changed so much since then, in 2018,” said Borenstein, who noted the COVID-19 pandemic, the card boom, Fanatics, the emergence of autographed cards, autographed ticket stubs, and much more.
Frozen Pond is about a 12-minute drive from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, in the suburbs. The 6,600-square-foot store is truly a collectibles castle, anchored around hockey, with plenty of baseball and football too, along with basketball, pro wrestling and MMA.
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Frozen Pond also is located about five minutes from Canada’s Wonderland, a haven for funnel cakes and lasting memories for Borenstein. And as a collector, he still has his 1992 admission ticket from Canada’s Wonderland when he visited with Bure.
“When we started, it was basically just cheap autographs: $5-$10 per autograph and everyone was available,” said Borenstein, who hosted the NHL No. 1 draft pick for a signing session at Frozen Pond for three years in a row (2001-03).
His niche now is retired players, particularly former hockey players.
“When it stops being fun, I’ll have to think things over. But this still is, absolutely, a lot of fun,” he said. “I’m not even thinking about retiring because my job never gets boring.
“The pandemic was great for the whole industry, really great for us, very lucrative. I don’t want any more stress in my life. I don’t want any risk.”
So, he doesn’t foresee expanding Frozen Pond or signing exclusive athlete contracts. “I’m content with what I’m doing,” he said.
Borenstein has had a friendship with the Howe family dating back to 1995. He booked Gordie Howe for countless appearances over the years. He also has booked The Hanson Brothers of “Slap Shot” fame, as well as Rick Nash and others.
Frozen Pond has something for every collector. Hockey is prime, but that’s not it.
Sticks, pucks, photos and Funkos. Jerseys, pucks, baseballs, footballs, basketballs, boxing gloves and football helmets. So much is autographed, too.
Framed autographed jerseys range from David Beckham ($2,999) to Jean Beliveau ($575), from Ray Bourque ($349) to Bob Gainey ($449).
The store features a Gump Worsley standup ($30), a 3¼-inch replica Stanley Cup ($18) and a Toronto Maple Leafs 4-knife set ($25)
Frozen Pond, Borenstein said with pride, “is a version of the Hockey Hall of Fame … but where everything is for sale.”
Frozen Pond also features autographed baseballs, from Mike Trout ($950) to Duke Snider ($199). There are signed basketballs, from Isaiah Thomas ($249) to Zion Williamson ($1,150). There are signed footballs, too — Lawrence Taylor ($299) to J.J. Watt on a gold ball ($450).
Autographed framed photos range from an 8-by-10s of Jack Nicklaus ($450) to an 11-by-14 of Dennis Rodman ($249) to a 16-by-20 of Julius Erving and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar together ($949).
Frozen Pond also features the 30-foot sign that formerly hung outside in Toronto at Wayne Gretzky’s Restaurant.
“I had to have it, so I bought it; that was a popular destination in Toronto,” Borenstein said. “Getting it here cost a fortune, so did cleaning it as it had hung outside for 30 years.”
The sign doesn’t have an official price tag, but Borenstein confirmed it is for sale.
Frozen Pond has hundreds of Gordie Howe relics, many of which Borenstein sells via auctions, all benefiting charitable causes. An April auction of Howe relics featured the Howe stick used to score his 801st goal, as well as jerseys, equipment and more.
One of Borenstein’s prized personal collectibles is Howe’s jacket given to him after appearing on an episode of “The Simpsons.” The jacket is embroidered with Howe’s name on it.
“That’s my worlds colliding: The Simpsons and hockey,” he said. “My prized items are ones that people gave me, game-used sticks, for instance, from Marc-Andre Fleury, Alexander Ovechkin, Rick Nash and others. I’m never selling these items.”
Borenstein said the most sought-after signer is none other than Hockey Hall of Fame goalie Ken Dryden, who lives in Toronto and has been a notoriously difficult signer. In fact, Borenstein once offered Dryden $100,000 for an in-store autograph appearance. He got a response in about four minutes: thank you, but not interested.
Borenstein’s ties to SCD date back decades.
“When I was a kid, I’d sit and wait for my SCD to arrive, though it didn’t arrive [in Canada] until about two weeks after everyone else,” he said. “I would live with it, read it from cover to cover. I still remember my mother yelling at me, ‘Will you put that newspaper down!’” he said.
He also placed SCD classified ads when he was 12. Then he advertised as a dealer in SCD.
Borenstein set up to sell cards and more at a show in 1982. His parents drove him to a hotel in downtown Toronto, where he sold $300 worth of collectibles and “was ecstatic … I thought I was rich.”
The then-13-year-old Borenstein sold Kmart sets, Drake sets, and more. He also soon was big into O-Pee-Chee cards, as he’d buy them in Canada and sell them in the U.S., or to Americans.
“I put myself through [college] mostly through the sales of cards,” he said.
TALKING COLLECTIBLES
Borenstein on his favorite collectibles and more hobby topics:
The Pandemic: “It was unbelievable; everything sold.” Case in point: a pair of game-worn Fleury goalie pads had been in his store for about 15 years, priced at $10,000. During the summer of 2020, a collector walked in and purchased them.
Sign Here, Please: The first autograph Borenstein ever got was when he was 9 years old — from Wayne Gretzky. Borenstein wrote a letter to Gretzky in Edmonton. Four years later, he received a signed 8-by-10 photo, which is now framed and hangs next to his office desk.
Sign Here, Again: Ovechkin signed autographs inside Frozen Pond six times in his first four years in the NHL.
Still Collecting: Borenstein might add more Johnny Bower souvenirs to his collection, particularly cards. He also wants to grab a Gordie Howe rookie card. “I collect too much,” said Borenstein, who has thousands of cards of hockey greats.
Used To Collect: He had checks signed by famous people, including Walt Disney, Charles Lindbergh, John F. Kennedy and Elvis. Has since sold them.
Want List: He is looking to add autographs to his collection tied to “The Simpsons” from the 1990s, specifically some late legends who appeared on the show, such as Rodney Dangerfield and Phil Hartman.
Funkos: “They are good to get signed, something new to get signed.”
30 Years: “It’s been a fun ride.”
