Wayne Gretzky
Hockey Hall of Fame is hockey heaven for NHL fans, collectors
TORONTO — It’s no surprise here at the Tim Hortons restaurant located steps away from the entrance to the Hockey Hall of Fame that there are display cases filled with hockey memorabilia, including sticks, skates, jerseys, helmets, pucks and more.
There also are relics of Tim Horton himself, a defenseman who played 24 seasons in the NHL spanning 1,446 regular season games for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres. In 2017, Horton was named by the NHL as one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in history.
PHOTO GALLERY: We take you on a tour of the Hockey Hall of Fame
Horton also was the co-founder of the Tim Hortons restaurant chain, and the store closest to the Hall even features a donut with red, white and blue sprinkles — the color scheme of the Hall — with an edible Hall logo in the middle.
The Hockey Hall of Fame is a must-visit, and arguably the best hall of fame of the four major sports.
This truly is hockey heaven — from the picturesque building to the abundance of hockey artifacts to, obviously, the Stanley Cup.
And repeat visits always show new items on display. According to a Hall employee, it only displays about 20 percent of the artifacts it owns. The rest are stored nearby.
Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, with exhibits about players, teams, records and more, the Hockey Hall of Fame dates to 1943 with the first class of inductees in 1945 including Hobey Baker, Howie Morenz, George Vezina and Lord (of Preston) Stanley, among others. It moved to Toronto in 1958 and has been at its current location in downtown Toronto, at the corner of Yonge and Front Streets, inside Brookfield Place and a historic Bank of Montreal building, since 1992.
There are now 294 players, including nine women, enshrined, plus 113 builders and 16 on-ice officials. The class of 2022 featured Daniel Alfredsson, Roberto Luongo, Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Riikka Sallinin and Herb Carnegie.
The Hall spans more than 60,000 square feet, on multiple levels, attracting more than 300,000 visitors annually.
A statue of Gordie Howe, aka Mr. Hockey, greets visitors at the entrance, naturally, along with encased areas to honor some of the game’s greats — Wayne Gretzky, Peter Forsberg, Cam Neely, Mike Modano, Bryan Trottier and Darryl Sittler, among others.
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There also is a plaque at the entrance honoring the 2018 Humboldt Broncos Hockey Team. On April 6, 2018, the Humboldt Broncos — a junior team from Humboldt, Saskatchewan, which plays in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) — was involved in a tragic traffic accident: 16 people were killed and 13 injured. Most of the deceased and injured were players on the team.
The easy-to-navigate Hall features display cases with thousands of pieces of hockey memorabilia, most game-worn, many autographed. There also are detailed plaques explaining the souvenirs. For instance:
• Game-worn gloves of Dave Andreychuk from the 2002-03 season when he played for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
• Game-worn Gretzky gear, including his New York Rangers jersey, pants, gloves and more.
• Roberto Luongo’s game-worn goalie pads.
• Game-worn Washington Capitals jersey of Reggie Savage when he scored his first NHL goal on Nov. 18, 1992.
• The official’s sweater worn by Paul Stewart on March 15, 2003, when he reached the 1,000-game milestone. Displayed nearby are other souvenirs from 1,000-game milestones, including sticks and a Jaromir Jagr jersey.
• Mike Gartner’s gloves worn in 1984-85, the first and only season he scored 50 goals and 100 points.
• Dave Taylor’s game-worn Los Angeles Kings’ uniform from 1992.
Current NHL teams and players are spotlighted in the NHL Today area, while the NHL Retro displays include memorabilia and information about every NHL team past and present. The NHL Legends area features rotating exhibits and NHL Milestones spotlight noteworthy records, including Gretzky’s points record.
The Hall honors Stanley Cup dynasties, with displays that include artifacts from the rosters of nine teams considered to be dynasties because they dominated the NHL for years.
There also is a replica of the Montreal Canadiens’ dressing room. I had to get a photo next to the jersey of my all-time favorite hockey player, Yvan Cournoyer, a left-handed right wing who spent his entire 16-year NHL career skating for the Canadiens before landing in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Visitors also see sections dedicated to various other leagues beyond the NHL, as well as leagues for women, hearing impaired, amputees, blind hockey players and more.
Hockey cards, naturally, also are featured.
And there’s a net, too. Not just any net, but the actual net in which Gretzky scored his 802nd career goal on March 23, 1994 — and of course there are 802 pucks in the net.
The Ethnicity in Hockey section shows the jersey of Team Ontario player Nick Suzuki of the London Jr. Knights. There also is a Sagkeeng Oldtimer’s jersey from the late-1970s.
Also at The Hall:
• Cammi Granato game-worn jersey, signed.
• The University of Manitoba game-worn jersey of Lauryn Keen.
• NCAA jerseys from Ohio State and the University of Denver.
• Owen Porter’s 2020-21 University of Michigan jersey.
• Memorabilia from minor hockey, dating back to the early 1900s.
• Helmet worn by Rob Blake in the 1980s.
• AHL referee jersey of Katie Guay, who in October 2021 became the first woman to referee a game in the American Hockey League.
• Clark Cup championship puck from 2020-21. Netting, too.
One of my favorite areas in the Hall spotlights the Evolution of The Goalie Mask, which shows masks of some greats, including Ed Belfour, Eddie Giacomin, Johnny Bower, Murray Bannerman, Dan Bouchard, Dunc Wilson and Darren Pang, among others.
I always enjoy seeing collectibles, such as the masks, of former Chicago Blackhawks, my favorite team. To that, it was great seeing game-worn jerseys of former Blackhawks stars Patrick Kane (2021) and Jonathan Toews (2010 Stanley Cup Finals).
The Upper Deck Collectors’ Corner spotlights cards aplenty. And not all cards in the Hall hail from Upper Deck; there were Pro Set and others, too.
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There also are caches. Like signed headshot photo cards of all 1986 Soviet Union Hockey team members who won the World Championship. And a German Hockey card set from the 1998-99 season.
Nearby there are signed relics from Connor McDavid, including a jersey and gloves.
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Another Hall highlight was seeing the 1910 Imperial Tobacco C56 card set, considered the first ever hockey set. The 36-card set predates the NHL, spotlighting players from the 1910-11 National Hockey Association (NHA) season.
The Hall also had O-Pee-Chee and Ultimate Trading Cards.
A movies and pop-culture section carries Charlestown Chiefs and Mighty Ducks jerseys, lunch boxes spotlighting Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky, and many other prizes, including license plates, records, beer cans, books, magazines, video games and DVDs.
The Hall also has a Harlem Globetrotters multicolor basketball, used in 2013.
Other great artifacts include:
• WHA jersey of Gordie Howe.
• Los Angeles Sharks jersey worn by team captain Jim Niekamp.
• The Birmingham Bulls mask from 1976-78, worn by John Garrett.
• Charlotte Checkers game-worn uniform of Jared Staal from 2010.
• A Milwaukee Admirals uniform from the 2006 AHL Calder Cup Final, with a Milwaukee Brewers patch stitched onto the front.
• Skater gear from various decades.
• Edmonton Oil Kings jersey, worn by Edgars Kulda during the 2013-14 WHL season.
• Shawinigan Cataractes jersey from the 2011-21 QMJHL season.
• Game-worn Batman jersey of Anthony Luciani, from 2014 of the Toledo Walleyes.
• Terry Harper jersey from the 1967-68 season.
• Fedora from Hector “Toe” Blake.
• Terry Sawchuck shoulder and arm pads.
• Jimmy Thomson jersey from the 1950-51 season.
• Frank Nighbor jersey from 1921-22.
• Worn skates from the 1910s.
• Mike Bossy stick.
• Boston Bruins puck from the 1990 Stanley Cup Finals.
• Ralph “Cooney” Weiland jersey from 1938-39.
• Brett Hull helmet from 2001-02.
• Gretzky-worn jersey from 1980-81.
Hockey jerseys from around the world are a colorful tribute to the popularity of the sport.
There also is a section honoring international stars of the game, including Jessica Platt, Blake Bolden, Noora Raty, Jayna Hefford, Angela James, Eva Ault and others.
The Hall also has multiple interactive areas. Fans can take shots or try to stop shots. The computer gives visitors the chance to block shots from computer simulations of Wayne Gretzky.
Earlier this year, the new Arena Zone opened, anchored around the largest jewel in the Hall’s collection — the first Zamboni used in the NHL in 1954, as well as other artifacts from the famous original six arenas.
• Items from the Colorado Avalanche's 2022 Stanley Cup championship are on display, starting with the team’s official championship ring. With six rubies representing their win in Game 6 of the final making up the Avalanche logo, visitors can see the incredible details up close.
Vintage hockey fans will treasure the skate down memory lane — back to the 1972 Summit Series, with a special exhibit featuring iconic artifacts, including Paul Henderson’s series-winning goal stick to celebrate the 50th anniversary.
To wrap up a visit to the HHOF — as it is commonly called and featured on clothing items for sale at the shrine — The Esso Great Hall features portraits and biographical information about every Hall of Fame member. And, of course the Stanley Cup is the centerpiece of the Great Hall.
Visitors can touch or kiss The Cup and photos are absolutely required. Truly, the best for last.
