Hidden within the facade of an old bank is a time capsule – a treasure trove of hockey memorabilia accessible to fans around the world to peruse at their own leisure, as long as they can make the trip to downtown Toronto, Canada.
GTA residents will be pleased to learn that presenting your PRESTO card will earn you 20 per cent off your entrance fee into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Located on the corner of Yonge and Front St, the building appears grand and inconspicuous enough, in the way that most older Toronto buildings look. Of course, the inside is completely modern as almost all heritage status buildings left in the city are.
Upon entry to the HHOF, visitors are first met with what is called the Hyundai NHL Zone. While there is no one way to explore the hockey museum due to its interconnected rooms and hallways, this section is the clear starting point. The room itself is framed by two large statues representing Frederick Wellington “Cyclone” Taylor, and Ken Dryden. It is a large circular room, four sections of slightly curved glass display cases showcasing NHL Legends, NHL Today, NHL Retro, and NHL Milestones.
From this centre point, visitors can choose where they would like to branch off to next. Nearby is the Montreal Canadiens Dressing Room, a complete replica of the Montreal Forum. This room witnessed 24 Stanley Cup Champion teams between the years 1924 and 1966. Two of those wins belong to the Montreal Maroons, the other whopping 22 held by the Habs. The room is filled with commemorative items representing some of the Canadiens most outstanding players, including but not limited to Lafleur, Dryden and Morenz.
Another room to consider checking out during your visit would be the St. Louis Bar & Grill Arena Zone. This room is probably the largest in the entire building and contains too many exhibits to list. Sections of the room are dedicated to a detailed list of every NHL team plus their affiliates, historic non-NHL trophies, and numerous hockey groundbreakers and trailblazers.
While there are plenty more rooms and exhibits at the Hockey Hall of Fame, talking about them all would ruin the fun of seeing them for yourself, so I’ll limit myself to advertising just one more attraction. Tucked into a back corner and flooded with blue lights are mirroring walls of masks. This exhibit is known as The Mask presented by Mustang Pucks, and is dedicated entirely to goalies. Each mask has its own plaque to shed some light on who might have worn what and when. Gazing at the wall of nearly one hundred masks feels somewhat like having an out of body experience, as you might find yourself looking through the holes of the headgear in your reflection on the glass.
If you’ve got the time, go see all this and more at Toronto’s Hockey Hall of Fame, located at Yonge St and Front St. If you haven’t got the time, well I’d be happy to give you a virtual tour through my eyes.
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