The Hockey Hall of Fame ( Temple de la renommée du hockey in French) is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup. Originally in Kingston, Ontario, the Hockey Hall of Fame was first established in 1943 under the leadership of James T. Sutherland. The first class of honoured members was inducted in 1945, before the Hall of Fame had a permanent location. It moved to Toronto in 1958 after the NHL withdrew its support for the Kingston location. Its first permanent building opened at Exhibition Place in 1961. In the '90s, the Hall began outgrowing its location and was relocated to a former Bank of Montreal building in downtown Toronto in 1993, where it is presently located.
An 18-person committee of players, coaches and others meets annually in June to select new honourees, who are inducted as players, builders or on-ice officials. The builders' category includes coaches, general managers, commentators, team owners and others who have helped build the game. Honoured members are inducted into the Hall of Fame in an annual ceremony held at the Hall of Fame building in November, which is followed by a special "Hockey Hall of Fame Game" between the Toronto Maple Leafs and a visiting team. As of 2008, 240 players, 97 builders and 15 on-ice officials have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame has been criticized for focusing mainly on players from the National Hockey League and largely ignoring players from other North American and international leagues.
History
The Hockey Hall of Fame was established through the efforts of James T. Sutherland, a former President of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA). Sutherland sought to establish it in Kingston, Ontario as he believed that the city was the birthplace of hockey. In 1943, the NHL and CAHA reached an agreement that a Hall of Fame would be established in Kingston. Originally called the "International Hockey Hall of Fame", its mandate was to honour great hockey players and to raise funds for a permanent location. The first eleven "honoured members" were inducted on April 30, 1945, although the Hall of Fame still did not have a permanent home. Kingston lost its most influential advocate as permanent site of the Hockey Hall of Fame when Sutherland died in 1955.
By 1958, the Hockey Hall of Fame had still not raised sufficient funds to construct a permanent building in Kingston. Clarence Campbell, then President of the NHL, grew tired of waiting for the construction to begin and withdrew the NHL's support to situate the Hall in Kingston. In the same year, the NHL and the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) reached an agreement to establish a new Hall of Fame building in Toronto, in the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame located at Exhibition Place. The temporary Hockey Hall of Fame opened as an exhibit within the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in August 1958, and 350,000 people visited it during the 1958 CNE fair. Due to the success of the exhibit, NHL and CNE decided that a permanent home in the Exhibition Place was needed. The NHL agreed to fully fund the building of the new facility on the grounds of Exhibition Place, and construction began in 1960. The first permanent Hockey Hall of Fame was opened on August 26, 1961, by Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker. Over 750,000 people visited the Hall in its inaugural year. Admission to the Hockey Hall of Fame was free until 1980, when the Hockey Hall of Fame facilities underwent expansion.
By 1986, the Hall of Fame was running out of room in its existing facilities and the Board of Directors decided that a new home was needed. The Exhibition Place building closed in 1992. Development of the new location, the former Bank of Montreal at the corner of Yonge and Front Streets in Toronto, began soon after. The building, now part of Brookfield Place, was designed by Frank Darling and S. George Curry. The new Hockey Hall of Fame officially opened on June 18, 1993. The new location has 4,700 m 2 (50,600 sq ft) of exhibition space, seven times larger than that of the old facility. The Hockey Hall of Fame now hosts more than 300,000 visitors each year.
Operations and organization
The first curator of the new Hall of Fame was Bobby Hewitson. Following Hewitson's retirement in 1967, Lefty Reid was appointed to the position. Reid was curator of the Hockey Hall of Fame for the next 25 years, retiring in 1992. Following Reid's retirement, former NHL referee-in-chief Scotty Morrison, who was the president of the Hockey Hall of Fame since 1986, was appointed curator. Morrison supervised the relocation of the Hall of Fame and its exhibits.
The Hockey Hall of Fame is led by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bill Hay and Jeff Denomme, the President, Chief Operating Officer and Treasurer. The Hockey Hall of Fame is operated as a non-profit business called the "Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum" (HHFM), independent of the National Hockey League. The Hall of Fame was originally sponsored by the NHL and Hockey Canada and revenue is generated mainly through admissions.
Exhibits
The Hockey Hall of Fame has 15 exhibit areas covering 57,000 square feet (5,300 m 2 ). Visitors can view trophies, memorabilia and equipment worn by players during special games. The MCI Great Hall , described as "a Cathedral to the icons of Hockey", contains portraits and biographical information about every Hall of Fame honoured member. The centrepiece of the Great Hall is the Stanley Cup; for part of the year a replica is put on display when the presentation cup travels outside of the Hall of Fame. The original version of the Cup and the older rings, as well as all of the current National Hockey League trophies, are displayed in the bank vault, an alcove off the Great Hall. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony is annually held in the Great Hall.
The NHL Zone is a large area featuring displays relating to the NHL. Current teams and players are highlighted 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 focusing on honoured members; and NHL Milestones displays exhibits of noteworthy records including Darryl Sittler's ten-point game and Wayne Gretzky's all-time points record. The Stanley Cup dynasties exhibit features displays that include memorabilia from the rosters of nine teams considered to be dynasties because they dominated the NHL for several years at a time." This area also has a replica of the Montreal Canadiens' dressing room as it existed at the old Montreal Forum. The Panasonic Hometown Hockey section is dedicated to grass roots hockey in North America; it includes exhibits about various leagues and sections on women's and disabled hockey leagues. Special exhibits in the past included an exhibit in 2000 showcasing Gretzky memorabilia.
Interactive displays are featured in the NHLPA Be A Player Zone . At the Source For Sports Shoot Out , visitors take shots using real pucks at a computer simulation of goaltender Ed Belfour. Its counterpart, Lay's Shut Out , has visitors playing goaltender, blocking shots from computer simulations of players Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier. The TSN/RDS Broadcast Zone provides a look at how hockey broadcasting works and allows users to record messages that may be displayed on both the Hockey Hall of Fame's website, and the TSN/RDS networks.
While many of the Hall of Fame exhibits are dedicated to the NHL, there is a large section devoted to hockey leagues and players outside North America. On June 29, 1998, the World of Hockey Zone opened. Sponsored by the Royal Canadian Mint, it is a 3,500 square feet (300 m 2 ) area dedicated to international hockey, including World and Olympic competition and contains profiles on all IIHF member Countries.
Hall of Fame
See also: List of members of the Hockey Hall of FameSelection process
As of 2009, new members can be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as players, builders or on-ice officials. The builders' category includes coaches, general managers, commentators, team owners and others who have helped build the game. The category for on-ice officials was added in 1961 and a "veteran player" category was established in 1988. The purpose of the category was to "provide a vehicle for players who may have been overlooked and whose chances for election would be limited when placed on the same ballot with contemporary players." Eleven players were inducted into that category, but in 2000, the Board of Directors eliminated it; the players who had been inducted under this category were merged into the player category.
Candidates for membership in the Hockey Hall of Fame are nominated
Hockey Hall of Fame Home Page
Official Hockey Hall of Fame website. Home to hockey's greatest players. ... >This Day in Hockey History >Pepsi Game Time >3-D Stanley Cup
Hartland Molson Theatre
From an authentic reenactment of a late nineteenth century game to the excitement ... features stunning imagery through archival photos and footage and some of the Hockey Hall of Fame ...
Hockey Hall of Fame - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In 1999 the "Hockey Hall of Fame game" was established, a contest between the Toronto Maple Leafs ... Barrie Examiner. ^ Fidlin, Ken (2005-11-07). "Fitting tribute to hockey legend".
Hockey Hall of Fame - Visitor Information - Plan Your Visit
Experience over 57,000 square feet of interactivity, hands on games, theatres, the Stanley Cup as well as the finest collection of hockey artifacts from around the
Hockey Hall of Fame - Promos and Contests
As the Official Hockey Travel Partner of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Roadtrips is your ticket to see Any Maple Leafs game and visit 'the Hall.' Your Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey Getaway ...
IHHOF.com - The Official Web Site of the International Hockey Hall of ...
... legend ... pre-game ceremony at an NHL game. In 1958 the National Hockey League severed its ties with Kingston and established its own Hockey Hall of Fame ... Hockey Hall of Fame ...
Legends of Hockey - Induction Showcase - Legend Classic
Catch the inaugural Hockey Hall of Fame 2004 Legends Classic heritage game between the "Original Six Legends" and "Expansion Legends" that will take place Saturday, November 6 ...
Legends of Hockey - Induction Showcase - Legend Classic
Celebrate the rivalry in the 2005 Hockey Hall of Fame Legends Classic game between "Canada" and "Russia" that will take place at the Air Canada Centre on Sunday, November 6, 2005 ...
Hockey Hall of Fame - Visitor Information - Birthday Packages
The Hockey Hall of Fame is the ultimate entertainment destination for birthday groups; featuring over 57,000 square feet of interactivity, hands on games, theatres, the Stanley Cup ...
Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame logo puck autographed in silver by both legendary ... personality over the past century, following the game ... Brutal Legend Review