The game of ice hockey is the National Winter Sport of Canada. Indeed, surveys show it’s the favorite sport of more than 1/3 of Canadians. So, it’s no surprise that the Hockey Hall of Fame Museum would be situated in Toronto, Ontario, Canada’s largest city and home of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team.
What’s in the Hockey Hall of Fame Museum?
The Hockey Hall of Fame Museum has 15 displays spread throughout a massive 60,000+ square feet (5,600 m2) space. It’s a stunning collection of hockey history, uniforms, memorabilia, and trophies.
How many years did Gordie Howe play professional hockey?
Gordie Howe, born near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, started his professional career at 18 playing for the Detroit Red Wings in 1946. His career finished some 34 years later, in 1980 at 52 years old, playing for the Hartford Whalers (where he made 15 goals and 41 points after playing all 80 games).
He had 22 successive seasons of 20 goals or more, peaking in ’52-’53 when he had 49. Amazingly, he never reached 50, but equally amazing he never fell below 23, either, over 25 years with the Red Wings.
Through his career Gordie Howe played 1767 games, with 1687 of them for the Detroit Red Wings. Both are league records.
According to Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, “the career of Gordie Howe has no parallel in professional sports.”
The museum moved to its current location in Brookfield Place, June 18, 1993. This state of the art facility has all of the grandeur of the NASCAR Hall of Fame with its glitz and interactive displays.
That's not a surprise considering that renovations to the 1885 Bank of Montreal building (BCE Place) to restore it to its original splendor cost $27 million!
Exhibit Area
You enter the museum at the Honda NHL area with the current hall of fame inductees. So, if you’re looking for the latest on hockey, you’ll want to spend a lot of time here.
Then, you’ll be able to roll back the years to see the greats of bygone eras:
- Esso Great Hall: This is where you’ll find photos and biographies of the Hall of Famers, as well as NHL tropies, including the Stanley Cup.
- Tissot World of Hockey: This section, the largest part of the museum, is about international hockey and its talented players, both men and women.
- Hometown Hockey: Here, the museum honors hockey’s humble roots in local arenas across the country with a variety of artifacts.
Special Collections
Part of the museum is dedicated to specific eras and topics in hockey history. It’s a great place for hockey trivia lovers to dig into!
- Stanley Cup Dynasties: Here’s where you’ll find the way-back history focusing on the franchises that ruled the NHL over the years.
- The Mask: This exhibit covers, of course, the evolution of goalie masks, featuring around 90 masks worn by various goalies.
- Canadiens Dressing Room: The Montreal Canadiens won 23 Stanley Cup championships from 1924 to 1996, and this to-scale replica a dressing room of the Montreal Forum is full of team rosters, portraits, and more.
- Upper Deck Collector’s Corner: Check out collectibles here!
Interactive Exhibits
As well as enjoying the hockey museum, visitors can get a real feel for many aspects of the sport of hockey. These are all included with your admission.
- NHLPA Game Time: You get to be a hockey player here, shooting or defending the net against hockey superstars.
- TSN/RDS Broadcast Zone: Try your hand behind-the-scenes at television broadcasting during a hockey game.
- Slapshot Trivia: Test yourself on this database that cycles through 10,000 questions in its eight kiosks.
- Video Game Kiosks: Like video games? Try these out.
- TSN Theatre: When your feet get tired, take a break and watch the original 3D film, Stanley’s Game Seven. It has some of everything from famous Stanley Cup playoffs to 3D animation to lots of live action.
And of course, there’s also a Spirit of Hockey Retail Store, in case you need some souvenirs of your visit.
Linda’s Pick of the Exhibits
Picking a favorite here was really tough! I was torn between exhibits featuring the amazing Saskatchewan female hockey player, Hayley Wickenheiser, and the exhibits for the players I remember from my childhood days of watching hockey.
Hayley Wickenheiser
How can you not be proud (and in awe) of a lady like Hayley Wickenheiser, who's often regarded as the greatest female hockey player of all time!
She started her hockey career at the age of five in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, playing on the boys’ teams.
Haley’s career has included many medals and awards, with Olympic medals in the Canadian Women’s National Ice Hockey Team being the most prestigiuos. However, my personal favorite “first” for her happened January 31, 2003. She was the first woman to score a goal in a men’s professional hockey league in Finland’s third-division league.
Hockey, of course, doesn’t go on forever as a career, and Wickenheiser pursued a medical degree, becoming a doctor in 2021. That year, she also collaborated with a sports equipment maker to develop the “Wick Stick”, to create branded equipment targeted toward women.
Hockey Greats
I grew up in a family that loved hockey. Some of my earliest memories are of being the “goalie” for my Uncle playing on a table hockey game. My team — the Montreal Canadiens.
It wasn’t that I didn’t prefer the bright blue jerseys of the Toronto Maple Leafs (the favorite of everyone else in the family) over the red of the Canadiens, it was just that I wanted to be different. Besides, the Canadiens won a lot more!
At any rate, walking through the historic displays, I ran into lots of players I remembered. Maurice (Rocket) Richard. Guy Lafleur. Jean Beliveau.
And well, of course, when I hit the Canadiens Dressing Room, it was all about the Stanley Cup and the athletes who won it so many times.
Maurice (Rocket) Richard broke a record for the most goals in the most games. What was it?
Rocket Richard, playing for the Montreal Canadiens, scored 50 goals in 50 games hitting the record mark in the 1944-45 season. His record stood for more than 30 years until Mike Bossy of the Islanders beat it.
So why was he nicknamed “Rocket?” There were a few reasons. 1) He made at least 20 goals a year for 14 years. 2) He had a unique strategy as as a left-hander playing right wing, so he could burst off his wing giving him a better shooting angle at the goalie. 3) According to the Canada Sports Hall of Fame, “He was the most feared man inside the enemy blueline, a man opponents described as having fire in his eyes.“
Linda’s Road Trip Tips
The Hockey Hall of Fame Museum is in an amazing location in the heart of Toronto. I took the Toronto Subway system and got off at Union Station, then walked about 15 minutes to the museum.
If you’re a Tim Hortons coffee lover (my personal favorites there are the Tim Bits donuts), you can enjoy a cup in their nearby hockey-themed location.
Or, if it’s past your coffee break time, the Bottom Line is a sports bar just a few steps from the Hockey Hall of Fame. As a plus, it’s owned and operated by retired hockey player Wayne Cowley.
On my visit, I also visited a number of museums all within walking distance, including Toronto’s First Post Office Museum. I also enjoyed Toronto’s “castle,” Casa Loma, an historic house nearly 6 km away, or a half hour drive.
Who Should Visit the Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum?
It goes without saying that every hockey fan should visit the Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum.
However, even if you’re not a hockey fan, but have been close to the sport (as I have), it’s an amazing collection of artifacts that’s bound to stir up old memories.
No matter the depth of your interest in the sport, the displays represent the world of hockey, not just a Canadian perspective.
Children (and grownups) of all ages, will love the interactive exhibits and all the glitz of the displays.
How Long Does It Take to Visit the Hockey Hall of Fame?
The Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum is one of those places you could spend days visiting and still find some new piece of trivia. However, if you’re just looking for a quick overview of the sport and its memorable moments, allow at least 2-3 hours. If you’re a fan, double that at a minimum.
No matter how much time you have, if you’re in Toronto it should be #1 on your list of museums.
How Do You Visit the Hockey Hall of Fame Museum in Toronto?
The Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Toronto, Ontario, at 30 Yonge Street in the heart of the downtown. It’s in Brookfield Place (lower concourse level) on the corner of Yonge and Front streets.
Check Hockey Hall of Fame Museum ticket prices and days open (open year-round except for Christmas, New Year’s, and Nov. 11 induction day): https://www.hhof.com/
Keep up to date with what’s happening on the Hockey Hall of Fame Facebook page.
Take a virtual tour of the Hockey Hall of Fame Museum on YouTube.
Use Google Maps to plan your visit the Hockey Hall of Fame Museum.
Discover More Sports Museums
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