The Hockey Hall of Fame, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is dedicated to the history of ice hockey with exhibits featuring memorabilia and NHL trophies (including the Stanley Cup) along with interactive activities. The Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1961, and originally located at Exhibition Place. In 1993, it relocated to a historic, former Bank of Montreal building in downtown Toronto. Each year, several retired players, coaches, and builders are inducted into the Hall of Fame and honoured in special ceremonies.

History

The original Hockey Hall of Fame opened on the grounds of Exhibition Place on August 26, 1961. Admission to the Hockey Hall of Fame was free to the public until 1980, when the Hockey Hall of Fame facilities underwent expansion.^[1]

In 1992, the Hockey Hall of Fame closed at Exhibition Place and was relocated to the former Bank of Montreal building at the corner of Yonge and Front streets in Toronto. The building was home to a branch of the Bank of Montreal from 1885 until 1983. This beaux-arts building was then scheduled to become a museum of photography, but plans fell through. The bank building was restored at a cost of $23 million, under direction of designer Ken Young.^[2] The Hockey Hall of Fame relocated there on June 18, 1993.^[3] The new location has 51,000 sq ft (0 m) of exhibition space, which is seven times larger than that of the old facility.^[4] Outside the building is a sculpture, Our Game by Edie Parker, which celebrates "the spirit of hockey."^[5] The Hockey Hall of Fame has over 300,000 visitors each year.^[6][7] The Hockey Hall of Fame is accessible via Toronto's underground PATH system, connected through the BCE Place complex to Union Station, Fairmont Royal York Hotel, and the Air Canada Centre.

The bank building has long been rumoured to be haunted. Rumour is that it is the ghost of a bank teller, Dorothy, who killed herself in either the bank vault, the gallery behind the vault, or the upstairs washroom in the early 1900s.^[8] The death was related to her being rejected by a fellow bank teller with whom she had an affair.^[9] There have been many reported sightings over the years, and part of the folklore is that she can on occasion be seen looking out the top window, that overlooks the intersection.^[10]

Operations and organization

The first Curator of the new Hall of Fame was Bobby Hewitson. Hewitson remained Curator until his retirement in 1967 when Lefty Reid was appointed.

Hewitson's and Reid's combined vision and commitment to acquiring, documenting and preserving everything related to hockey gave the Hall of Fame a tremendous foundation to build upon in the future. Reid remained Curator of the Hockey Hall of Fame for the next 25 years, retiring in 1992.

In 1992, a new direction was in store and a new location was sought out. The man chosen to direct the Hall of Fame on its new path was former NHL referee-in-chief Scotty Morrison. On June 18, 1993, the Hockey Hall of Fame relocated and opened at its new location in the former Bank of Montreal building on the northwest corner of Yonge and Front Streets in downtown Toronto. In the first year at their new location the Hockey Hall of Fame was an outstanding success, setting records for attendance. This success was attributed to the vision of Scotty Morrison and the vision he shared with his predecessors. New corporate sponsors were found and Scotty Morrison and his staff ushered in a whole new approach to the marketing and the daily operations of the Hall of Fame. At the same time the game of Hockey was finding new audiences and was being exposed on a greater international level. These were all contributing factors to the Hall of Fame's newfound success.

The Hockey Hall of Fame is currently led by Chairman & CEO Bill Hay, who is a former Chicago Blackhawks player and former CEO of the Calgary Flames. Jeff Denomme is the current President, COO and Treasurer, and Phil Pritchard is the curator. The Hockey Hall of Fame is operated as a non-profit business, independent of the National Hockey League.^[6] Revenue is generated through admissions, as well as through hosting companies and groups for special after-hours events.^[6] The Hall of Fame was originally sponsored by the NHL and Hockey Canada.^[11][12]

Exhibits

The MCI Great Hall houses the Stanley Cup, with either the current cup on display (if not travelling) or a replica on display. The original cup and older rings are displayed in the bank vault, an alcove off the Great Hall. The Calder Memorial Trophy, Vezina Trophy, Hart Trophy, and other NHL trophies are also displayed in the Great Hall. A permanent exhibit dedicated to international hockey and the Olympics opened on June 29, 1998.^[13] The Hall of Fame also includes a tribute to the original six NHL arenas, the Maple Leaf Gardens, Montreal Forum, Chicago Stadium, Boston Garden, Detroit Olympia, and Madison Square Garden. Other exhibits include a locker room from the Montreal Forum, as well as the "broadcast zone", "rink zone", and other modern, interactive exhibits. Special exhibits in the past included an exhibit in 2000 showcasing Wayne Gretzky memorabilia.^[14] The exhibit included numerous relics from Gretzky's youth, on loan from his father Walter Gretzky upon Wayne Gretzky's induction into the Hall of Fame.^[7]

Induction into the Hall of Fame

For a person to be inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame, the person must be nominated by an elected 18-person selection committee of Hockey Hall of Fame members and media personalities.^[15] Candidates must receive the support of three-quarters (15 members) of the committee.^[15] In any given year, there can be a maximum of four players, two builders, and one referee or linesman. For a player, referee, or linesman to be nominated, the person must have been retired for a minimum three years. This period — relatively short compared to Halls of Fame for other major sports — has come under criticism because of the occasional spectacle when a Hall of Fame member comes out of retirement and resumes a career in the National League, which was the case for Gordie Howe, Guy Lafleur and Mario Lemieux.

The waiting period was waived for ten players deemed exceptionally notable:


After Wayne Gretzky's retirement in 1999, it was announced that the waiting period would no longer be waived for any player.

As of 2007, the selection committee consists of: chairman James M. Gregory, Scotty Bowman, Colin Campbell, Ed Chynoweth, John Davidson, Eric Duhatschek, Jan-Ake Edvinsson, Mike Emrick, Michael Farber, Emile Francis, Dick Irvin, Jr., Lanny McDonald, Yvon Pedneault, Pat Quinn, Serge Savard, Harry Sinden, Peter Stastny and Bill Torrey. The induction ceremony takes place in the Great Hall, before a small group of VIPs.^[16]

Controversies

In addition to the controversies over the relatively short mandatory retirement period, debates over inductees follow as a matter of course. Many feel that too many players are inducted, that the Original Six era is overrepresented (in some years in the 1960s, as many as a third of the players in the league went on to HHOF membership), that WHA and international players have been ignored.^[17] The Hall of Fame has recently opened an International Hockey exhibit and has said it will start looking at more International players for induction.^[17] They have already started fulfilling this promise after inducting Valeri Kharlamov in 2005, one of the few inductees to never play in the NHL.^[17]

One of the most debated possibilities is Paul Henderson, who scored one of the most famous goals in hockey and Canadian sports history when he scored the winning goal in the deciding eighth game of the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union.^[18] If Henderson was inducted, it would be due almost entirely to the historical significance of that goal. Although his NHL numbers were respectable (236 goals and 477 points in 707 career NHL games), they are not close to the levels of those generally selected for induction. His candidacy led to many debates among hockey fans, because although his performance in the Summit Series made him one of the most well known names in hockey, many fans feel that it is not right to honour a player's entire career because of one highlight.^[19]

As the careers of some recent prominent female hockey players wind down, many have debated about whether or not they should be inducted.^[20] All four are considered to be among the best women's hockey players ever, partly because their statistics in international play are similar to male counterparts who are already in the Hall of Fame as well as their play in various women's hockey leagues. Wickenheiser was also the first woman to score a goal in a men's professional league.

See also

• List of oldest buildings and structures in Toronto

References

External links

• The Hockey Hall of Fame official site
• History of Toronto: Hockey Hall of Fame

•  • [ e] National Hockey League (2007-08)
Current teams
Eastern Conference	Atlantic New Jersey Devils New York Islanders New York Rangers Philadelphia Flyers Pittsburgh Penguins Northeast Boston Bruins Buffalo Sabres Montreal Canadiens Ottawa Senators Toronto Maple Leafs Southeast Atlanta Thrashers Carolina Hurricanes Florida Panthers Tampa Bay Lightning Washington Capitals
Western Conference	Central Chicago Blackhawks Columbus Blue Jackets Detroit Red Wings Nashville Predators St. Louis Blues Northwest Calgary Flames Colorado Avalanche Edmonton Oilers Minnesota Wild Vancouver Canucks Pacific Anaheim Ducks Dallas Stars Los Angeles Kings Phoenix Coyotes San Jose Sharks
Trophies and awards	Stanley Cup (Playoffs, Finals, Champions) Prince of Wales Clarence S. Campbell Presidents' Trophy Adams Art Ross Calder Conn Smythe Crozier Hart Jennings King Clancy Lady Byng Masterton Messier Norris Patrick Pearson Plus/Minus Road Performer Rocket Richard Selke Vezina
Defunct and relocated teams	Atlanta Flames California/Oakland (Golden) Seals Cleveland Barons Colorado Rockies Hamilton Tigers Hartford Whalers Kansas City Scouts Minnesota North Stars Montreal Maroons Montreal Wanderers New York/Brooklyn Americans Ottawa Senators (original) Philadelphia Quakers Pittsburgh Pirates Quebec Bulldogs Quebec Nordiques St. Louis Eagles Winnipeg Jets
Other	Seasons (structure) NHA Original Six Draft Players (Association) All-Star Game All-Star Team Timeline 1967 Expansion Streaks Droughts Hall of Fame (members) Rivalries Arenas Rules Violence History

•  • [ e] Ice hockey halls of fame
International	Hockey Hall of Fame (list of members) International Hockey Hall of Fame IIHF Hall of Fame (list of members)
National	British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame Czech Ice Hockey Hall of Fame Dutch Hockey Hall of Fame Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame German Ice Hockey Hall of Fame Russian and Soviet Hockey Hall of Fame Slovak Hockey Hall of Fame United States Hockey Hall of Fame (list of members)
Other recognition	Triple Gold Club Wisconsin Hockey Hall of Fame

•  • [ e] Landmarks in Toronto

Art Gallery of Ontario Canada's Walk of Fame Canadian Broadcasting Centre Casa Loma CHUM-City Building CN Tower Dundas Square Exhibition Place Fairmont Royal York Fort York Gibson House Harbourfront Centre Hockey Hall of Fame Toronto International Centre Kensington Market Montgomery's Inn Nathan Phillips Square Old City Hall Ontario Place Ontario Science Centre Osgoode Hall PATH Underground Queen's Park R.C. Harris Filtration Plant Robarts Library Royal Ontario Museum Sam the Record Man St. James' Cathedral St. Lawrence Hall St. Lawrence Market St. Michael's Cathedral Todmorden Mills Toronto City Hall Toronto Eaton Centre Toronto Islands Toronto Pearson International Airport Toronto Zoo Union Station Waterfront Trail WindShare Wind Turbine Sports: Air Canada Centre BMO Field Maple Leaf Gardens Ricoh Coliseum Rogers Centre Varsity Centre Performing arts: Bathurst Street Theatre Canon Theatre Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres Four Seasons Centre Hummingbird Centre Massey Hall Molson Amphitheatre Princess of Wales Theatre Royal Alexandra Theatre Roy Thomson Hall By type: Parks Old buildings