See the Stanley Cup and More at Toronto’s Hockey Hall of Fame

• Author: AnneC
• Accommodation: Toronto

At Toronto‘s Hockey Hall of Fame, the entire family can take the opportunity to enjoy a splendid look at the history of the game of hockey, get an up close look at the Stanley Cup, and a whole lot more. Located in a beautiful old building that once served as a bank, the Hockey Hall of Fame is home to the largest collection of hockey memorabilia in the world.

Highlights of the Hockey Hall of Fame

While there are enough attractions at the Hall of Fame to keep you busy for an entire day, some of the highlights deserve special mention. We’ll start with the Stanley Cup, which is the oldest trophy North America’s professional athletes compete for; donated in 1892, by Sir Frederick Arthur Stanley, with the instructions that it be presented to the championship hockey club of the Dominion of Canada, the Stanley Cup was purchased for just 10 guineas; but it has gone on to serve as the symbol of professional hockey supremacy to this day.

In the NHLPA Be a Player Zone, visitors can play games like Pro Hockey Life Shootout and Pepsi Shutout, which take place on the zone’s 2,400 square foot simulated hockey rink. Virtual experiences that allow players to use real pucks and sticks to compete with computer simulated goaltenders, or grab gloves and blockers to see what it’s like to compete against stars like Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky, these games feature rookie and professional levels of play, and are fun for all ages.

The artifacts housed at the centre include an incredible collection of famous hockey sticks totalling more than 4,000 in all; plus a wealth of photographs, video, and film. When not on display, these sticks and media, along with more than 26,000 published hockey books, programs, and guides, 10,000 individual player files, nearly 9,600 individual team, league, and trophy files, and an astounding collection of hockey cards, team tickets, schedules, and more, are housed in a special repository. People who need copies of documents can request the Hall of Fame’s archival specialists to compile information for them, and the rest of us can enjoy viewing ever-changing displays throughout the Hall.

With two theatres where famous footage is showcased, plus a number of trophy displays including several championship cups, and the inductee area where photographs, memorabilia, and biographies of hockey greats are showcased, the Hockey Hall of Fame is a destination every hockey fan should visit at least once. Visit the Broadcast Area to call famous goals play by play, and checkout profiles and memorabilia belonging to some of hockey’s greatest sportscasters.

Centrally located in downtown Toronto, at the corner of Front and Yonge Streets in Brookfield Place, on the lower concourse level, the Hockey Hall of Fame is open 362 days of the year and is closed on Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, and Induction Day. It is a short walk from many other Toronto attractions, including the CN Tower, Air Canada Centre, Eaton Centre, and Rogers Centre, along with many excellent restaurants and several hotels.