The Hockey Hall of Fame

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At the corner of Yonge and Front, in the heart of downtown Toronto, stands hockey's greatest shrine. Inside what was once a bank building, the Hockey Hall of Fame is now home to something perhaps more valuable than money: The Stanley Cup.  It is here that the game of hockey is preserved and the game's greatest legends honoured. To date, there have been 244 player inductees, 98 builders and 15 referees.

The Verizon Great Hall is without doubt the highlight of any trip to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Inside, you will find plaques honouring every member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. You will also see showcases containing NHL trophies, such as the Vezina and Hart and in the centre of it all, the most famous trophy in the game, the Stanley Cup.

Though home to the greatest collection of hockey artifacts in the world, the Hockey Hall of Fame is much more than just a museum and offers something for the entire family. You can test your shot in the Source for Sports Shootout game or live every goalie's worst nightmare and try to stop video images of the NHL's top two all-time leading scorers Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier as they fire weighted sponge pucks at speeds close to 70 mph.

Not so interested in the "ancient" history of the game? You can re-live the excitement of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final with the exclusive film presentation of The Stanley Cup Odyssey. The high-definition film features highlights of the Pittsburgh Penguins' run to Stanley Cup glory.

Another fan favorite at the Hockey Hall of Fame is the replica Montreal Canadiens dressing room. You can feel what it was like to "lace 'em up" next to the legends in the Montreal Forum. Player stalls of some of the greatest Canadiens, including Beliveau, Dryden and Richard encircle the room and portraits of each player who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame prior to the closing of the Forum overlook the storied room. In all, the Montreal Forum was home to 23 Stanley Cup Champions between 1924 and 1996 and this amazing recreation allows fans to feel like they are about to don the "bleu, blanc et rouge."

Currently on loan to the Hockey Hall of Fame from the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland is the Complete Olympic Medals Collection. Representing 46 Olympic games, both summer and winter, the display holds all 137 Olympic Medals ever created. "Displaying these medals gives the Hockey Hall of Fame a chance to share the Olympics with our guests in a unique way as momentum and excitement builds towards the 2010 Games in Vancouver," said Phil Pritchard, Curator, Hockey Hall of Fame. "We are grateful to the Olympic Museum for entrusting us with this incredible collection." This remarkable and limited-time collection marks the first time a complete collection of medals will ever appear outside of Europe.

In keeping with the Olympic theme, the Hall of Fame has recently uncased the Lucky Loonie, the charm that was buried beneath the ice at the 2002 games  in Salt Lake City that helped bring gold to both the Canadian Men's and Women's hockey teams. For years the Loonie had been protected behind glass at the Hall of Fame where no one could touch it, but for the month of February you can touch the coin yourself and share in the Lucky Loonie good fortune and send a little to the athletes in Vancouver.

The Hockey Hall of Fame has a saying. "Do it all at the Hall" and the hall certainly lives up to that. With interactive games and exhibits that capture the interest of the most hardcore fan and the novice in all of us, the Hockey Hall of Fame is one of the best places in Toronto to spend a day.

The website for the HHOF is here. http://www.hhof.com 

Joshua Dawson