Hockey Hall of Fame

The Hockey Hall of Fame is a celebration of all things ice hockey, both Canadian and international. It boasts 65,000 square feet of museum space dedicated to the game and the great players and coaches of ice hockey. It’s where excited fans can live out their hockey fantasies.

The Hockey Hall of Fame is a great attraction for families, even if the kids aren’t big hockey fans yet. There are plenty of hands-on exhibits, including video games, to keep young ones entertained the whole time. It has the highest attendance of any sports hall of fame in the world, with around 300,000 tourists annually.

The Hockey Hall of Fame features the largest exhibits dedicated to international hockey in the world. Countless artifacts line the walls, showcasing hockey historic moments and the players who made those moments. But there are several key exhibits that visitors eagerly want to visit.

For any fan of hockey, the chance to see the Stanley Cup in person is worth the price of admission alone. And standing proud in Lord Stanley’s vault is the cherished hockey icon. A symbol of team greatness, the Stanley Cup has been kept on display within the Hockey Hall of Fame since its beginnings. Not only can you see the current Stanley Cup, but you can also view the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, which is the original Stanley Cup that was awarded in 1893 to the Montreal AAA. Lord Stanley’s vault is exclusively dedicated to this coveted prize. Its history and evolution are all detailed in the vault.

Another highlight of the museum is the exact replica of the Montreal Canadiens Dressing Room that existed in the Montreal Forum from 1924 to 1996, when the indoor arena was completely gutted and the Canadiens moved to their new home. Long considered the most inspirational room in all of hockey, you can walk through the dressing room and imagine what it was like to get ready for a game there.

Interactive exhibits at the Hockey Hall of Fame let you test your shooting skills against the best goalies in the world or suit up to try to block the best professional shooters in the game. Watch a classic match and try your hand at making game calls at the microphone. And there’s also fun video games that help develop your hockey skills. See who in your group has the best hockey trivia knowledge while playing Slapshot Trivia.

The museum is closed just three days of the year: Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and Induction Day. Every year in November, the new class of Hall of Famers are inducted with a large ceremony. It’s known as Induction Monday. Though the induction ceremony is not open to members of the public, the Hall of Fame does hold special events that the locals thoroughly enjoy. And this includes a Q&A fan forum and the Hockey Hall of Fame Game which has the Toronto Maple Leafs playing against a visiting team.

After your visit, you can take a piece of hockey greatness home with you by stopping at the Spirit of Hockey Retail Store. Everything hockey is found here, including Hall of Fame souvenirs, team hockey pucks and NHL alumni memorabilia. If you start to get hungry, across from the retail store is a Tim Hortons, featuring its classic menu items with special hockey exhibits around the dining area.

The Hockey Hall of Fame came into being in 1943. It was agreed that the birthplace of ice hockey was in Kingston, Ontario. And so that was where the official Hall of Fame was to be built. While players were being inducted into the Hall of Fame, the actual building was constantly facing setbacks. Finally, support from the city of Kingston was withdrawn and the home of the Hockey Hall of Fame was moved to Toronto. Its doors opened in 1961. But over the years, the Hockey Hall of Fame kept growing and needing more space, so in 1993, the Hall of Fame moved to its current location, the former Bank of Montreal building, in the heart of downtown Toronto.