Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto

History
The hall of fame was established through a former president of the CAHA (Canadian Amateur Hockey Association) and it was supposed to be built in the birthplace of hockey in Kingston instead of Toronto and was originally supposed to be called the International Hockey Hall of Fame.

In 1958, sufficient funds had not been raised to build somewhere permanent in Kingston so the President of the NHL at the time decided to withdraw his support and decided that it should be built in Toronto instead.

In 1958, a temporary exhibition was placed in the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame at Exhibition place and 350,000 people visited it during this year. In 1961, the first permanent Hockey Hall of Fame was opened at Exhibition place but by 1986, space was running out and it was decided that it needed to be moved. In 1993, the new building, part of Brookfield Place opened and is seven times bigger than its previous home. Until 1980, admission was free.

Things to see and do at the Hall of Fame
The Hall of Fame is home to 15 exhibits which range from the history of hockey and the history of the uniforms, highlights of records held and broken by past and present players, a replica of the Montreal Canadians Dressing Room as well as the chance to test your skills as a hockey player.

For the time when the Stanley Cup is out of Toronto, a replica is used but unless you are a die hard fan, then you wont be able to tell the difference.

A full list of exhibitions can be found at www.hhof.com

Prices:
General - $15.00
Youth (4 - 13 years) - $10.00
Senior (65 years +) - $12.00
Children under 3 - Free

Opening times
Summer (Jun 26th - Sep 7th)
Monday - Saturday 9:30am to 6.00 pm
Sunday 10.00 am to 6.00 pm

Winter/ Spring/ Autumn
Monday - Friday 10.00am to 5.00pm
Saturday - 9.30am to 6.00pm
Sunday - 10.30am to 5.00pm

The Hockey Hall of Fame is open 362 days a year and only closes on Induction Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

What I thought
I'm kind of in two minds about this place but maybe that is because I'm not really a fan of sports. As I lived in with a Canadian man who was crazy about sports, especially hockey, he dragged me there, saying it was something I had to see. I wouldn't go quite that far but it was quite an interesting way to spend a few hours. I think if I had gone by myself I wouldn't have had nearly as much of a good time because I would have been more confused than anything.

There is quite a lot to take is as every exhibit has little bits of information to read, especially in the history sections. The average trip to the hall of fame is around 3 hours but we were there for just over 4 because John was adamant that I see and read absolutely everything.

The part I enjoyed most was looking at the uniforms and equipment. It was really interesting to see what kind of safety equipment had been used in the past and how much it has been improved over time. The uniforms on display are the exact ones worn in the past so you get a real feel for the history of the players and teams. Seeing the way that the materials and designs of the uniforms was quite shocking for me as some of the old ones looked extremely poor (looking past how worn they were) and I wasn't sure what good they would have done. Some of the older jerseys were made from wool so obviously this has been changed to stop players from getting too hot.

There are quite a few interactive exhibits that are really fun and will especially amuse the kids. I loved having a go at playing some hockey but I was extremely bad and all John did was stand and laugh at me because I was so bad. He's a hockey player himself so he obviously did really well. I thought that this part was really well designed and thought out because it gave both children and adults the chance to get involved. A lot of the adults who were obviously tourists ended up making fools of themselves just as much as the children so it was really good fun.

The souvenir shop was fantastic and it sells everything ranging from pucks to jerseys although they are quite expensive. John bought a Canada jersey that cost around $130 (£65) but you can buy a jersey for any of the North American teams. I did really want a Anaheim jersey but John wasn't having any of that. I did buy a souvenier book which contained a lot of history of the game as well as player stats etc. I love buying things from the places I visit so I couldn't help myself when I saw the little pucks and hockey sticks so I got these as well.

Overall, the Hockey Hall of Fame is a fun and informative place to go and is a must if you want to get a real feel for the Canadian love of hockey.