What’s a person to do on their first visit to Toronto with only a couple hours to work with? Of course, riding up the impressive CN Tower is a tempting offer. But time wasn’t on my side. Instead, I decided to wander Yonge Street to get a touch of the downtown/Old Toronto area and visit the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Hockey has always been a favorite sport of mine — both to play and watch since I was a young kid. I’d never been to any sports Hall of Fame and I felt like this was the right place to start.
I didn’t do much research before visiting the Hall. A surprise upon arrival, the Hall of Fame is located in a tall skyskraper office building — a bit of a strange feeling at first, but I appreciated the many food options and overall vibe of the entrance lobby area. The Tim Horton’s, in particular, felt like a life saver.
I rode the escalators down and was pleasantly surprised to find no line to enter.
Immediately, there are many exhibits to check out, starting with displays featuring recent hall of famers from the past 30 years or so. I felt like I was seeing all my heroes from growing up playing NHL 98 on Sega Genesis.
And funny enough, a copy of NHL 98 was, indeed, in the Hall! (And not to mention a copy of Ice Hockey for Nintendo!)
From there, you can see displays about the history of the game, equipment, stadiums, franchises and more. There are several interactive exhibits, such as a virtual shoot out and the ability to simulate doing your own hockey broadcast. There are also a couple different theater experiences to watch history and highlights.
The whole experience culminates in the ability to see the Stanley Cup and have your picture taken.
A devoted visitor could spend many hours soaking in the exhibits and reading about the game and the all-time great players. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I felt like the experience was well done and would recommend other hockey fans to visit if they’re in the area.
PS: Wayne Gretzky really was so amazing.
