Hockey Hall of Fame

The Hockey Hall of Fame (Temple de la renommée du hockey in French) is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup. Originally in Kingston, Ontario, the Hockey Hall of Fame was first established in 1943 under the leadership of James T. Sutherland. The first class of honoured members was inducted in 1945, before the Hall of Fame had a permanent location. It moved to Toronto in 1958 after the NHL withdrew its support for the Kingston location. Its first permanent building opened at Exhibition Place in 1961. In the '90s, the Hall began outgrowing its location and was relocated to a former Bank of Montreal building in downtown Toronto in 1993, where it is presently located.

An 18-person committee of players, coaches and others meets annually in June to select new honourees, who are inducted as players, builders or on-ice officials. The builders' category includes coaches, general managers, commentators, team owners and others who have helped build the game. Honoured members are inducted into the Hall of Fame in an annual ceremony held at the Hall of Fame building in November, which is followed by a special "Hockey Hall of Fame Game" between the Toronto Maple Leafs and a visiting team. As of 2008, 240 players, 97 builders and 15 on-ice officials have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame has been criticized for focusing mainly on players from the National Hockey League and largely ignoring players from other North American and international leagues.

History

The Hockey Hall of Fame is located at the corner of Front and Yonge Streets in downtown Toronto.

The Hockey Hall of Fame was established through the efforts of James T. Sutherland, a former President of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA). Sutherland sought to establish it in Kingston, Ontario as he believed that the city was the birthplace of hockey.^[2] In 1943, the NHL and CAHA reached an agreement that a Hall of Fame would be established in Kingston.^[2] Originally called the "International Hockey Hall of Fame", its mandate was to honour great hockey players and to raise funds for a permanent location. The first eleven "honoured members" were inducted on April 30, 1945, although the Hall of Fame still did not have a permanent home.^[2] Kingston lost its most influential advocate as permanent site of the Hockey Hall of Fame when Sutherland died in 1955.^[3]

The "World of Hockey Zone", which opened in 1998, is dedicated to international and Olympic hockey.

By 1958, the Hockey Hall of Fame had still not raised sufficient funds to construct a permanent building in Kingston. Clarence Campbell, then President of the NHL, grew tired of waiting for the construction to begin and withdrew the NHL's support to situate the Hall in Kingston.^[4] In the same year, the NHL and the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) reached an agreement to establish a new Hall of Fame building in Toronto, in the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame located at Exhibition Place. The temporary Hockey Hall of Fame opened as an exhibit within the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in August 1958, and 350,000 people visited it during the 1958 CNE fair.^[3] Due to the success of the exhibit, NHL and CNE decided that a permanent home in the Exhibition Place was needed.^[5] The NHL agreed to fully fund the building of the new facility on the grounds of Exhibition Place, and construction began in 1960.^[6] The first permanent Hockey Hall of Fame was opened on August 26, 1961, by Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.^[7] Over 750,000 people visited the Hall in its inaugural year.^[8] Admission to the Hockey Hall of Fame was free until 1980, when the Hockey Hall of Fame facilities underwent expansion.^[9]

By 1986, the Hall of Fame was running out of room in its existing facilities and the Board of Directors decided that a new home was needed.^[10] The Exhibition Place building closed in 1992. Development of the new location, the former Bank of Montreal at the corner of Yonge and Front Streets in Toronto, began soon after. The building, now part of Brookfield Place, was designed by Frank Darling and S. George Curry.^[11] The new Hockey Hall of Fame officially opened on June 18, 1993.^[12] The new location has 4,700 m² (50,600 sq ft) of exhibition space, seven times larger than that of the old facility.^[13] The Hockey Hall of Fame now hosts more than 300,000 visitors each year.^[14][15]

Operations and organization

The first curator of the new Hall of Fame was Bobby Hewitson. Following Hewitson's retirement in 1967, Lefty Reid was appointed to the position. Reid was curator of the Hockey Hall of Fame for the next 25 years, retiring in 1992.^[16] Following Reid's retirement, former NHL referee-in-chief Scotty Morrison, who was the president of the Hockey Hall of Fame since 1986, was appointed curator.^[16] Morrison supervised the relocation of the Hall of Fame and its exhibits.^[17]

The Hockey Hall of Fame is led by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bill Hay and Jeff Denomme, the President, Chief Operating Officer and Treasurer.^[18] The Hockey Hall of Fame is operated as a non-profit business called the "Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum" (HHFM), independent of the National Hockey League. The Hall of Fame was originally sponsored by the NHL and Hockey Canada^[19] and revenue is generated mainly through admissions.^[14][17]

Exhibits

The "Be a Player" exhibit

The Hockey Hall of Fame has 15 exhibit areas covering 57,000 square feet (5,300 m²).^[20] Visitors can view trophies, memorabilia and equipment worn by players during special games. The MCI Great Hall, described as "a Cathedral to the icons of Hockey",^[21] contains portraits and biographical information about every Hall of Fame honoured member. The centrepiece of the Great Hall is the Stanley Cup; for part of the year a replica is put on display when the presentation cup travels outside of the Hall of Fame. The original version of the Cup and the older rings, as well as all of the current National Hockey League trophies, are displayed in the bank vault, an alcove off the Great Hall. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony is annually held in the Great Hall.^[21]

The NHL Zone is a large area featuring displays relating to the NHL. Current teams and players are highlighted in the NHL Today area, while the NHL Retro displays include memorabilia and information about every NHL team past and present. The NHL Legends area features rotating exhibits focusing on honoured members; and NHL Milestones displays exhibits of noteworthy records including Darryl Sittler's ten-point game and Wayne Gretzky's all-time points record.^[22] The Stanley Cup dynasties exhibit features displays that include memorabilia from the rosters of nine teams considered to be dynasties because they dominated the NHL for several years at a time."^[22] This area also has a replica of the Montreal Canadiens' dressing room as it existed at the old Montreal Forum.^[22] The Panasonic Hometown Hockey section is dedicated to grass roots hockey in North America; it includes exhibits about various leagues and sections on women's and disabled hockey leagues.^[23] Special exhibits in the past included an exhibit in 2000 showcasing Gretzky memorabilia.^[24]

Interactive displays are featured in the NHLPA Be A Player Zone. At the Source For Sports Shoot Out, visitors take shots using real pucks at a computer simulation of goaltender Eddie Belfour. Its counterpart, Lay's Shut Out, has visitors playing goaltender, blocking shots from computer simulations of players Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier.^[25] The TSN/RDS Broadcast Zone provides a look at how hockey broadcasting works and allows users to record messages that may be displayed on both the Hockey Hall of Fame's website, and the TSN/RDS networks.^[26]

While many of the Hall of Fame exhibits are dedicated to the NHL, there is a large section devoted to hockey leagues and players outside North America. On June 29, 1998, the World of Hockey Zone opened. Sponsored by the Royal Canadian Mint, it is a 3,500 square feet (300 m²) area dedicated to international hockey, including World and Olympic competition and contains profiles on all IIHF member Countries.^[4][27][28]

Hall of Fame

See also: List of members of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The Great Hall features portraits of every inductee, and displays all of the active NHL trophies.

As of 2007, new members can be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as players, builders or on-ice officials. The builders' category includes coaches, general managers, commentators, team owners and others who have helped build the game.^[29] The category for on-ice officials was added in 1961^[7] and a "veteran player" category was established in 1988. The purpose of the category was to "provide a vehicle for players who may have been overlooked and whose chances for election would be limited when placed on the same ballot with contemporary players."^[30] Eleven players were inducted into that category, but in 2000, the Board of Directors eliminated it; the players who had been inducted under this category were merged into the player category.^[30]

Candidates for membership in the Hockey Hall of Fame are nominated by an 18-person selection committee. The committee consists of Hockey Hall of Fame members, hockey personnel and media personalities associated with the game; the membership is representative of "areas throughout the world where hockey is popular",^[29] and includes at least one member who is knowledgeable about international hockey and one member who is knowledgeable about amateur hockey. Committee members are appointed by the Board of Directors to a three-year term. The terms of the committee members are staggered so that each year there are six newly appointed or reappointed members.^[29] As of June 2008, the selection committee consists of: Chairman James M. Gregory, Scotty Bowman, Colin Campbell, John Davidson, Eric Duhatschek, Jan-Ake Edvinsson, Mike Emrick, Michael Farber, Emile Francis, Dick Irvin, Jr., Lanny McDonald, Yvon Pedneault, Pat Quinn, Serge Savard, Harry Sinden, Peter Stastny and Bill Torrey.^[29] The committee normally consists of eighteen members, but Ed Chynoweth died in April 2008 and has yet to be replaced.^[31]

Each committee member is allowed to nominate one person in each category per year. Nominations must be submitted to the Chairman of the Board of Directors by April 15 of the nomination year. The committee then meets in June to vote by secret ballot on each nominee; candidates must receive the support of 75% of the members of the committee present, or a minimum of 10 votes. In any given year, a maximum of four players, two builders, and one referee or linesman are inducted as members. Player and on-ice officials must have been retired for a minimum of three years to be eligible for nomination. Builders may be "active or inactive".^[32]

The Stanley Cup on display in the Great Hall

The waiting period was waived for ten players deemed exceptionally notable, most recently Wayne Gretzky who was inducted in 1999.^[33] Following Wayne Gretzky's retirement, the Board of Directors determined that the waiting period would no longer be waived for any player except under "certain humanitarian circumstances."^[30] Three Hall of Fame members came out of retirement after their induction and resumed a career in the National League: Gordie Howe, Guy Lafleur and Mario Lemieux.^[30]

There is also a category for "Media honourees". The Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award is awarded by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association to "distinguished members of the newspaper profession whose words have brought honour to journalism and to hockey".^[34] The Foster Hewitt Memorial Award is awarded by the NHL Broadcasters' Association to "members of the radio and television industry who made outstanding contributions to their profession and the game during their career in hockey broadcasting."^[35] The voting for both awards is conducted by their respective associations. While media honourees are not considered full inductees, they are still honoured with a display at the Hockey Hall of Fame.^[26] The ceremonies associated with these awards are held separately from the induction of the members of the Hall of Fame.^[36] Some of the award winners have also been inducted into the Hall of Fame as builders, including Foster Hewitt.^[37]

The induction ceremony was held at the Hall of Fame from 1959 until 1974. In 1975, it was held at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto and would be held there until 1979. From 1980 to 1992, the ceremony was held at various different locations in Toronto, except for 1986, 1987 and 1991 when the ceremonies were held in Vancouver, Detroit and Ottawa respectively. Since 1993, it has been held at the current Hall of Fame building.^[30] The ceremony was first broadcast by The Sports Network in 1994.^[38] In 1999 the "Hockey Hall of Fame game" was established, a contest between the Toronto Maple Leafs and a visiting team, with a special ceremony honouring that year's inductees held before the game.^[39] Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun reports that many, including Edmonton Oilers president Kevin Lowe, believe the induction ceremony should be held on a night when there are no NHL games scheduled. This would allow a more representative portion of the hockey world to attend.^[40]

Criticism

The Hall of Fame has been criticised for inducting several lacklustre candidates in the early 2000s due to "a shortage of true greatness."^[41] Since then, some have claimed that the Hall of Fame has become too exclusive.^[41] The Hall of Fame has also been criticised for failing to induct international players and critics have claimed that the Hall has been far too focused on the National Hockey League. A common statement is that it is more of a "NHL Hall of Fame" than a Hockey Hall of Fame.^{[41][42][43][44][45]} Partially in response to these claims, the Hall of Fame opened an International Hockey exhibit and announced that it would start looking at more international players for induction. Valeri Kharlamov was inducted in 2005, and is one of the few modern-day inductees to never play in the NHL.^[42] The Hall of Fame has also been criticised for overlooking female hockey players,^[46][47] World Hockey Association players,^[48] and over representing the Original Six era from 1942 to 1967.^[48]

One of the most discussed potential nominees is Paul Henderson, who scored the winning goal in the final moments of the deciding eighth game of the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union. This is one of the best-known moments in hockey and Canadian sports history.^[49] While there is little question of the historical significance of that goal, Henderson's NHL statistics are not at a level comparable to those players usually selected for induction. His candidacy led to many debates among hockey fans and columnists.^[50][51]

Controversy

Front Street entrance

Frank J. Selke served as Chairman of the selection committee from 1960 until 1971, when he resigned because of the induction of Harvey "Busher" Jackson. Jackson, known for his off-ice lifestyle, had died in 1966 of liver failure. Selke would not condone the induction and even tried to block it because he considered Jackson a poor role model.^[52]

On March 30, 1993, it was announced that Gil Stein, who at the time was the president of the National Hockey League, would be inducted into the Hall of Fame. There were immediate allegations that he had engineered his election through manipulation of the hall's board of directors. Due to these allegations, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman hired two independent lawyers, Arnold Burns and Yves Fortier, to lead an investigation.^[53] They concluded that Stein had "improperly manipulated the process" and "created the false appearance and illusion" that his nomination was the idea of Bruce McNall.^[54] They concluded that Stein pressured McNall to nominate him and had refused to withdraw his nomination when asked to do so by Bettman.^[54] There was a dispute over McNall's role and Stein was "categorical in stating that the idea was Mr. McNall's."^[54] They recommended that Stein's selection be overturned, but it was revealed Stein had decided to turn down the induction before their announcement.^[55]

In 1989, Alan Eagleson, a long time executive director of the National Hockey League Players Association, was inducted as a builder. He resigned nine years later from the Hall after pleading guilty to mail fraud and embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from the NHL Players Association pension funds.^[56] His resignation came six days before a vote was scheduled to determine if he should be expelled from the Hall.^[57] Originally, the Hall of Fame was not going to become involved in the issue, but was forced to act when dozens of inductees, including Bobby Orr, Ted Lindsay and Brad Park, campaigned for Eagleson's expulsion, even threatening to renounce their membership if he was not removed. He became the first member of a sports hall of fame in North America to resign.^[58]

Notes

References

• Honoured members: the Hockey Hall of Fame. Canada: Fenn Publishing. 2003. ISBN 1-55168-239-7. 

External links

• The Hockey Hall of Fame official site
• History of Toronto: Hockey Hall of Fame