Original Hockey Hall of Fame facts for kids
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| Former name | International Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum |
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| Established | 1943 |
| Location | Invista Centre, Kingston, Ontario |
| Type | Museum |
The Original Hockey Hall of Fame, once known as the International Hockey Hall of Fame (IHHOF), is a special museum in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. It's all about the exciting history of ice hockey in Canada. This museum was actually meant to be the first big Hall of Fame for hockey. However, things changed, and the main Hockey Hall of Fame ended up being built in Toronto, Ontario, instead.
A dedicated building for the IHHOF opened in Kingston in 1965. For a while, from 1992 to 1997, it also showed exhibits from the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). This was before the separate IIHF Hall of Fame was created. In 2013, the IHHOF was renamed the Original Hockey Hall of Fame. Now, it mainly focuses on the sport's history and how people from Kingston helped develop it.
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History of the Hockey Hall of Fame
The International Hockey Hall of Fame started on September 10, 1943. It was set up as a non-profit group by the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA). A man named James T. Sutherland worked hard to make this happen. He was a former president of the CAHA. Sutherland wanted the Hall of Fame in Kingston because he believed the city was where ice hockey truly began.
In 1943, the NHL and CAHA agreed to build the Hall of Fame in Kingston. By April 1945, the CAHA promised to give 25 percent of its yearly earnings to help build the museum. The first players were added to the Hall of Fame on April 30, 1945, even though there wasn't a permanent building yet.
Sadly, James T. Sutherland, who strongly supported Kingston as the Hall of Fame's home, passed away in 1955. By 1958, the people organizing the IHHOF still hadn't raised enough money to build a permanent museum in Kingston. Clarence Campbell, who was the NHL President at the time, got tired of waiting. He decided to take back the NHL's support. He then made a deal with the Canadian National Exhibition to build a new Hall of Fame in Toronto.
The CAHA president, Jack Roxburgh, felt there shouldn't be two hockey halls of fame in Canada. He said it was a "tragedy" that nothing was done while Sutherland was alive. In January 1962, the CAHA officially stopped supporting Kingston and chose Toronto instead.
Despite this big challenge, the International Hockey Hall of Fame's leaders kept going. In 1962, the City of Kingston gave money to help build a new museum. In 1965, the International Hockey Hall of Fame moved into its new building next to the Kingston Memorial Centre.
In 1991, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) made a deal with Kingston and the IHHOF. The IIHF loaned its exhibits to the museum for five years, from 1992 to 1997. This was while they planned a more permanent display. Kingston City Council even provided $100,000 to help build a true international hockey museum. However, this partnership ended in 1997. The IIHF said they left because not enough progress was made on building a new facility in downtown Kingston.
Today, the Hall of Fame is located at the Invista Centre. It reopened in spring 2016 with new exhibits and videos. One film, The Cradle of Hockey, is narrated by famous hockey commentator Don Cherry.
What You Can See: Exhibits
At its old home on 277 York Street, the museum had two floors. The first floor had displays about famous players like Bobby Orr, Don Cherry, the Original Six teams, and Wayne Gretzky. The second floor showed off the Hall of Fame's inducted members. It also had exhibits about professional hockey players from Kingston, the World Hockey Association, and how ice skates and hockey sticks have changed over time.
Some cool items you could see included jerseys worn by legends like Gordie Howe and Rocket Richard. There were also skates and sticks from the 1800s, and the championship banner of the 1914 Toronto Blueshirts. Outside the building, there was even a giant square hockey puck!
Who Got In: Inductees
The Original Hockey Hall of Fame inducted nine "builders" (people who helped grow the sport) and 33 players. However, they only added two people after 1952 and none after 1966. All the people who were inducted into the Original Hockey Hall of Fame were also later included as inductees in the main Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
Historic Hockey Series
Every February since 1969, the Hall of Fame hosts its annual Historic Hockey Series. This event is both a competition and a demonstration. It recreates the very first organized hockey game. That game was played on the Kingston Harbour in 1886. It was between Queen's University and the Royal Military College of Canada.
In this series, players use old-style hockey sticks and uniforms. They also follow the original rules from that time. This includes using a square hockey puck, having seven players on each side, and no forward passing. Queen's University and the Royal Military College of Canada compete. They are joined by the 2nd Regiment from the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery from Petawawa. This team represents the soldiers stationed in Kingston in the 1880s. They play in a round-robin tournament. Since 2006, the series has been held on the outdoor rink at Kingston's downtown Market Square.
Notable Curators
- Bill Fitsell (1923–2020), Canadian sports journalist and historian
