CELEBRATING HOCKEY, HISTORY
Museum’s Canada 150 exhibit opens
That the game of hockey holds a treasured place in Canada’s culture and history is beyond argument.
As of today, hockey is also a focal point for Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations. The Museum of History in Gatineau on Thursday night opened its doors to a unique, interactive exhibit, called simply, “Hockey.” Media were given a sneak preview earlier in the day, and were treated to an interpretation a cut above the typical array of hockey artifacts and collectibles.
To their credit, curators didn’t just ship familiar souvenirs from the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto to showcase in the nation’s capital. What makes the Hockey show special is that very few of these 280 items are borrowed from other hall of fame displays.
“What we have here are national treasures,” said museum historian Jennifer Anderson. “Since most of them come from private collections, the majority of the Canadian public hasn’t seen them yet. We did our best to include as many as possible.”
Constrained by time and space, there were swings and misses by the exhibit curators. For example, Anderson said they would have loved to display the Bobby Orr Boston Bruins sweater he wore while famously flying through the air after scoring the Stanley Cupwinning goal against the St. Louis Blues in 1970.
Making up for the occasional misses are the “gets,” like Johnny Bower’s impossibly tiny and thin chest “protector” used in 1960. Given that modern goaltenders resemble the Michelin Man, it boggles the mind that Bower, sans mask, wore such flimsy gear to face the slapshot of Bobby Hull.
The evolution of goaltender gear is a fascinating element in the exhibit, featuring such gems as pioneer Jacques Plante’s so-called “pretzel” mask he wore in 1963, while he was with the New York Rangers.
Anderson’s favourite three items in the show:
1. Paul Henderson’s game jersey from the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviets (“a quintessential hockey moment in time,” Anderson said).
2. The jersey Sidney Crosby wore while scoring the Golden Goal at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.
3. Hayley Wickenheiser’s jersey and skates, representing not only her place as a dominant player but also in advancing the sport of women’s hockey.
Crosby was kind enough to donate that jersey to the exhibit from his own closet. (Memo to the curators: He wants it back after the show closes Oct. 9.)
“We all remember that moment,” Anderson said of the Crosby goal against the United States. “Kids were out banging pots and pans in the street. We understand that for many Canadians, particularly younger Canadians, this is like a Henderson moment for them.”
Fans of the game will enjoying hunting through the labyrinth of display cases and video presentations, finding new gems as they go. There is Rocket Richard’s personal seat from the Montreal Forum, and a can of Rocket Richard tomato soup (created after the Richard riots of 1955). A few other faves: A police badge from the days when coach Pat Burns was working the beat as a Hull cop. The caricature of Burns, wearing a cop hat with a Habs logo, drawn by Serge Chapleau, is priceless.
The earliest known hockey stick, the “Dilly” Moffat relic used in the 1830s in Cape Breton, N.S.
A Jean-Gabriel Pageau display showcases his local roots as a minor-hockey player in Gatineau, to junior hockey with the Olympiques and on to the NHL with the Ottawa Senators. The curators were smitten by the aspect of community supporting a player’s progress.
A display of Shania Twain’s hockey-inspired concert garb.
A seat from the “reds” at Maple Leaf Gardens, circa 1930.
Museum director-general JeanMarc Blais christened the exhibit with a charming anecdote from his youth, a story about a five-yearold Blais begging his father for a hockey stick. In the end his dad relented with a decidedly flawed Victoriaville model, bent not in the blade but in the shaft.
Blais invites the nation to “stickhandle” through the eight thematic zones of the exhibit (centred by a model rink) representing the spheres where people “live and breathe” hockey, from ponds to glossy arenas. The sights, sounds, passion and headlines.
Hockey, said Blais, “is the heartbeat of small towns and a big business on the world stage. It is a cornerstone of national culture and a source of pride that transcends language, geography and time.”
Fairly, the Hockey show doesn’t shy away from the darkest moments of the past, including vicious acts of violence and a time when Canada’s game, like others, was not as inclusive as it is today.