We also figured going to the temple of hockey to pray for our team would be a good move before the game tomorrow. As we were leaving the hotel, I saw our captain Dustin Brown sitting in the lobby by himself, so I went over to say hello and politely tell him we where we were going and wish him luck tomorrow. He was very nice, but I was advised by the head of hotel security as I walked away that unless I knew any of the players personally, I was only permitted to look at them. Because apparently visiting hockey players are caged animals. Did I ask for an autograph? NO. Am I trying to get a picture? NO. Whatever, lady....
If you come to Toronto for a hockey-related vacation, I highly recommend the Westin Harbor Castle for your accommodations, because everything you want to see is an easy walk, including the Hall of Fame. After only a few blocks in light rain (we still have not seen any snow), we were smack in the middle of hockey heaven.
I could probably write several blogs discussing everything we saw, but since we're here supporting the Kings I'll keep the focus on Kings-related displays, with a couple of other quick hits thrown in.
Overall, the Kings didn't have a ton of stuff represented, but given that the franchise is only a little more than 40 years old, and has never won a Stanley Cup, I guess you can't expect too much. It was nice to see a classic crown jersey from the Great Western Forum days.
Wayne Gretzky stuff, of course was everywhere.
Although my favorite Gretzky items were of the pop culture variety. Loved the lunch box most of all!
And Flat Stanley checked out the brand new display commemorating Luc Robitaille's induction into the Hall back in November.
The Hall of Fame does do a nice job making sure every team is represented in the NHL Today section. Anze Kopitar is featured in the Kings franchise display.
And Dustin Brown gets some face time in the Western Conference area.
But my absolutely favorite Kings related moment was seeing Drew's jersey! Granted, it's from the World Junior tournament last year and not his NHL stuff, but it's still very cool to know that he's already represented in the Hall of Fame, and his career is just getting started!
One unexpected surprise we got was a traveling display of Olympic Medals from 1896 through present day. Looking at the evolution of the design of the medals, and how they reflected the country where the games were being held was fascinating.
And seeing the medals from the Berlin Olympics when Hitler was in power gave us a moment of pause.
But absolutely nothing was a moving as seeing the Stanley Cup - the holy grail of every hockey player, coach and fan.
I got my "official" photo taken with Stanley as well, but made sure not to touch the trophy. Bad juju until you win it, or so I'm told. I want the Kings to win one badly, so I'm not taking any chances.
The only real disappointment in the Hall of Fame was the gift shop. Most of the stuff was either junk or straight out of the NHL catalog. And other than a couple of pucks and some mini-sticks, the Kings were largely absent from the selection. But I did find something useful...
I plan to giving it to my mom for her birthday so she can learn how to talk to me again (just kidding, Mom). And if you don't know what a Texas Hat Trick is, give me a call, because I can tell you.
Tomorrow, we see if the Hockey Gods answer my prayers and continue the Kings win streak en route to a long-overdue play-off run. GO KINGS GO!
No comments:
Post a Comment