Hockey Hall of Fame is more than just artifacts, it represents Canadian identity

Lily and Charles Hyland at the Hall of Fame on Friday, November 17, 2017. (Photo by Vanessa Giralico)

By: Dea Kodra

Whenever Robert Derose hears the Canadian national anthem playing before the puck drops at a Leafs game he gets goosebumps.

DeRose is a historian at the Hockey Hall of Fame and part of the interactives crew of the Maple Leafs. But DeRose is not just there for the history and the artifacts. He has a personal family connection to hockey. His parents immigrated to Canada from Italy before he was born, so they have always been more interested in soccer. But for Robert, soccer just wasn’t enough. DeRose says he found hockey on his own when he tuned-in to watched his first hockey game.

“My very first game was a Leafs game, and I was immediately sucked into it. I needed to find out more about it. It became such a huge part of me so quickly.” he said. “To this day when the national anthem plays it still gives me goosebumps and between the age of five and 20, I’ve probably only missed two hockey games.”

DeRose has tuned-in to watch more than 73, 800 minutes of hockey, revolving his life and even his career around this national sport.

He’s not alone. For first time visitors, both young and old, the Hockey Hall of Fame represents a sense of family, and a connection to tradition and Canadian identity.

The Hall of Fame was filled on Friday morning with people who came to learn more about the history of hockey but also about their Canadian roots and culture.

Ryan Hyland, a visitor at the Hall of Fame, came in with his wife and two children to learn more about hockey and the progression of it through the years. Like his father, four-year-old Charles is also very passionate about hockey, which his father says brings them closer together. Hyland said that the exhibit helps them visualize how far hockey has come as a sport.

“You get to see the history and evolution of everything. But so much of hockey’s history is connected to Canadian history. Not only is it a journey through hockey’s past but through Canada’s past as well,” Hyland said.

Amanda Holt, another first-time visitor at the Hall of Fame, said she came with her father, who’s been watching hockey his whole life. She said that hockey has brought them closer together as it’s given them something to bond over. Holt says her father remembers the original six hockey teams and how excited he was to see the displays.

“My dad is 71 and he’s never been to the Hall of Fame. It’s nice being here with him and seeing him remember and talk about all the older players and when Toronto actually won the Stanley Cup,” Holt said.

She said that as a Canadian, hockey is just always present in their lives, and although she was never a huge fan, you grow up knowing about hockey having it ultimately rooted in your identity in one way or another.

“All your friends play hockey, and you learn how to skate almost when you can walk,” she said. “It’s just a part of your life here in Canada, even if you don’t try to make it part of your life.”

Amanda Holt visiting the Hockey Hall of Fame for the first time on Friday, November 17, 2017. (Photo by Vanessa Giralico)

Outside of the exhibit, there’s a wall of all the pucks from all over the small towns in Canada. Holt said that the display has helped her learn about the history of hockey in Canada and how far back it started.

“For me as a Canadian, it really makes me appreciate the evolution of hockey,” Holt said.

Bryan Thompson, who came in with his brother and father, is a third-time visitor at the HHOF. Thompson said that hockey has been passed down through the generations in his family and how he can’t imagine his life without it. His father was the one who taught him and his brothers how to play.

“I’ve been playing since I was five years old. My dad loved hockey and passed it down to me and my brothers. He gave me the rundown of everything,” he said. “I’m here with him today and it’s like a family tradition for us to come here every few years. It means a lot to us.”

The Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1943 and has a total of 392 inductees. Each year an 18 person committee of players, coaches, and others meet to select players, builders or on-ice officials to be inducted. This year is especially memorable for the Hall of Fame because it is the 100 year anniversary of the NHL.

Robert DeRose says he especially enjoys being there during the 100 year anniversary of the NHL because of the atmosphere. He especially appreciates how far back the artifacts go in history and how they are displayed throughout the exhibit.

“A jersey worn by Hap Holmes during the 1918 Stanley Cup final is one of my favourite artifacts,” DeRose said. “It’s completely worn out, with holes and stains all over it, but comparing it to equipment and jerseys today almost a hundred years later is pretty cool.”

DeRose said that the Hall of Fame has come a long way from what it started. It started up in Kingston back in 1940 as a very small exhibit. Then in 1961, it moved to the CNE as a one-man shop, run by the former curator of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Lefty Reid.

“He (Reid) was the driving force in all this, and really engraved the history of the Hall of Fame and what it would become,” DeRose said.

DeRose said that as more creative funds and sponsorships came in, they were able the expand the museum to the Brookfield Place in 1993. He said that 1993 was also a huge year for the Hall of Fame because it was the 100 year anniversary of the Stanley Cup.

Alexander and Julia Hansen and their grandmother Helen Smyth pose in front of the Stanley Cup on Friday, November 17, 2017. (Photo by Vanessa Giralico)

Girish Patel, a historian at the Hockey Hall of Fame and an expert on the Stanley Cup says that there are two official Stanley cups, the resident cup, and the traveling cup. For a majority of the year the resident cup is on display, but this week the traveling cup is there for the induction. The resident cup gets engraved at the beginning November during induction time.

Timeline by Chelsey Gould

Gallery by Vanessa Giralico