BY SCOTT
HADDOW
Despite a sweltering, muggy day, the students from Kirkland
Lake Collegiate Vocational Institute stormed off the school bus
to visit the newly opened Hockey Heritage North (HHN). As
part of a local school program, every student in Kirkland Lake
gets the chance to see the sights and sounds of the facility.
HHN is situated right beside the Mining Memorial and stands
out from the landscape owing to its 18,000-square-foot
structure and distinct colour scheme.
HHN honours yesterday's legends of hockey, celebrates
today's stars and serves as an inspiration to future stars in
hockey from northeastern Ontario.
In the entrance, HHN pays tribute to the rich mining history
of the area by incorporating the old foyer of the Teck-Hughes
mining building that once stood on the site.
"The first thing you see when you walk into HHN is the
mining heritage," said executive director Steve Cox. "We
wouldn't be here if it wasn't for mining."
Quickly, the mining history segues into hockey heritage in
the first zone which is the Traditions of Hockey exhibit.
Here, visitors can see old equipment, see all the arenas,
past and present, from northeastern Ontario, and how the
lifestyle of hockey shaped the lives of countless people.
Greater Sudbury first comes alive in this zone with a
display case that honours four early pioneers of hockey -
Wilfred "Shorty" Green from Sudbury and Naugton's Art Ross.
Green played 103 NHL games, recording 33 goals and 41
points. Ross played numerous major professional games before
the NHL was created. He also has the Art Ross Trophy named
after him, an honour presented annually to the NHL's top
scorer.
There's even a replica dressing room of the 1972 Canadian
hockey team that defeated the Russians.
"Our exhibits change over and over again," said Cox.
"There's always something new to see and always something for
everyone."
The next zone is Today's Heroes, which pays homage to the
present day NHL and pro players from up north. On this day,
there were Brian Savage and Andrew Brunette jerseys and
memorabilia to savour.
There's also the Champions exhibit, which showcases team
pictures of all NOHA winning teams from the past season.
Another popular area is the regional Exhibits zone, which
highlights certain communities from each of the six districts
of the NOHA.
On this day, Espanola was in the Nickel Belt case, showing
the exploits of Al Secord and others.
"In the lifetime of HHN, each community will be part of it,"
said Cox. "The communities tell us what they want to display.
It shows HHN isn't just about Kirkland Lake - we're about all
of northeastern Ontario."
HHN has a five-year working agreement with the Hockey Hall
of Fame, and receives different memorabilia on an ongoing
basis.
A highlight for Sudbury people is the Ed Giacomin Number
1,1971 All-Star jersey. Giacomin played 13 seasons in the NHL
with the New York Rangers and Detroit, winning 289 games and
posting a 2.82 goals-against-average in his career.
Then there's the Fun Zone, which allows visitors the
opportunity to let loose and play some hockey-related games,
including table hockey, air hockey, and shooting contests.
Students Darcy Pietrasik, 19, and Graeme Bishop, 18, batted
it out in a game of air hockey and enjoyed their HHN
experience.
"It's just awesome," said Bishop. "It's well laid out and
there's a lot of great stuff to see. It's my first time here,
but I will be back."
His friend echoed the comments. "I thought HHN was cool,"
said Pietrasik. "I had no idea there were this many people who
were trailblazers to the NHL. I liked looking at all the
replica trophies in the Gold Hall. It's something you don't see
every day."
Travelling along, the next zone is the Theatre, which shows
a short film about the beginnings of hockey in the north and
traces it right through to the present. It's narrated by Brian
MacFarlane.
Then there's the final zone, the Tembec Gold Hall, which is
a beaming shrine to all 230 honoured members from northeastern
Ontario. People can actually make tracings of their favourite
stars as each member has a raised etching in the hall.
HHN opened its doors on Feb. 18, but the official grand
opening is slated for June 29 and will feature plenty of former
and present stars.
"The dream has come true," said Cox. "The whole HHN experience is tremendous for anyone. This was built to honour the 330 players, coaches and officials northeastern Ontario has sent to the NHL."
