Drew B.
Yelp
When Canada does a Hall of Fame, they do it up right. None of this obscure, only-one-reason-to-go-the-town HOFs like Football (Canton, Ohio), Basketball (Springfield, Massachusetts), Baseball (Cooperstown, NY). Oh, no ... they put theirs in the biggest city (Toronto), in the heart of that city, attached to, of all things, a mall.
That isn't to say the actual HOF is easy to find, which seems strange ... but, hey, I'm in Canada, c'est la vie. The outside structure (the original HOF building) looks like an old Hall of Fame, but then you have to enter through the back ... and you find said mall. Find the escalator, and when you get to the bottom, turn 180 degrees, and start walking. Eventually, you'll a place labeled "HOCKEY" ... you've arrived.
And, boy howdy, it's worth the labyrinth to find it.
There's a lot of stuff on the main floor. While I can't speak for every NHL team, being from the usually underrepresented Vancouver Canucks fanbase, I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. I mean, they even have Tiger Williams' circa early 80s jersey, the much-maligned yellow monstrosity know affectionately as the "Flying V."
At the time I visited (June 2019), there is a combined Gordie Howe (aka "Mr. Hockey") and Wayne Gretzky (aka "The Great One") exhibition that is the current HOF centerpiece. I don't know how long it's been here, but it's spot-on as the two greatest players in hockey history are invariably linked. I can't imagine this exhibit going anywhere anytime soon ... it's exceptional, and should remain front and center until someone who breaks their records comes along.
And, remember, this isn't the NHL HOF ... it's the HOCKEY Hall of Fame. I loved the exhibit recalling that epic brouhaha, donnybrook, fisticuffs, international war-on-ice known as the Canada-USSR 1972 Summit Series. I also love the large displays of international and minor league jerseys ... that's the color and fun of hockey! While the USA "Miracle on Ice" is mentioned, it's as prominently displayed as I would expect in Canada, with their own Olympic hockey experiences more detailed within the Hall. And they don't leave out the prominent role and successes of international women's hockey.
With all the great displays, the real crème de la crème is the Great Hall upstairs. This is where you'll find the trophy to end all championship trophies, the Stanley Cup. You can get up-close-and-personal and see all the engravings for all the years of championship hockey and the players that won it. Epic.
The Great Hall also has plaques of several hockey greats, many of the other trophies over the years (conference championships, Vezina, Hart, and Calder, etc.), and a vault containing some of hockey's earliest trophies, including the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup (aka, the original punch-bowl-sized Stanley Cup).
What else can I say? It's a great Hall of Fame. Vive le hockey!