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| Another gorgeous sunrise in Kitchener. A day off, hmmmnnn, what to do? |
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| Well this is looking awfully familiar |
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| My buddy Rob, (who organized the Special Olympics bowling night in Woodstock), game and picked me up and took me to Toronto. |
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| If you are not into hockey, perhaps you might want to skip this blog. Here we are at Mecca, aka: |
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| The entrance is through a mall with this impressive ceiling |
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| A teaser at the entrance. |
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| A statue of Ken Dryden in his familiar stance. |
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| The first display I headed to was to one of my childhood idols, Bobby Orr. When I was 12 I sent a letter to him in Boston, and he sent me an autographed black and white photo that I still have. |
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| Next I went to the Gretzky exhibit. |
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| Old time hockey! Eddie Shore! |
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| The legend himself |
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| The Rocket |
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| Tretiak, the outstanding Russian goalie. |
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| Hangin in the replica Montreal Canadiens dressing room. I had to sit close to another boyhood idol, the roadrunner, Yvan Cournoyer. |
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| Honestly, I cannot remember what this trophy is about, except it is really old school |
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| There was a timeline on the wall for the history and advancement of hockey broadcasting. |
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| the net Wayne scored his 802nd goal against Vancouver, breaking Gordie Howe's record for most goals |
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| The New York Americans were a NHL team from the early era. |
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| Mr. Hockey I saw him play in Vancouver when he was 52 years old. He was with the Hartford Whalers, and he was playing with his sons Mark, and Marty. |
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| Another legend, Bernie Parent |
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| The golden goal, when Canada beat U.S A. in overtime to win the gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Sidney Crosby's gloves and stick are included. |
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| Paul Henderson's Jersey from the 1972 Canada Russia series. |
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| I still remember being in school and having classes stopped so we could all watch the final game of the series |
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| Olympic jerserys from the past |
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| I touched the lucky loonie! Learn more here. |
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| I think the European jerseys are the most colorful |
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| Amateur world championship jerseys, including the Trail Smoke Eaters, who won in 1961, I did not see one from the world champion Penticton Vees, who won it all in 1955 |
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| A statue of Lester Patrick, one of the ledgends of the game. My mother met him in Victoria, where he retired, at a Victoria Cougars Western Hockey League game (one league down from the NHL at the time). She got his autograph, and I still have and cherish that memento |
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| The hall where all the trophies are kept |
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| the Norris trophy for top Defenceman |
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| The original cup |
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| Some of the original bands on the cup |
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| A step back in time, listening to a radio broadcast from the man himself, Foster Hewitt |
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| The Jennings trophy for top goaltending duo. Luongo and Schneider from the Canucks won it last year. |
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| The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy awarded to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey. |
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| The Selke trophy for best defensive forward |
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| Maurice Richard trophy for top goal scorer |
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| Art Ross trophy for leading scorer. |
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| Jack Adams Trophy for top coach. |
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| The Lady Byng trophy for most sportsmanlike player |
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| King Clancy memorial trophy for leadership qualities on and off the ice |
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| This years inductees into the Hall of fame. |
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| Vezina trophy for top goalie |
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| Ted Lindsay trophy for top player voted for by his peers |
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| Clarence Campbell bowl for top team in the Western Conference |
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| Hart Memorial trophy for league MVP |
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| Conn Smythe for playoff MVP |
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| Prince of Wales trophy for the team that wins the Eastern Conference |
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| Calder for top rookie |
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| The stain glass roof was amazing |
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| the best trophy in sports, the Stanley Cup |
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| Afterwards, Rob and I went to Wayne Gretzky's restaurant for lunch. Here is his uniform and torch from the Olympic Torch relay and Olympic opening ceremonies in 2010 |
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| This restaurant almost had as much memorabilia as the hall of fame |
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| All star jerseys |
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| His years in L.A. |
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| The mighty Oilers of the 80's |
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| His brief stint in the World Hockey Assosciation where he played when he was only 17 |
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| A great pic of Wayne and Mr. Hockey |
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| Wow, that was hockey overload, I had to head back to the hotel for a nap after that day! Thanks Rob for taking me on my pilgrimage to Mecca |
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