Your faithful Seattle Kraken correspondent traveled to Canada for the Hall of Fame inductions during a week of hockey-related activities. What follows is the first of two journals from that trip.
Wednesday, Nov. 6: Entering the Five Zone
Us cattle at Vancouver Int’l. Airport were herded into the innocuously-named “Zone 5.” It was in actuality the last group allowed to board the flight to Toronto. At long last, the gate agent announced, “Passengers in Zone 5 are welcome to board.”
I imagined what she was really thinking was, “Actually, we don’t welcome you aboard. You’re lucky to get a seat inside the aircraft, you Zone 5 cheapskates. We know you didn’t pay for any of the upgrades we offered, because you’re quarantined in Zone 5. Good luck finding space in an overhead bin. Bwhahaha!“
Thursday, Nov. 7: Best Seats In The House
Gatineau, Quebec is home to the Canadian Museum of History. Artifacts trace the nation’s timeline from earliest Indigenous communities to modern-day secession efforts. Sharing display space with towering Northwest First Nations totem poles are selected hockey items.
Behind glass (photo at right) was the authentic 1959 playoff sweater of Montreal Canadiens immortal Maurice “Rocket” Richard.
Elsewhere, two white wooden seats (above photo) from Le Colisee in Quebec City, one of the great old Canadian “barns” which hosted hockey from 1949-2015. The Quebec Nordiques played at the arena from 1972-79 (WHA) and 1979-95 (NHL).
No one who sat in these seats during the passionate playoff “Battles of Quebec” between the Nordiques and Canadiens will ever forget them. Sadly, the franchise relocated to Colorado – and won the Stanley Cup as the Avalanche in their first season.
Thursday, Nov 7: Islanders vs. Senators (Or So We’re Told)
Fred Barrett, a rugged defenseman mostly for the Minnesota North Stars from 1970-84, generously hosted me and my buddies inside the Ottawa Alumni box at Canadian Tire Centre. We didn’t actually watch much of the Islanders-Senators game, but more entertaining was Fred regaling us with stories.
Here’s one: Fred delivered a hard check one night to legendary tough guy John Ferguson.
Between expletives, Ferguson told Barrett never to try that again. Fred instead delivered not one but two more big hits, after which Ferguson was ready to fight. They wrestled down to the ice, and when they got up, the crowd roared at the sight of Ferguson with a bloody nose. Word got around the league not to mess with Fred Barrett. Only one thing – Ferguson’s nose got bloodied scraping the ice, not from a Fred Barrett punch!
Friday, Nov. 8: Red Wings vs. Maple Leafs
On to Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena, where the Maple Leafs’ annual home game the Friday before Hall Inductions always contains a special HHOF tie-in. Prior to the “Original 6” matchup between the Leafs and Red Wings, the 2024 “enshrinees” were introduced to the sellout crowd, along with members of the selection committee.
They’re called “Honored Members.” I felt honored to attend the game with my friend, Hockey Hall of Fame Education Director Kevin Shea (photo at left), who’s written 21 hockey books! His latest is Jack And The Box.
Kevin also wrote the bios of the newest Hall members that were read as each was introduced before the opening faceoff (above photo).
True conversation overheard between the young boy sitting next to me and his father, explaining the basics of the sport:
Dad: “The teams play three periods.”
Son: “Three periods doesn’t seem like very much for a hundred dollars.”
Dad: “700. The tickets cost 700 dollars.”
Saturday, Nov. 9: Collector’s Paradise
More than 500 hockey and other sports collectible dealers gathered for North America’s second-largest memorabilia show, the Toronto Sport Card Expo. How big? Attendance swelled to more than 25,000 at last November’s four-day event.
Among the tens of thousands of items available for purchase – new & vintage trading cards, photos, uniforms, books and magazines, replica trophies, etc. – was this autographed Shane Wright Seattle Kraken jersey.
It could have been yours at the Upper Deck booth for $2,070 CDN.
For years at the show, it’s been my privilege to interview guests on the main stage. This year it was former goalie Ed Staniowski, who played for St. Louis, Winnipeg and Hartford.
Staniowski succeeded at a second career, too, rising to the rank of Lt. Colonel in the Canadian Armed Forces. Among other things, we talked about his bringing the Stanley Cup to troops in Afghanistan in 2007.
Dan Bodanis Photo
A (much more than) fringe benefit of attending the show is the chance to catch up with greats from the game’s past.
For me in 2024, that included five-time Cup champion defenseman Terry Harper, legendary photographer Bruce Bennett, and the great guy in the photo at right (not me) – former Toronto Maple Leafs goalie, scout, and general manager Gerry McNamara. I’m not embarrassed to say he’s sharper at 90 years of age than I am right now.
The second part of this journal, including observations from the Inductions themselves, will be published on Wed. Nov. 13.