Maybe it’s because we come from Vancouver and we came *thisclose* to the Stanley Cup when the guys were nearly two years old. Or maybe because Seattle got the Kraken hockey team when our duo was in middle school and the whole city has been hyped up about hockey ever since. But when I told my kids our summer plan was to meet friends in Montreal, our son who loves to help us plan trips immediately plotted a route to Montreal from Toronto (it’s about a 4.5 hour drive) and made sure we flew in and out of Toronto for this trip. And the main reason he wanted to see Toronto was because of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Yes, you can see the Stanley Cup at the Hockey Hall of Fame
In fact, if seeing the Stanley Cup is important to you too, going to the Esso Great Hall might be the first room you want to visit when you head through the entry to the museum, especially if you arrive right when the it opens. We were there maybe 10 minutes after opening time and were surprised that we ended up with the Stanley Cup to ourselves for a little while. One of the most intriguing things we learned as we read about all the Hockey Hall of Fame recipients in this room was that in 1919 the Stanley Cup Championships in Seattle had to stop because of an influenza pandemic and that one of the recipients (Joseph Henry Hall) actually died of the flu. We spent a lot of time reading about players we’ve heard about over the years. And it was also cool to see other trophies and the vault where the Stanley Cup is stored.
If you want to do the interactive exhibits get to the museum right at opening and head their first
We found out the Stanley Cup room was empty because all the kids in the museum had headed to an interactive wing of the museum first. Here you can test your shot or even test your goalie skills, but if you do not come here first and at opening, I can imagine there might be a line all day.
When we were there the lines seemed to be about 30 minutes long because a summer camp was at the museum so we did not try the interactive stations. I’m sure it’s the same year-round though when school groups visit as well. A room set up like a tv studio had no line so my guys tried out being announcers in a cool simulation and it was fun to watch them try to commentate on a game. If you have a lot of time to spend at the museum, this room would be a great place to hang out.
We didn’t have a ton of time and maybe spent an hour and a half total at this museum. We paid $25 CAD for each of our entries (kids and teens 13 and under had discounted admission too). You may find promotions and discounts for the Hockey Hall of Fame here-when we visited if you bought your tickets on line you received a discount in the gift store. (We walked through the gift store on the way out and looked for all the Seattle Kraken merchandise-there isn’t a whole lot yet, but probably a ton more next year when they win the Stanley Cup….)
And yes there is a Tim Hortons right nearby the Hockey Hall of Fame
Just outside the entrance to the Hockey Hall of Fame, there is a Tim Hortons with a lot of hockey memorabilia too. Apparently they have a special Hockey Hall of Fame themed donut that is only at this Tim Hortons location but we didn’t see it when we visited, so maybe next time. This is probably the coolest Tim Hortons our family has ever seen. We stayed nearby at the St Regis in Toronto so it was only about a ten minute walk to get to the Hockey Hall of Fame too.
When we got home from the trip, the guy who insisted on this visit felt it was “worth the drive to and from Montreal” and was glad the Hockey Hall of Fame was everything he thought it would be.
(PS. I didn’t realize that many arenas also have tours these days. We recently tried the tour at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle and learned that in the hockey off-season you can even tour the Seattle Kraken locker rooms as well.)
(PPS. we also used a CityPASS in Toronto to see other area attractions and it was pretty helpful too.)
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)