Saturday is Hockey Night in Orillia – a night all local hockey fans and lovers of history should converge on the Orillia Museum of Art and History (OMAH), just as you would jam the stands to see an important hockey game.
The night offers people a chance to see a pair of world-class sports-themed exhibits and to be present when the Top 10 hockey players in Orillia’s history are unveiled.
“It’s going to be a great night,” said Ninette Gyorody, OMAH’s executive director. “Hockey is a gift to the world from Canada and we are really looking to celebrate that.”
As part of Hockey Night in Orillia, the famed Allan Cup – won in 1973 by the Orillia Terriers – and the John Ross Robertson Cup – won by the Orillia Younkers – will be at the museum, on loan from the Hockey Hall of Fame. Kids of all ages will be able to play mini sticks, try vintage table hockey games and enjoy arena-themed snacks and beverages.
The focal point of the evening will be the announcement of Orillia’s Top 10 hockey players of all time. The museum selected an independent jury “of local hockey experts” that included Bill Watters, Ken ‘Jiggs’ McDonald, Bill Cartmill and Dave Dawson, in addition to local historian Dave Town. They did their research and homework and then got together for a passionate, no-holds-barred debate about the best players ever to lace up skates in Orillia.
It was not an easy decision to come up with just 10. They were guided by clear criteria that shaped the debate. For example, players had to play at least one year of minor hockey in Orillia before playing junior hockey. Then, consideration turned to what the player accomplished after junior, what they did outside of Orillia and if they played professional hockey.
OMAH board chair Ted Markle oversaw the process; selecting the Top 10 of all time was his brainchild. “We thought it was important to recognize our community’s deep hockey history,” said Markle. “The game has been played here for so long by so many. Who are the top 10 of all time? Come to our event on Feb. 3 and find out.”
While you are invited to wear your jersey and celebrate those top players, many of whom will be in attendance, this is also an opportunity to see, touch and absorb the history of our city as it relates to sports. The night doubles as the official opening of two exhibits that run until March 31: Hometown Glory: Orillia's Winter Sports and Breakaway: How Hockey Built a Nation.
In Hometown Glory, in addition to dynamic exhibits focused on Orillia’s celebrated past in curling, figure skating and hockey, there is also a nod to today – and tomorrow. As part of the exhibit, Hope McGilly-Mitchell has curated a display focused on 16-year-old Orillia rep player Liam McCrimmon. It traces his journey and talks about his future. “History is being made every day and this is a way to show that,” said McGilly-Mitchell.
McGilly-Mitchell said researching the exhibition was an eye-opener. “We really tried to focus on the community aspect and the organizations that helped build up the athletes that came out of Orillia,” she said. “You always hear about hockey and it’s huge, but you quickly realize curling and figure skating were also huge. I’ve only been in Orillia for about three years and I didn’t really realize how rich Orillia’s history is in all these winter sports.”
In the Breakaway exhibit, the history of hockey is explored with amazing artifacts and memorabilia and photos that trace the moments that defined our nation through the sport.
“I developed a thesis around the idea that Orillia is a community but Canada is also a community and that hockey does bind us and that is the essence of this show,” said Gyorody, who made multiple trips to the Hockey Hall of Fame that provided access to their “incredible” archives and allowed the museum to borrow many unique pieces.
In this exhibit, you can see the jersey and sledge Graeme Murray used in the Olympics, you can see the seminal moments of women’s hockey, post-1987, when they competed on the world stage, you can listen to audio of Foster Hewitt using his signature ‘He shoots, he scores’ that became the soundtrack of Saturday nights. You can see Jacques Plante’s first mask and the mould of his face that preceded it in addition to a range of newer goalie masks. You can see Conn Smythe’s jacket and the mini Stanley Cup he received upon retirement and there are incredible historic images throughout, in addition to Wayne Gretzky’s famed Titan stick and much more. On one wall, is a giant Canada flag – the one Sidney Crosby skated around with after celebrating his ‘golden goal’ that gave Canada the gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
“I think this is our best exhibit yet,” said Gyorody with pride. “You look around the room and it’s really graphic, there’s an open feel and there’s so much to see. It’s a mixture of sports and arts and history mixed together. It’s a huge show.”
Cost for Saturday’s night event – doors open at 6:30 p.m. – is $15 for adults and $5 for kids or $20 at the door. In addition to the exhibits and the unveiling of Orillia’s Top 10, the Leafs-Bruins game will be playing and there will be a silent auction featuring original, winter sports-themed works of art by local artists, hockey collectibles and memorabilia and unique vintage, hockey-style apparel. Call 705-326-2159 for tickets or for more information.