The Original Hockey Hall of Fame, formerly the International Hockey Hall of Fame (IHHOF) is a museum dedicated to the history of ice hockey in Canada, located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The IHHOF was intended to be the original Hall of Fame for hockey, but events led to the establishment of the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario instead. A dedicated building was opened in 1965, and eventually also hosted exhibits for the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) from 1992 to 1997, prior to the establishment of the IIHF Hall of Fame. The IHHOF was renamed the Original Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013, and now focuses on the history of the sport, and emphasis on the role people from Kingston had in its development.

History

right|thumb|The International Hockey Hall of Fame's former home from 1965 to 2012.

The International Hockey Hall of Fame was founded on September 10, 1943, and incorporated as a non-profit charitable organization by the National Hockey League and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA). It was established through the efforts of James T. Sutherland, a former president of the CAHA and the Ontario Hockey Association, who sought to establish it in Kingston because he believed that the city was the birthplace of ice hockey. In 1943, the NHL and CAHA reached an agreement that a Hall of Fame would be established in Kingston. The first players were inducted on April 30, 1945, although the IHHOF still did not have a permanent home.

Kingston lost its most influential advocate as permanent site of the Hockey Hall of Fame when Sutherland died in 1955. By 1958, the IHHOF organizers had still not raised sufficient funds to construct a permanent building in Kingston. Clarence Campbell, then President of the NHL, grew tired of waiting for the construction to begin and withdrew the NHL's support, subsequently reaching an agreement with the Canadian National Exhibition to establish a new Hall of Fame building in Toronto. CAHA president Jack Roxburgh felt that there was no place for two halls of fame in Canada, and stated it was a "tragedy nothing was done" while Sutherland was alive. The CAHA formally withdrew its support of Kingston in January 1962, in favour of Toronto.

Despite this major setback, the Board of Directors of the International Hockey Hall of Fame moved forward. In 1962, a grant was awarded by the City of Kingston for the construction of a new building. In 1965 the International Hockey Hall of Fame moved into their new building adjacent to the Kingston Memorial Centre.

In 1990, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) negotiated a deal with representatives from Kingston, Ontario, to display IIHF memorabilia at the International Hockey Hall of Fame. IIHF director Roman Neumayer sought to make North American people aware of the history of ice hockey in Europe. He considered Kingston an ideal location for the proposed IIHF Hall of Fame, since like the city focused on amateur hockey similar to Europe rather than professional hockey. The IIHF agreed to loan its exhibits to the museum for a five-year period from 1992 to 1997, while a more permanent display was being planned. The IIHF delivered more than 4,000 items to the International Hockey Hall of Fame. Kingston City Council provided a line of credit towards building a true international ice hockey museum. The partnership ended in 1997, when the IIHF withdrew. The IIHF cited the lack of progress made towards getting a new facility constructed in downtown Kingston, as the primary reason for terminating the agreement.

Notable curators

  • Bill Fitsell (1923–2020), Canadian sports journalist and historian

References

  • Official website