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The Hockey Hall of Fame which is located in Toronto, Ontario , Canada , celebrates the history of Ice Hockey , with exhibits featuring memorabilia and NHL trophies (including the Stanley Cup ) along with interactive activities. The Hockey Hall of Fame was founded in 1943 but no building was built until 1961 , when a building was opened on the grounds of the Exhibition Place , downtown Toronto. Prior to choosing the current location for the Hall of Fame, other cities in Canada sought for it be located in their towns. Cities like Peterborough and Kingston all vied for the hall. Members of the board of directors traveled to the cities to see various proposals. In the end Toronto was chosen. In 1993 , the Hockey Hall of Fame relocated to a former bank building on the Northwest corner of Yonge and Front Street in downtown Toronto. The building was constructed in 1885-86 and housed a branch of the Bank Of Montreal . Built by architects Darling And Curry in 1885 and replaced another bank building from 1845 . It remained a branch until 1982 . Restored, it is now part of BCE Place . The building's second floor is thought to be haunted. The historic building was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1976. The Hockey Hall of Fame is accessible via Toronto's underground PATH walkways — connected through the BCE Place complex to Union Station , Royal York Hotel , and the Air Canada Centre . INDUCTION For a person to be inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame, the person must be nominated by an 18-person selection committee, and must receive the support of three-quarters (15 members) of the committee. In any given year, there can be a maximum of four players, two builders, and one referee or linesman. For a player, referee, or linesman to be nominated, the person must have been retired for three years. This period — relatively short compared to the Halls of Fame of other major sports — has come under criticism because of the occasional spectacle of Hall of Fame inductees coming out of retirement to play once more, such as Gordie Howe , Guy Lafleur and Mario Lemieux . In the past, this waiting period was waived if a player was exceptionally talented. This was done for ten players:
After Wayne Gretzky 's retirement, it was announced that no other player may ever gain early entry into the Hall of Fame. FUTURE INDUCTEES The 2006 Class of Hall of Fame inductees will be announced in early June. Patrick Roy is considered a lock for induction, although many feel Doug Gilmour will also be inducted. Strong cases can also be made for first time qualifiers Pavel Bure , Phil Housley , and Mike Richter as well as Dino Ciccarelli and Glenn Anderson , who have been turned down for the Hall of Fame several times. I would also like to say that Gordie Howe Is far better than Gretzky Because of the conditions he had to play in, no helmet, poor tansportation, no fancy medecine if Howe was playing during Gretzky's time Howe would have many more points than Gretzky, I'm saying this because when people look at the stats for the two they don't think of what conditions Howe played in CONTROVERSIES In addition to the controversies over the relatively short mandatory retirement period, debates over inductees follow as a matter of course. Many feel that too many players are inducted, that the Original Six era is overrepresented (in some years in the 1960s, as many as a third of the players in the league would go on to HHOF membership), that WHA players such as Mark Howe and J.C. Tremblay and international players have been unjustly ignored. One of the most debated candidacies is Paul Henderson . Henderson is known for scoring one of the most famous goals in hockey history when he scored the winning goal the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union. If Henderson were inducted, it would only be because of this goal, because although his NHL numbers were solid (236 goals and 477 points in 707 career NHL games), they are not close to a caliber normally associated with HHOF inductees. It has led to many debates among hockey fans, because although his performance in the Summit Series has made him one of the most well known names in hockey, fans feel that it is not right to honour a player's entire career because of one highlight. With the careers of Canadian female hockey players Danielle Goyette and Hayley Wickenheiser winding down, many have debated about whether or not they should be inducted. A strong case can be made for Hayley Wickenheiser, whose stats in international play are similar to many players already in the Hall of Fame. SEE ALSO
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