Nanaimo Museum hits the ice with a game-winning exhibition about hockey in Canada

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Monday, September 16th, 2019
10:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Hockey is many things — shinny on a frozen pond, the sweat-soaked smell of a locker room, a winning wrist shot, a roaring crowd. But most of all, it is an enduring national passion that brings Canadians together regardless of geography, language, gender or age. Nanaimo Museum is celebrating Canada’s game with a one-of-a-kind travelling exhibition from the Canadian Museum of History. Hockey, presented from September 14 until November 24 looks at how the sport has influenced our lives, and what that reveals about us as a people.

From Paul Henderson’s winning goal for Canada in the 1972 Summit Series to Manon Rhéaume’s debut as an NHL goalie to Sheldon Kennedy’s advocacy on behalf of sexual abuse victims, Hockey revisits game-changing moments and players. By highlighting tabletop hockey games, Roch Carrier’s classic story The Hockey Sweater, and Shania Twain’s NHL-inspired stage outfits, the exhibition also reminds us of how deeply hockey is woven into the tapestry of Canadian life.

The Nanaimo Museum will be incorporating artifacts and photos connected to hockey’s local history into the exhibit. “Hockey is an important part of Nanaimo’s history,” says Aimee Greenaway, Curator at the Nanaimo Museum. “People played hockey on frozen lakes and flooded farmers’ fields, the Nanaimo Clippers have had spectators since the 1940s and more than one future NHL player learned how to play at a local arena.”

“The Canadian Museum of History is thrilled to share Hockey with the people of Nanaimo” said Mark O’Neill, President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of History. “Whether we hit the ice or cheer from our living rooms, hockey is more than just a game to Canadians. It has helped shape our history and our national identity from coast to coast to coast.”

The exhibition is an engaging two-dimensional display that uses photographs and reproductions of key artifacts, memorabilia and works of art to present hockey highlights from yesterday and today. Listen to audio archives from hockey history and get into the game by recording your own running commentary, just like legendary sportscaster Foster Hewitt.

Hockey is at the Nanaimo Museum from September 14, 2019 to November 24, 2019.

This travelling exhibition was developed by the Canadian Museum of History. It is adapted from the major exhibition of the same name presented in 2017 at the Canadian Museum of History.

About the Canadian Museum of History

Located on the shores of the Ottawa River in Gatineau, Quebec, the Canadian Museum of History welcomes over 1.2 million visitors each year. The Museum’s principal role is to enhance Canadians’ knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the events, experiences, people and objects that have shaped Canada’s history and identity, as well as to enhance Canadians’ awareness of world history and culture. Work of the Canadian Museum of History is made possible in part through financial support of the Government of Canada.