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.
The Kelowna Museums Society is celebrating Canada’s game with a one-of-a-kind travelling exhibition from the Canadian Museum of History. Hockey 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 travelling component of the exhibition is an engaging two-dimensional display that uses photographs and images of key artefacts, memorabilia and works of art to present hockey highlights from yesterday and today. The Kelowna Museums Society has added artefacts to the exhibition that highlight local hockey history, including Kelowna’s legendary sports teams – the 1958 Packers, the Buckaroos and the Rockets. Visitors can also listen to audio archives from hockey history and get into the game by recording their own play-by-play commentary, just like legendary sportscaster Foster Hewitt.
This exhibition runs from December 7, 2019, to February 29, 2020, at the Okanagan Heritage Museum, 470 Queensway Ave, Kelowna, BC.
For more information contact Amanda Snyder, Curatorial Manager at:
asnyder@kelownamuseums.ca / 250.763.2417