Hockey, a travelling exhibition from the Canadian Museum of History, opens July 17 at the Lambton Heritage Museum in Lambton Shores, alongside displays about Lambton County’s hockey history.
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The travelling exhibit, adapted from a 2017 exhibition at the Canadian Museum of History, runs at Lambton Heritage Museum through Nov. 9.
It celebrates Canadian hockey’s great moment and its contributions to national life, including Paul Henderson’s winning goal in the 1972 Summit Series, Manon Rhéaume’s debut as an NHL goalie and Sheldon Kennedy’s advocacy on behalf of sexual abuse victims, as well as tabletop hockey, Roch Carrier’s story “The Hockey Sweater,” and Shania Twain’s NHL-inspired stage outfits.
“Whether we hit the ice or cheer from our living rooms, hockey is more than just a game for Canadians,” Caroline Dromaguet, CEO of the Canadian Museum of History, said in a news release. “It has helped shape our history and our national identity from coast to coast to coast.”
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The exhibition includes photos and reproductions of artifacts, memorabilia, works of art, audio archives from hockey history and an opportunity for visitors to record their own game commentary.
The county museum put out a call months ago for local hockey artifacts and memorabilia for a Lambton hockey display running with it.
“It was really great to see the contributions from the community,” said curator-supervisor Dana Thorne. “We have items come in from all different tiers of hockey.”
That includes items about local residents who went on to play professionally, as well as items from junior and senior teams in the community, she said.
One example is the Petrolia Gibbons-Squires, a senior hockey game that won the Allan Cup in 1979 and 1981.
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“Their former manager, Ira Downer, loaned us some really cool items,” including a jersey, hat, mug, badges and pins, Thorne said.
The museum also borrowed silver sticks from local Silver Stick tournaments, along with jerseys, programs and a banner, she said.
There’s also hockey-related art, including a painting by Pierre George, an artist from Kettle and Stony Point First Nation, of a backyard rink at the Forest home of Bill and Debbie Jamieson.
“A lot of kids from the community used to be out there playing all the time,” Thorne said.
Thorne said she was happy to see a variety of items come in after the museum put out the call.
“We had a few hockey-related items already in the museum collection,” she said.
That includes a sweater from Dr. Wes Moore who was the dentist for the Sarnia Legionnaires in the 1960s, as well as 150-year-old antique skates that were strapped onto, or screwed into, boots.
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“We’ve got those on display as well,” Thorne said.
“As well as dropping off items, people shared a lot of stories,” she said. “Some of those are highlighted in the exhibit.”
That includes memories of minor hockey travel teams from decades ago being billeted with families of the home teams, instead of staying in hotels and eating in restaurants, turning road trips, Thorne said.
“There was this real sense of community” that led “to lifelong friends,” she said.
Admission to the museum, located across from Pinery Park, is free this year for residents of Lambton County in recognition of the county’s 175th anniversary.
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