Virtual Exhibits:
50/50: The Golden Anniversaries of Willie O'Ree and Yvon Durelle: http://bit.ly/zRwtVL
Hometown Sports Heroes: http://bit.ly/yVaW0h
Take a look some of the artefacts in our collection here: http://bit.ly/xTv6w2
Olympic-Paralympic Games: The first Games of the modern era were held in 1896 in Athens, Greece, with 241 athletes from 14 countries competing in 43
events. Today,the Olympic Games are the largest sporting event in the world, with over 10,000 athletes representing 200 nations competing in 300 events.
NB athletes first competed in the Olympic and Winter Olympic Games in 1924 and the Paralympic Games in 1972. The dream of competing of the world's
greatest stage continues to inspire athletes here and around the world. In this exhibit you will see a Team Canada hockey jersey autographed by the gold
medal winning team of 2002 and 1932 Olympic Winter Games bronze medal won by Saint John speed skater Willie Logan (inducted 1975).
Canada Games: A uniquely Canadian institution, these games are the largest on-going multi-sport event in the country. The Games bring together the best
young athletesfrom each province and territory. While for many, competing in the Games will be the high point of their athletic careers, for some the experience
is an importantstep on their journey to professional or international stardom. In this you can see an array of medals made for the Canada Games hosted by
New Brunswick: the 1985 Summer Games of Saint John, NB and the 2003 Winter Games of Campbellton – Bathurst.
Speed Skating: Skating began as a method of making travel in the winter easier. Itis thought to have originated in Scandinavia some 2000 years ago.
British soldiersare credited with introducing skating to Canada in the late 1600s and, by the 1840s,it was a favourite pastime in New Brunswick. The
city of Saint John, with talentssuch as Harry Smyth, Charlie Gorman and Hugh McCormack became one of the mostimportant speed skating venues
in North America into the 1930s, hosting a worldchampionship in 1926. On display is a uniform worn by members of the Speed Skating Team who
represented Canada 1928 Olympic Winter Games of St. Moritz, Switzerland as well as a modern “skin” worn by today’s competitors.
Curling: Developed by the Scots, curling first appeared in Canada in the late 1700swith the first club established in Montreal in 1807. The game
spread to theMaritimes by 1824 and to Fredericton by 1854 when a group organized a game of thefrozen waters of the St. John River and then
formed a club. Since then, the game has flourished throughout the province with New Brunswick producing nationalchampions at every level.
In this case you’ll be able to see various curling stones and brooms as they became more complex and specialized as well as the Ganong Cup,
the men’s provincial trophy for more than half a century.
Hockey: Evolving from a variety of stick-and-ball games including hurley, shinnyand lacrosse, hockey came to New Brunswick sometime
between the 1880s and 1890s. In1892 a hockey game was organized in Saint John and, by 1894, the city boasted afour-league team. Two years
later hockey made its debut in Fredericton andSackville. As more indoor rinks were built around the province, the game grew in popularity. Included
in this display is memorabilia from former NHLers like Danny Grant (inducted 1985) and Willie O’Ree (inducted 1984) as well as from the Moncton Hawks
(inducted 1970), repeat Allan Cup winners in the early 1930s.
The Trophy Case: From a wreath of olives given to the ancient Olympians to the World famous Stanley Cup, trophies have been awarded to winning
athletes and teams. On display are selections of some of most interesting and diverse awards, from the Hall's permanent collection, given in recognition
of outstanding achievements. In this exhibit you will see a replica of the Queen’s Baton from the 1994 Commonwealth Games, presented to the
Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick then gifted to the Hall and other impressive trophies like the Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame integrity award
given to Honoured Member Ralph “Tiger” Thomas (inducted 2000).
Great Moments in NB Sports History: This case features honoured members, and other New Brunswickers, whose achievements are especially noteworthy.
Among the artifacts you will view is a commemorative Moncton Victoria's hockey stick, the only NB team to ever play for the Stanley Cup and equipment used
by world-famous jockey RonTurcotte (inducted 1973) who rode the legendary racehorse Secretariat to the Triple Crown in 1973.
Prominently featured throughout the building are the original charcoal portraits of the Hall's Honoured Members. The portrait is the official insignia of
membership in the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame, and depicts the sport(s) for which the member has been honoured. In addition to the charcoal head
drawing, which measures approximately 18" x 13", each portrait contains a citation of not more than 150 words in French or English (inductee's choice).
The portraits are the works of Fredericton artists Marjory Donaldson, J. Alex McGibbon and beginning in 2012, Debb Ferris Bates.
The Hall's collection of these one-of-a-kind works represents 659 individuals and 34 different sports.
