Fourteen years after a group of passionate sports fans in Hamilton met to discuss the future of some photos that were going to be mothballed at old Copps Coliseum, many of those same folks gathered Saturday afternoon to open the doors to the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame.
The stories and photos of dozens of inductees and the countless artifacts collected over the years have resided in a virtual hall of fame since those early days. This weekend, that all changed.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Garry McKay, longtime president of the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame. “It was 2009 when the Wall of Fame at Copps (Coliseum) had to come down and that was the impetus to get this thing started.”
Just as the volunteers at the hall of fame were ready to get started on the physical space located at the Eva Rothwell Centre on Wentworth Street North the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“Just as we got it rolling COVID came and we couldn’t get in here and do any work for two-and-a-half years,” recalled McKay. “So to finally get it open is very exciting.”
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Take one step into the new Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame and it’s like entering a time machine that brings you as close as you can get to the city’s most iconic sports figures, teams and events of yesteryear.
“We’re trying to tell the story of Hamilton’s sports history through the people who have been inducted,” said McKay. “Teams, builders, referees, officials, media people and athletes, and a lot of them have given us memorabilia.”
One of the oldest artifacts is from the first British Empire Games, now the Commonwealth Games, that were held in Hamilton in 1930. “We have the lawn bowling team’s medals,” said McKay.
And the trip back in time doesn’t end there. From international events to horse racing, football and basketball, the hall is flooded with eye-catching items.
“We have a program from when the Hamilton Tigers — the hockey team — played the Montreal Canadiens at the Hamilton Forum and George Vezina was in net for Montreal,” added McKay.
The Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame will hold its 2023 induction ceremony on October 25.