Much like an athlete, the goal for the Hockey Hall of Fame years ago was to gain an Olympic medal – better yet, the entire Olympic Medals Collection, from each and every Winter and Summer Games, dating back to their inaugural events in 1920 and 1896 respectively.
Discussions with The Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland began back in 2007 regarding a medals loan arrangement that would open months prior to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.
Graciously, The Olympic Museum consented to the loan, marking the first time a complete collection of medals will ever appear outside of Europe. On March 12, 2010, the Royal Canadian Mint completed the collection, loaning the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals from the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. In total, there are 140 medals from 47 Olympic Games showcased. The limited-time "Olympic Medals Collection" at the Hockey Hall of Fame will be housed in the RBC Olympic exhibit within the Hall of Fame's World of Hockey Zone'.
"Displaying these medals gives the Hockey Hall of Fame a chance to share the Olympics with our guests in a unique way as momentum and excitement builds towards the 2010 Games in Vancouver," said Phil Pritchard, Curator, Hockey Hall of Fame. "We are grateful to the Olympic Museum for entrusting us with this incredible collection."
While the Olympiad can be traced back to the ancient Greeks in 776 B.C., the medal tradition began with the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, where only the top two finishers were recognized - winner received a silver medal and a crown of olive branches, while the second-place finisher was awarded a bronze medal and a crown of laurel.
Over time, the doctrine of three medals - gold, silver, bronze for the top three finishers respectively, took form. The last Olympic gold medals that were made entirely out of gold were awarded in 1912. Today, the gold and silver Olympic medals must be made out of at least 92.5 percent silver, with the gold medal covered in six grams of 24-karat gold.
The Winter Olympic medals have no standard design, hence their unique shapes and non-traditional materials, like those of the 1992 Albertville medals, which were mostly glass. Summer medals, however, almost always depict Nike, winged goddess of victory, on the front in some fashion. Each medal attempts to capture a unique quality depicting the terrain and culture of the host city.
Hockey made its debut at the Olympics in 1920. The Winnipeg Falcons, whose roster was comprised of mainly Icelandic-Canadians, were the first Olympic champions of hockey. Since then, hockey has arguably become the centrepiece of the Winter Games.
Seven nations have claimed hockey gold in the men's division. The Canadians were the victors for six of the first seven tournaments. Their one loss came in 1936 when Great Britain won the championship, albeit stocked with Canadian expatriates. The Americans have won twice, both on home ice including perhaps the most memorable of all Olympic hockey moments, namely the 'Miracle on Ice' in 1980. The Soviet Union entered the Olympic hockey fray in 1956 and earned gold their first time out. The Soviets then proceeded to medal in the next eight tournaments, including six more gold. Since 1992, Canada, the Czech Republic, Russia and Sweden have all earned distinction as Olympic champions.
Women's hockey made its Olympics splash in 1998, with the United States besting Canada in the final. Canada revenged that loss and took home gold in both 2002 and 2006.
The promotion of this incredible medal exhibit will commence with a three-month street banner blitz across Toronto beginning in October. This will be supported with considerable radio and print marketing, grassroots outreach involving schools and youth groups, as well as appearances from former Olympians.
Let the games begin…