 | | Canadian Coach Pat Quinn discusses his memories from the Games and the impact the loonie played. |
TORONTO - The Hockey Hall of Fame today unveiled a special display honouring the Salt Lake Olympics and Canada's Gold Medal winning men and women's hockey teams. The new display, which becomes part of the World of Hockey Zone, recounts the Salt Lake City Olympic hockey tournaments and honours its champions.
"The 2002 Winter Olympic Games showcased some of the greatest hockey the world has ever seen," said Bill Hay, Chairman, Hockey Hall of Fame. "We're proud to preserve some of the tournament's great Canadian stories in this display, and plan to soon add displays commemorating the Salt Lake Olympic experiences of other hockey-loving nations."
 | | (left to right) Hockey Hall of Fame Chairman Bill Hay, Canadian forward Danielle Goyette, icemaker Trent Evans and Canadian Coach Pat Quinn peer at the mounted loonie on display within the new 2002 Winter Olympic Games exhibit. |
The Olympic tribute display will tell the story of how the Salt Lake Loonie was buried at centre ice by a Canadian ice maker hoping to bring their countrymen luck.
"Good luck monuments have become famous in countries around the world," said Phil Pritchard, Curator, Hockey Hall of Fame. "The Greeks built good luck hero statues of Hercules and Adonis, the Irish have the Blarney Stone and four-leaf clovers, and the Canadians have the Salt Lake Loonie. We're proud to house this good luck charm, and to give fans a chance to rub off some of its good luck."
 | | Canada's Therese Brisson, Geraldine Heaney and Danielle Goyette check out the Canadian $1 "loonie" coin embedded at the centre ice of the E Center Arena. |
"Is it lucky to touch the Salt Lake Loonie?" continued Pritchard, "I'm not sure, but as an historian I can say that travelers have been known to voyage across continents to touch talismans like the Salt Lake Loonie."
The Salt Lake Loonie was buried surreptitiously at centre ice before the men and women's 2002 Olympic Ice Hockey tournaments. The Canadian in charge of monitoring ice conditions in Salt Lake City, felt the Loonie would not only make a perfect centre-ice dot in the E-Centre Arena, but would also bring luck to his hockey playing countrymen and women. After Team Canada's second hockey Gold Medal victory the Loonie was dug-up and presented to Team Canada General Manager Wayne Gretzky. Today the "Salt Lake Loonie" landed in its new home at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
From March 8 until Labour Day (September 2, 2002) hockey enthusiasts will have the opportunity to touch the Salt Lake Loonie in the hopes of rubbing off some of its good luck.
Additional 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic artifacts featured in the display:
 | | Icemaker Trent Evans touches the loonie that he buried at centre ice at the E Center. |
Men's
- Pat Quinn (Canada) coaches' gold medal
- Martin Brodeur (Canada) game jersey
- Chris Chelios (USA) game jersey
- Nikolai Khabibulin (Russia) game jersey
- Joe Sakic (Canada) stick (gold medal winning goal)
- Mats Sundin (Sweden) game pants
- Raimo Helminen (Finland) game helmet
- Mario Lemieux (Canada) game socks
- Men's gold medal game puck - all goals except 1st Canada goal
Women's
- Hayley Wickenheiser (Canada) game jersey
- Danielle Goyette (Canada) game helmet
- Angela Ruggiero (USA) game jersey
- Maria Roth (Sweden) game jersey
- Jayna Hefford (Canada) gold medal winning goal stick and gloves
- Vicki Sunohara (Canada) game socks
- Erika Holst (Sweden) game helmet
- Women's gold medal game - pucks from all goals
Other Unique Olympic treasures featured in the display:
- 1920 Team Canada Gold Medal Jersey - Konrad Johannesson jersey and Olympic Arm Band and his passport - first winter Olympics
- 1936 Team Great Britain Gold Medal jersey - Johnny Coward game jersey
- 1936 Team Canada Silver Medal and lapel pin - forward Ralph St. Germain
 | | Displays of the 1920 Team Canada Olympic gold medal jersey, 1936 Olympic silver medal, Danielle Goyette's 2002 Olympic gold medal jersey, helmet and water bottle. |
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