Stacy Wilson's Silver Medal Won by Team Canada at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano.
I was pretty happy with my experience at the re-enacted Changing of the Guards ceremony, but I had been anticipating a trip to the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame as soon as I found out there was one a few weeks ago.
Housed in one of the best (in my opinion) heritage buildings in downtown Fredericton, the sports museum is filled with three floors of sports memorabilia related to Fredericton and New Brunswick.
My focus was on hockey, of course. My hockey writer friend, Lucas Aykroyd, had alerted me this morning that the Vancouver Canucks farm team used to be here (from 1981 to 1988, when they moved to Halifax), called the Fredericton Express. Trivia every gal needs to know 
Anyways, inside the sports museum I was told where to find all things hockey. Cathy, who gave me the rundown of the place, also went and got me the Olympic silver medal that Team Canada captain Stacy Wilson won at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano.
I was excited to see a Boston Bruins jersey worn by Willie O’Ree, a Fredericton native, and the first black player in the NHL. It was found out after he retired that he was almost completely blind in his right eye from a puck hitting him years earlier.
Willie O'Ree's Boston Bruins Jersey at the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame in Fredericton, Canada.
He managed to still make it to the NHL, play 45 games with the Bruins and continued playing hockey until he was 43 years old, finishing in the minors (he has been the NHL’s Director of Youth Development and ambassador for league diversity since 1998).
All of the inductees in the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame have their portraits sketched by J. Alex McGibbon and hung on the wall. There’s a room that’s half dedicated to hockey, where I found a Pittsburgh Penguin (Ryan Malone’s dad) Greg Malone, who was a scout for the Penguins’ teams that won the Stanley Cup in both 1991 and 1992.
Fredericton Hotel
During my nights in the city I’m staying at the Delta Fredericton, with a top floor room overlooking the St. John River. On my first evening here- I had arrived at the hotel just before 9:00 pm- I went up to my room and caught the sunset in the photo on the right. Ah, east coast sunsets get me every time.
Delta Fredericton Sunset in New Brunswick, Canada.
What I Liked:
- I was like a little kid taking pictures of all the hockey inductees. Yep, I have photos of each of the sketches and bios done in the museum.
- The staff are super friendly and helpful.
- All other sports that have a New Brunswick connection are showcased, too.
Copyright 2009 Lori Henry
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