A mini museum is making it around to NHL cities this year, and Vancouver's getting a visit next week.
While the Vegas Golden Knights are in town on March 21 inside Rogers Arena, the United By Hockey Mobile Museum will be nearby, celebrating "hockey's trailblazers, changemakers and business leaders spanning multiple underrepresented and multicultural demographics," according to the NHL.
The mobile museum is part of the league's 'Hockey is for Everyone' campaign and debuted at this year's All-Star Game in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The 840 sq. foot exhibit was developed with the Hockey Hall of Fame and includes artifacts from players, and others involved in hockey, from "an array of backgrounds." It includes displays about players like Metro Vancouver's Paul Kariya, goaltending great Carey Price, and Mikyla Grant-Mentis, the highest-paid player in the Premier Hockey Federation.
Items included are game-worn jerseys, an Olympic medal, and artifacts from the Hall of Fame.
There are also video components, an interactive broadcast booth people can try out, and a unique hockey card collection from Dean Barnes. He's spent the last couple of years collecting cards featuring black and biracial players who've appeared in at least one NHL game, ranging from Willie O'Ree to Jarome Iginla, including several notable rookie cards. He's also launched a podcast, interviewing players he has cards of.
The museum is actually a redeveloped version of the Black Hockey History Tour that occurred last year.
Fans can visit the museum for free from 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Pat Quinn Way ahead of the Canucks' game against the Golden Knights. Sportsnet's Randip Janda, who also hosts Hockey Night in Canada Punjabi, will also be on-hand for a meet-and-greet from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
