In our continuing series of looking at jobs around the game of hockey, I interviewed Phil Pritchard. Phil has one of the coolest jobs in the ‘museum’ business, he is the Curator for the Hockey Hall of Fame in Totonto. They are the keepers of all things special in the game’s history. Historic jerseys, pucks, masks, sticks,1.5 million pictures, and a certain Cup that everyone wants their name on. Phil also directs the resource center, which takes the collection and makes it accessible to researchers and fans alike.
They have a cool website, www.hhof.com, It features lots of stuff for kids and adults. They have a great 3d tour of Lord Stanley’s cup at http://www.legendsofhockey.net/html/silver_vrtro.htm
Phil is very enthusiastic about the Hall, and suggests we all come up for a visit. He also offered some insight into his job. Phil did not start out saying “I want to run the Hall of Fame and take care of the Cup”. Instead, he had to find his way, discover what he liked, and work hard. Everyone of these people I have interviewed love hockey, but had to find their place to contribute to the game in a unique way. They also had to take lower end jobs before landing their dream spots, sometimes for little or no pay.
How did you get to be the Curator of the Hall? “I took a Sports Administration course in College…and volunteered everywhere I could….eventually working for the Ontario Hockey League from there I went on to the Hockey Hall of Fame and eventually became the Curator as the past one retired.”
Do you still find artifacts from long ago, or are most of your acquisitions new things? “We are lucky that a lot of families still have a lot of artifacts from when they had family members that played….it is always great when a long lost jersey is found….however each and every artifact no matter how old or how new is important to the history of the game.”
How much do you have to store vs. display? How do you keep things preserved? “The Hockey Hall of Fame has about a 60 – 40 of artifacts on display…however like most museums you can only have them on display for so long before you need to preserve and conserve the artifact…we have a complete climate controlled room that the artifacts stay.”
Do you visit other museums? How does the Hockey Hall compare to other major North American sports halls? “I have been to most of the major ones, and I am biased as I am a big hockey fan, so I think ours is the best…but Canton Ohio (football) and Cooperstown (Baseball) have great museums as well.”
What is your favorite piece in the Hall? “My favourite piece besides the Stanley Cup is a Stanley Cup ring from 1893…the first year it was presented. Again though, I like them all…they all tell a story.”
Thanks Phil, you sound like a kid that works in a candy store. Enjoy! Boys, save those old Titan socks, maybe the Hall will ask for them someday (just wash them first).
