Opening of the exhibition - "MONTRÉAL, CITY OF HOCKEY: FROM LANEWAY TO LEGEND" - At the Hall of Honour of City Hall, February 18 to March 14, 2015

MONTRÉAL, Feb. 17, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - On the initiative of Denis Coderre, Mayor of Montréal, and Frantz Benjamin, President of the City Council, the Hall of Honour of City Hall will be open to hockey fans from February 18 to March 14, 2015, for the exhibition MONTRÉAL, CITY OF HOCKEY: FROM LANEWAY TO LEGEND. The exhibition was launched this evening in the presence of Mayor Coderre and several celebrities, including former Canadiens hockey players Yvon Lambert, Réjean Houle, Serge Savard, Mario Tremblay and Dickie Moore, as well as members of Les Stars de Montréal women's hockey team (Canadian Women's Hockey League) and paralympic athlete Benoit St-Armand.

It was 140 years ago that McGill students gathered at the Victoria rink to play in the first organized hockey match. Hockey has come a long way since. "A reflection of various eras with its heroes, shrines, values and hopes, hockey put down roots at the very heart of the city. Montrealers adopted hockey and have made the sport a way of life. The passion for hockey is and always will be passed on in Montréal as illustrated in "From Laneway to Legend". Montréal is a city of hockey as well as a city of winter and festivals. I invite Montrealers to visit this mini Hall of Fame at City Hall," said Mayor Denis Coderre.

The exhibition presented by the Centre d'histoire de Montréal is free and is featured at City Hall for one month. It is a great cultural activity for the entire family. MONTRÉAL, CITY OF HOCKEY: FROM LANEWAY TO LEGEND traces the key points of amateur and professional hockey. Between history and popular passion, visitors will discover famous hockey venues in Montréal through a collection of archive photos from 1880 to the present. Period artefacts (sweaters, hockey cards, etc.), will bring back memories of our sporting past. The artefacts include two hockey sweaters, one belonging to Captain Jean Béliveau, and the other to Guy Lafleur dating back to 1978, two masks that belonged to Jacques Plante, and an old stick used for the game of Bandy, a fore-runner to ice hockey.

Featured at the exhibition are six original paintings of Jean Béliveau, Maurice Richard, Dickie Moore, Yvan Cournoyer, Henri Richard and Guy Lafleur, by artist Pierre Pivet. Also featured are four bronzes of Guy Lafleur, Maurice Richard, Jean Béliveau and Howie Morenz, by artist Marc-André Fortier.

"Free exhibitions are featured regularly at Montréal City Hall. They are important for us, because they open the doors of the citizens' house to the public and enable us to discover or rediscover our history and culture," said Frantz Benjamin. I would like to thank the collectors and partners who made this exhibition possible. Thank you for shedding light on our valuable collective memory and for making it accessible to the public," added Mr. Benjamin.

Several outdoor events will take place in addition to the MONTRÉAL, CITY OF HOCKEY: FROM LANEWAY TO LEGEND exhibition and as part of the annual All-Nighter event. Street hockey fans will have an opportunity to meet in friendly hockey games across from City Hall. Equipment will be available on site for players as well as hot drinks for spectators to enjoy. Don't forget the lighting of City Hall in blue, white and red on February 17 and 28.

Opening hours of the exhibition (Free)
Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, from noon to 4 p.m. Closed on Sunday. Guided tours of City Hall and the exhibition are available on Saturdays, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

All-Nighter event at Montréal City Hall
Saturday, February 28, 2015, from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Free indoor and outdoor activities

Credits
This exhibition is presented at the request of Mayor Denis Coderre and the President of the Montréal City Council, Frantz Benjamin, by the Bureau de la présidence du conseil, in association with the Service du greffe, Archives section; the Centre d'histoire de Montréal; Service des communications and Service de la diversité culturelle et des sports.

Commissioner: Eveline Martin-Archambault – Centre d'histoire de Montréal
Mathieu Renaud: Designer

Collectors/Lenders
Martin Renaud, Benoit St-Amand, Céline Widmer – McCord Museum, Classic Auctions, Danielle Sauvageau, Défi sportif AlterGO, Les Stars de Montréal, Marc Juteau – Classic Auctions Inc., McCord Museum. Philip Moogk and Robert Noël.

Partners
Hockey Québec, Défi sportif AlterGO, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and the World Police and Fire Games Montréal 2017.

Special mentions to Danielle Caron and Yvon Lambert, instigators of the project Les 12 légendes de Montréal, painter Pierre Pivet, collector Roger Dubois, for his loans, and Marc Juteau, of Classic Auctions, for loaning more than 20 rare artefacts.

Information: on the Ville de Montréal portal, by telephone at 311 or 514 872-0311 (from outside Montréal) or by email [email protected]

See photos from the exhibition click here.

SOURCE Ville de Montréal - Cabinet du maire et du comité exécutif

Source: Catherine Maurice, Press Attaché, Office of the Mayor and Executive Committee, 514 346-7598; Information: Marie-Noël Phaneuf, Public Relations Officer, 514 553-2570