Hockey at the Humboldt and District Museum

Humboldt and District Museum is quite interesting with its many exhibits available to the public. 

Growing up in Humboldt and living here for 19 years, I was surprised by how much I had learned as well as reminiscing about some memories I have.

The first thing I had learned was there used to be an arena called The Leo Parker Arena, named after Leo Parker who was known for his love of hockey and making great ice! This arena that was found on Highway 5, was a landmark in Humboldt for years! Built in 1932, in the same location as the previous arena, the ice surface was 80 x 190 feet with a seating capacity of 1500-2000 people. When the Broncos played, 2000 seats was not enough! When there were no more seats, people would hang from the roof's rafters and some even would stand on the catwalk that was over the ice!

The arena showed residents and visitors that Humboldt was indeed a hockey town. 

Below all the information on the Leo Parker Arena sits a bench, goal light gates, and exit sign saved from the arena. 

A great memory I was able to endure during my adventure at the Humboldt and District Museum was Hockeyville! 

In December of 2008, when I was about nine years old, Humboldt began to have Hockey fever as the community came together to embody the spirit of Hockey. I remember CBC filming kids skating and playing outside in the - 40-degree weather, laughing and having a good time! On January 14, 2009, Humboldt was declared as the 8th finalist! Humboldt had to go up against Penticton, which seemed unrealistic because Penticton was six times the size of Humboldt. We voted, day in and day out. I remember when we had computer class and our teachers just told everyone to vote, so that's what we did all class. Humboldt ended up beating Penticton 345,165 votes to 49,316 which was a shock considering the size difference. Humboldt was in the final and the whole community was roaring with excitement. In March of 2009, Terrace, BC claimed the Hockeyville title with Humboldt being second. Though Terrace got first, we still received $25,000 to go towards our arena. 

Hockeyville in Humboldt will always be a memory that will make me smile. 

There is a Bronco exhibit where I learned the history of the Humboldt Broncos. I learned many things from this exhibit such as, during one of the games in the finals, the Broncos forfeited because the team they were playing against was playing unfair and dirty but the referees were not doing anything about it. Because of this, the Broncos faced a $500 fine because they broke a code of conduct. I also learned that the Broncos were very successful and made it to playoffs in their first season.

I recommend checking out this exhibit as you will learn more about the past coaches and titles they have won! Displayed in this exhibit are some old jerseys, a jacket one of the old coaches wore, Bronco jackets, pictures of the teams, and news articles. 

The Museum has many other wonderful exhibits that are just as interesting as these ones, so go check it out!