Hockey Hall of Fame offers deal for families

Every young hockey player should visit the Hockey Hall of Fame in downtown Toronto - and there's no better time than the Family Day holiday (Feb. 21, 2011) when the hall offers free admission for kids accompanied by an adult.
The first time I took my sons to the hall was in the spring of the last playoff run by the Toronto Maple Leafs - so you know this is a long, long time ago.

Stanley Cup on display at HHOF,
a former bank in downtown Toronto.
(Wayne Newton photo)

Adam and I were near the puck shooting skills area when I turned around and came face-to-face with Leafs legend Borje Salming, who was in town to watch a playoff game. He was taking a quick scoot through the hall and I had to choose between asking for an autograph or taking a photo. I chose to ask for an autograph, and Borje obliged by jotting a note to Adam on a page from my reporter's pad. In hindsight, I wish I had snapped a shot of the two of them instead. Ten years later, I'm not sure where the autographed piece of paper has gotten to.
Last time I was at the hall was in December when I was in Toronto for a travel writing assignment. The place was filled with Edmonton Oilers fans - their team was in town to play the Maple Leafs around the corner at the Air Canada Centre.
Walking through the hall on your own is OK, but the real thrill is touring it with a young child who loves the sport.
This Family Day, I hope the place is packed with parents and kids, sharing a special hockey experience.

Women take place in Hockey Hall of Fame

Here's the great Red Fisher's take on women being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. It's published today in the Montreal Gazette.
I have no daughters, but I've always wondered why cities find it necessary to have entirely different organizations for female minor hockey - the Devilettes in London, for example. Why can't existing minor hockey organizations offer all-female teams and leagues? Why does the pool of talented volunteers have to be spread more thinly and why do families with sons and daughters who like the sport have to be split in different directions?
I realize that many girls start off with their community associations but either drop the sport or join a female-only organization when the boys start gaining a physical advantage.
But wouldn't having all youth hockey, male and female, under one organizational umbrella solve a lot of problems ranging from spats over prime ice time to declining overall numbers?
And wouldn't it help to raise the world stage elite female game beyond its current AAA boys level?