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Bill Plager Audio - Kirkland Lake Dreams
5 September 2009
Hockey Heritage North, Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada

Credits:
Bill Plager Interview
Hockey Heritage North Archives

2

Currently Hockey Heritage North has over 300 Honoured Members. To become an Honoured Member, a player must meet the criteria of 1) have been born, raised, or otherwise consider a Northeastern Ontario town as their hometown, and 2) they must have played, coached, or officiated at least one game in the National Hockey League.

Kirkland Lake can boast having at least 42 of those Honoured Members. While many of Kirkland Lake's Honoured Members were born in other parts of Canada or even further afield, they still claim Kirkland Lake as their hometown, and as a community that has had an impact on the development of their individual hockey talents.

These Honoured Members are featured in the Gold Hall at Hockey Heritage North, with brass plaques and exhibits in a museum committed to preserving the hockey history of Northeastern Ontario, while promoting and encouraging the next generation of hockey players to excel at the game.

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Hockey Heritage North Gold Hall
Circa 2006
Hockey Heritage North, Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada
TEXT ATTACHMENT


Credits:
Hockey Heritage North Archives

4

Gold Hall Glass Panels
Circa 2006
Hockey Heritage North, Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada
TEXT ATTACHMENT


Credits:
Hockey Heritage North

5

Hillman Brothers Bronze Plaques
Circa 2006
Hockey Heritage North, Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada
TEXT ATTACHMENT


Credits:
Hockey Heritage North

6

Plager Brothers Bronze Plaques
Circa 2006
Hockey Heritage North, Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada
TEXT ATTACHMENT


Credits:
Hockey Heritage North

7

But at the other end of Kirkland Lake is another "shrine" to hockey - the arena at the Joe Mavrinac Community Complex. Also known as "the Joe", the Community Complex has also honoured those who have called Kirkland Lake home and gone on to professional hockey in the NHL.

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Exterior View of the Joe Mavrinac Community Complex
Circa 2010
Joe Mavrinac Community Complex, Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada
TEXT ATTACHMENT


Credits:
Hockey Heritage North Archives

9

Jim Watson - Paintings on the Wall at the Joe Mavrinac Community Complex
5 January 2010
Hockey Heritage North, Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada

Credits:
Jim Watson Interview
Hockey Heritage North Archives

10

Jim Watson Painting
Circa 2005
Joe Mavrinac Community Complex, Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada
TEXT ATTACHMENT


Credits:
Joe Mavrinac Community Complex
Original artwork by Mark Didine

11

Joe Mavrinac Community Complex Wall Paintings
Circa 2005
Joe Mavrinac Community Complex, Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada
TEXT ATTACHMENT


Credits:
Joe Mavrinac Community Complex
Original artwork by Mark Didine

12

Joe Mavrinac Community Complex Wall Paintings
Circa 2005
Joe Mavrinac Community Complex, Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada
TEXT ATTACHMENT


Credits:
Joe Mavrinac Community Complex
Original artwork by Mark Didine

13

Kirkland Lake artist Mark Didine created all of the Honoured Member paintings at the arena. The paintings are created using the likeness of the player, usually from a hockey card or photograph.

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Kirkland Lake has produced some of the finest hockey players to have ever skated, and has been called "the town that made the NHL famous" by Foster Hewitt, a CBC sports announcer. Although there are 42 NHL players who have called Kirkland Lake their hometown, but only a few of these players will be highlighted in vignettes in this chapter. To learn more about the individual players from Kirkland Lake, visit www.hockeyheritagenorth.ca