Above all, Lace Up demonstrates how the passion for skating spread rapidly throughout the nation, and attests to the special place that skating occupies today at the very heart of our society. As the exhibition's curator, Bianca Gendreau, maintains, "Skating is an activity that, in some way, touches on the life of every Canadian."

Barbara Ann Scott doll, 1948
Collection: Canadian Museum of Civilization
Photo: Harry Foster
no. 983.29.23, S89-1870

Helping to evoke the magical world of skating are over 200 artifacts from the Canadian Museum of Civilization's own collections and those of other Canadian and European museums. These include a wide range of historic skates, exquisite paintings of Dutch and Flemish skating scenes, sumptuous costumes, treasured medals and trophies, souvenirs of sporting events, and decorative objects. Lace Up also tells its story with the help of dramatic audio-visual presentations and oral interviews with skaters of all ages on Ottawa's Rideau Canal.

The exhibition centres on six major themes: the origins of skating in Europe and New France; the impact of communications and transportation advances on skating in Canada; the organization of clubs and national associations for the three sports of figure skating, speed skating and hockey; indoor skating rinks and winter carnivals; Canada at the Winter Olympics; and the marvellous world of skating in which all Canadians share today.

The origins of skating in Europe and New France
In this section, we see how skating originated in northern Europe in the twelfth century with people using bone skates as a means of getting around on frozen canals and rivers. Skating gradually evolved into a popular social pastime, inspiring the magnificent artworks of Dutch and Flemish artists like Avercamp and Bruegel - iconic images that illuminate this section of the exhibition.

Superb artworks also help us appreciate the birth of figure skating in the eighteenth century as members of the European nobility strove for elegance and grace on the ice. Elite clubs developed specific codes of conduct and courtly movements, with steps matching those of one's partner.

In the eighteenth century, immigrants to New France often brought skates with them. Skating soon captivated all classes of society, especially because skates were so easy to make from a file and a block of wood. Excerpts from the journals of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century military officers attest to how quickly skating became one of the main social diversions of the long Canadian winters.

The impact of communications and transportation technology
Lace Up also explores the enormous impact that advances in communications and transportation had on skating nation-wide. The expanding railway network made it possible for speed skating teams from different regions of the country to meet for competitions, and for their supporters to show up in strength. In addition, the new invention of the telegraph meant that people could learn competition results almost immediately, which intensified the public's enthusiasm for the sport. Newspapers began to dedicate entire sections to skating events and competitions, helping to make skating even more popular with all segments of society.

Lord and Lady Minto with group in front of Ice Palace, Ottawa, March 1904
Collection: Library and Archives Canada
Photo: William James Topley (1845-1930)
No. 1936-270 PA-042244

The growth of skating organizations
The number of skating clubs greatly increased between 1860 and 1890 - evidence of the essential role that skating was starting to play in Canadian life. Until the organization of skating clubs with rules and modes of conduct, every town boasted its own "Champion of Canada." The growth of local, provincial and national organizations was a crucial turning point in Canadian skating history. Organizations like Ottawa's Minto Club reinforced the values of fair play, and the distinction between amateurs and professionals. This section of the exhibition introduces us to key figures like Montréal's international skating star Louis Rubenstein - named Champion of the Universe in 1890 - who was instrumental in creating the Amateur Skating Association of Canada.

Throughout the 1890s, speed skating was the new national Association's dominant sport, and in 1932, Canadian speed skaters won five medals at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. But hockey, officially born in 1875, soon attracted countless dedicated fans, both as participants and spectators. Hockey teams sprang up everywhere across the country, and 5,000 people watched the first Stanley Cup finals held in 1893 in Montréal. Lace Up pays eloquent tribute to the birth of the National Hockey League in 1917, with a highly evocative display of jerseys, hockey sticks, skates, trophies and historic photographs.

Imitation of “The Hornet” costume by Laura Smith, Ottawa, 1889
Collection: Library and Archives of Canada

Skating rinks and carnivals
A major revolution in Canada's skating history came with the construction of enormous indoor skating rinks that could accommodate thousands of skaters and spectators in warmth and comfort. Lace Up highlights architectural gems like Montréal's Victoria Skating Rink, which was built in 1862. The interior of the building featured dramatic archways, a walkway around the oval rink and balconies for the orchestra and for important visitors. Canada led the world in the construction of these indoor rinks, and innovations like the domed rink in Saint John, New Brunswick were seen as architectural marvels.

Lace Up also offers examples of skating waltzes created by Canadian composers to delight the thousands of couples who thronged indoor rinks on evenings and weekends. In addition, compelling archival images and magnificent costumes help us to imagine the elaborate masked balls on ice held during winter carnivals and patronized by the social elite of Montréal, Ottawa and Toronto.

Gay Blades
Collection: Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies
Photo: Marie-Louise Deruaz

Canada at the Winter Olympics
This section of the exhibition celebrates the achievements of all the Canadian athletes who have participated in the Winter Olympics, starting with the very first games in 1924 in Chamonix, France. Illustrating this story is a great array of medals, trophies, jerseys and archival photographs, as well as a dramatic video montage of Canadian Olympic speed skaters, figure skaters and hockey players in action.

Head for the Ice
Lace Up concludes with a captivating depiction of the wondrous and magical world that skating opens for all Canadians. A video featuring skaters of all ages, gliding on great expanses of ice from the east coast to the west, vividly symbolizes the cherished and primary place that this activity holds in our culture. Visitors can listen to interviews with people skating on the National Capital Region's famed Rideau Canal, and be inspired to join the six million Canadians who lace up their skates every year.