Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/593532
don't get WRAPPED up in the d.i.y. Protect yourself away from home. If you're renting or borrowing a car in Canada or the U.S., purchase Rental Vehicle Insurance for the best financial protection at the lowest price. 38 G O I N G P L A C E S | W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 Ice Hockey Federation's Triple Gold Club by winning the 2010 Stanley Cup. Rush drummer Neil Peart's massive kit, featuring the logos of all 30 NHL teams, stands next to the TSN/RDS Broadcast Zone. There, I breathlessly recorded my own play- by-play of historic hockey moments. In the NHL Be a Player Zone, I scored twice on five shots against a life-size, computer-simulated goalie. (Regrettably, no scouts were watching.) The oddities intrigued me, like the tiny black-and-white TV Frank Mahovlich received when Toronto won the 1964 Cup. Or a Bally pinball machine with Bobby Orr beaming in a Chicago Blackhawks sweater. Awe overwhelmed me while exploring a full-sized replica of the Montreal Canadiens dressing room in the 1970s. I gazed at the Stanley Cup in the cathedral-like, 1885- built ESSO Great Hall, originally a Bank of Montreal branch with stained-glass windows. Overall, I spent two hours at the Hall of Fame – but could happily have made it two days. Just a 10-minute walk away is the huge new Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, adjacent to the CN Tower. As I see it, hockey culture pervades even these non-hockey sights. Gliding through the aquarium's Danger- ous Lagoon on a slow-moving sidewalk, I speculated that the Goliath Grouper, which reportedly produces monstrous sounds with its gall bladder, would make a great NHL goal horn. e ominous, bottom-dwelling nurse sharks reminded me of the San Jose Sharks' ghastly 1992-93 season. At the gift shop, I browsed the hockey jerseys ($29.99) and pucks ($6.99). It was getting dark when I took a dizzying g l ass elevator r ide up the 553-me tre- high CN Tower, the western hemisphere's tallest free-standing structure. Viewing the endless glittering carpet of the city, I spotted the CBC building, home to Hockey Night in Canada. As I strolled the outside deck, I noticed it was lit red at night like a giant goal light. Getting chilly, I went back inside and stood on the infamous glass floor. Looking down isn't quite as scary as, say, taking on giant Slovakian defenceman Zdeno Chára. In the gift shop, miniature CN Tower plastic hockey sticks ($7.99) caught my eye. After all that hard work, I spent the evening relaxing at the gargantuan Real Sports Bar & Grill with a longtime hockey buddy from Kitchener. Our nachos and beer fit right in with the slick 2,250-square-metre venue's manifesto: "We believe that watching