The Daily Oklahoman from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma • 92

THE SUNDAY OKLAHOMAN DESTINATIONS TRAVEL SUNDAY, AUGUST 18, 2002 Hockey museum scores in icing sport's history AP PHOTOS Wayne Gretzky looks at a display honoring him at the Hockey Hall of Fame. The Hockey Hall of Fame, whose mission is to preserve the legacy of the sport, is in Toronto. If you go By Latrice Davis Associated Press Writer TORONTO Since I'm a basketball-loving New Yorker visiting the land that invented hockey, one would expect to find me hanging out with Vince Carter at Air Canada Centre. Instead, I spent a day taking in the history of Canada's national pastime at the Hockey Hall of Fame. At BCE Place in the downtown area, the hall is a museum whose mission is to preserve the legacy of the sport.

Fans will learn about the game's origins and see equipment used in the early days. Decorated masks worn by former goaltenders Ken Dryden and Ron Low which may have inspired the look of celluloid slashers Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees greet visitors, accompanied by brief explanations of their meaning and the personalities behind them. The Hall mostly focuses on the National Hockey League, but casual and die-hard fans alike will enjoy seeing exhibits from other leagues around the world, like the United Hockey League and National Women's Hockey League. Colorful jerseys, sticks marking individual players' accomplishments and pucks adorned with team logos are among the items on display. A must-see is the Wayne Gretzky exhibit.

This shrine to his career shows why he's known as 'The Great From the Hart Memorial Trophy he won as a rookie with the Edmonton Oilers in 1980 to the stick he used to break Gordie Howe's all-time goal-scoring record in 1994, this exhibit highlights Gretzky's many achievements. As a bonus, there is the novelty collection, showing his likeness on products ranging from cereal boxes to stuffed dolls and even wooden clocks. The Gretzky exhibit also reveals something about the man as well as the athlete. Gretzky wasn't just a hockey superstar. He's an older brother to four siblings as well as a husband and father of four children.

Athleticism must run in the Gretzky bloodline. Sister Kim was a track and field star, while brothers Brent, Glen and Keith all followed in Wayne's footsteps and took to the ice. (Brent What: The Hockey Hall of Fame. Where: BCE Place, 30 Yonge Toronto, Ontario. Hours: Open every day except Christmas and New Year's Day from 10 a.m.

to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday; 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sunday. Admission: Adults, $12; children ages 4-13 and seniors 65 and older, children 3 and younger are admitted free. Information: Call (416) 369-7735 or (416) 360-7735. Hs3s23BuHHHVVWc l-tmmmmWmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmammWmmmmmmmmm3ilm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmnmm hBBH9Ibk even played for the Tampa Bay Lightning in the early 1990s.) Even after his 1999 retirement, Wayne Gretzky continues to be an ambassador for the game. He was executive director of the Canadian men's hockey team in the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Canadian hockey had its shining moment on the world stage in Salt Lake City, where both the men's and women's teams won gold medals. Artifacts in the Olympics exhibit include the loonie (Canada's one-dollar coin) used as an ice marker and good-luck charm, men's coach Pat Quinn's gold medal and pucks from both teams' gold-medal games against the United States. The WorldCom Great Hall lives up to its name as a sanctuary paying homage to the game. Glass panels naming the hall's inductees form a semicircle around the many trophies encased in glass. These include National Hockey League honors such as the James Norris Memorial Trophy (given to the league's best defenseman) as well as the President's Trophy (given to the team with the league's best regular-season record).

No trophy is more revered than the one with Lord Stanley of Preston's name on it. A vault to the right of the Great Hall's entrance houses the original Stanley Cup awarded in 1892. An avid hockey fan, the former governor general of Canada presented the silver bowl to honor the best amateur team at The original Stanley Cup sits on display in a vault at the Hockey Hall of Fame. A few retired rings have been placed below. To the left of the cup is a picture of Lord Stanley of Preston, for whom the cup is named.

hand at being a sports announcer. Interactive features allow you to call a play-by-play and listen to the playback. You can also use the interactive touch-screen features to check out broadcasts from announcers of the past. Walking through the hall draws visitors' attention to another aspect of modern-day sports: corporate sponsorship. Whether this helps or hurts the sport is debatable, but its influence can't be denied.

Most of the hall's sections are named after prominent companies. Subtle product placement is one thing, but too often I felt as if I was on the set of "The Truman Show." Overall, though, I enjoyed learning about hockey for a day, but I'll remain a basketball fan for life. the end of the season. In the hall, visitors can have their picture taken with a replica of the modern-day cup. The McDonald's Impact Zone features exhibits on other hockey ambassadors fortunate enough to lift the Stanley Cup, such as Maurice 'The Rocket' Richard and Mario Lemieux.

Presentations of their gear and awards complement the panels explaining their effects on the game. Richard, who played for the Montreal Canadiens from 1942-60, was the first player to score 500 regular-season goals. As for Lemieux, he's the first hockey player to also own the team for which he plays: the Pittsburgh Penguins. Aspiring hockey players have a chance to show what they're made of at the Coca-Cola Rink Zone. "Shootout" tests your offensive abilities by having you try to score against Dominik Hasek, while "Shutout" challenges your goaltending skills by putting you in the line of fire against Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier.

After subjecting myself to public humiliation in both games, I decided to keep my day job. For those who are better at talking about the sport than playing it, the TSNRDS Broadcast Zone lets visitors try their Famous bath ruins draw tourists to English countryside -v Ldtk lit III A By Tanyanika Samuels Knight Kidder News Service BATH, England Sitting on a stone ledge, gazing into the emerald green waters, I lingered a bit to take in the beauty of the Roman bath. No doubt some of the people around me were marveling at the ancient architecture or the advanced engineering that has kept these famous baths watertight for more than 2,000 years. Others probably were meditating on the thousands of years of history or the faith of the ailing pilgrims who had bathed in these waters, hoping to be healed. Sure, I thought about that stuff, too.

But I had traveled more than 15 hours by plane, train and bus. And I had my mind set on one thing tasting the bath water. It was my first foray into Europe. An old college friend and I had only a week in London, but I was determined to do everything Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace. I wanted to see it all.

When I mentioned that I also wanted to squeeze in a day trip to Stonehenge, my friend (who had lived in England for several years and acquired a hint of an English accent) suggested a visit to Bath. Nestled in the rolling, green countryside of southern England, Bath is a quaint cluster of centuries-old ochre-colored buildings, cobblestone streets and cozy specialty shops. The main attraction, however, remains the relics of the Roman baths that drew travelers to its mystical healing waters for centuries. According to legend, Bath was founded in 300 B.C. by the Celtic Prince Bladud, the father of Shakespeare's King Lear.

As a boy, Bladud contracted leprosy and was banished to a remote area in southern England to become a pig farmer. One day he saw his pigs rolling around in a thick mud that was being fed by a hot spring. The young prince noticed that the pigs' scurvy had been cured by the mud, so he started rolling in it, too. His leprosy disappeared, Bladud returned home and was later crowned king. In gratitude, he built a temple by the hot spring and founded the city of Bath.

In A.D. 60 the Romans arrived and built their own baths and a temple to the goddess of healing, Sulis Minerva. By the fourth century, the site was attracting pilgrims who arrived from throughout the Roman Empire to worship the goddess and take a dip in the heated baths to cure their ailments. fords a bird's-eye view of the emerald green bath below. As the tour winds down to the lower levels, visitors are swept along on a journey through time into the city's long and fascinating history.

On one wall hangs a huge circular carving of a Gorgon head that once adorned the Roman temple there. According to mythology, the Gorgon's head was presented to the goddess Sulis Minerva by Perseus in gratitude for her help in slaying the creature. In another corner is a life-size bronze head of the goddess. It was severed from the rest of the statue ages ago, but somehow survived. Encased in glass, this piece of the once-golden statue was unearthed in 1727.

Visible through large arched windows is the sacred spring, which holds 1.1 million liters of hot mineral water. The early pilgrims believed Sulis Minerva's spirit resided there. Many offerings were thrown into these waters, but no one bathed there. The tour ends alongside the largest of the Roman baths, the same one that is visible from the stone terrace above. Ringed by towering stone columns, shallow steps lead into the 5-foot deep, 80-degree water.

Once clear, the water is now green with algae and off-limits to bathers. Although a polite sign asked visitors to refrain from touching and drinking the water, I couldn't resist swishing my finger around in it. As for a taste, well, I was determined to do that, too, but not there. I am not that adventurous. Upstairs, above the sacred spring and Roman baths, is a large banquet hall called the Pump Room, where visitors can stop for lunch or afternoon tea.

There is also a small stone fountain. For 75 cents, you can get a juice glass filled to the brim with spa water. This is where I would get my taste of bath water. I sidled up to the counter and plunked down my money. The glass was warm.

As I brought it to my lips, a hot, metallic smell greeted me. I took a sip. My tour guide had mentioned earlier that this water is chocked with 43 minerals and seven trace elements, and I believed her now. I also understood why the counter was scattered with half-full glasses. I took three more large gulps before setting my glass down.

"Mission accomplished," I thought to myself and winced slightly. I watched with amusement as others around me attempted the same feat. Few bothered to finish their water, but most did not hesitate to try it. If you visit Bath, neither should you. A small fountain provides drinking water from the Roman baths in Bath.

We saw the Circus, which was completed in 1754. The beige-colored buildings are arranged in three crescents, each with 33 houses. Tall columns adorn the facades of these buildings. Some say the Circus resembles the Roman Colosseum turned inside out. We also stopped by the popular Pultney Bridge, a quaint structure that perches over the River Avon.

Its claim to fame? It is the only bridge in England with shops on both sides. I visited several shops to sample the foods and scout souvenirs. However, the city's premier attractions by far are the ruins of the Roman Bath and the adjoining Pump Room. A self-guided audio tour starts with a teasing view of the largest of the unearthed Roman baths. A stone terrace, topped by large statues of Roman emperors and governors of Roman Britain, af In Bath, England, the Roman baths date to A.D.

60. They've been attracting visitors to the English town for almost that long. In the centuries that followed, Bath fell in and out of ruin. Then, in the 18th century, the city's celebrity was restored when "Beau" Richard Nash transformed the city into a fashionable resort. Later that century, architects John Wood the elder and John Wood the younger endeavored to transform Bath into a city reminiscent of the splendor of ancient Rome.

The father and son team are credited with some of the city's most notable features, including the Circus and the Royal Crescent. On a whirlwind bus tour through the city, I struggled to take pictures and grasp tidbits of information from the tour guide's muffled ram-blings. We passed by the Royal Crescent, a sweep of 30 houses tucked behind rows of columns and decorated with colorful gardens..