Montreal

New Montreal exhibit combines fine art, history with passion for hockey

The new exhibit curated by hockey fans Alan and Craig Klinkhoff is timed to open in downtown Montreal just as the NHL's 100th season begins.

Father and son curate new art exhibit at Montreal's Klinkhoff Gallery

Alan and Craig Klinkhoff present Faubourg à m'lasse, Dorion Street, painted in 1965 by John Little. (CBC)

Alan Klinkhoff and his son Craig have spent months curating an exhibit that blends their passions for hockey and fine art.

Fine Art & Hockey: A Point of View opens at the Alan Klinkhoff Gallery on Sherbrooke Street West in downtown Montreal on Oct. 15. 

It's timed to coincide with the beginning of the NHL's 100th season.

"I'm a Canadian-grown boy, and hockey was part of my life," said the elder Klinkhoff. 

"I wasn't a great hockey player but my kids played and still play."

Toronto vs. Montreal #2 was painted in 1960 by Lorne Bouchard. (courtesy of the Alan Klinkhoff Gallery)

The exhibit features all Canadian artists, many of whom worked closely with the Klinkhoff Gallery throughout the years.

"Because I have a limited space in my galleries in both Montreal and Toronto, I focused on, admittedly, my favourites," he said.

Hockey sticks, too

The gallery will show works that date from 1859  to 2003. The exhibit includes paintings as well as a collection of hockey sticks, including one of Wayne Gretzky's.

The show opened in Toronto in September, in time for the World Cup of Hockey.

Craig Klinkhoff told CBC's Daybreak that NHL stars Sidney Crosby and Brad Marchand stopped by the Toronto exhibit when it was on.

"It was a fantastic encounter," said Craig. 

He said the star forward from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia "recognized one of the lakes in one of the paintings because it was close to where he grew up."

None of the pieces in the show is available for purchase.

Fine Art & Hockey: A Point of View runs until Oct. 29.

With files from CBC's Daybreak