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it. The first few dozen people enshrined in the Hall —including the inaugural class of 1973, which honored true American hockey immortals like Hobey Baker, Taffy Abel, Thayer Tutt and John Mariucci — were commemorated with larg e pylon-style monuments on the main floor. That space quickly filled, and a change was made, with all the Hall's enshrinees now honored on plaques along the main wall. It's one of the many adjustments made to make the Hall a new place to visit, whether it's your first trip or you're there several times per year. " What hasn't changed is our mission, which is to have a place where we're honor- ing those who have made contributions to our sport in the United States," said Doug Palazzari, the Hall's executive director. An Eveleth native, Palazzari played hock- ey for Colorado College and more than 100 NHL games for the St. Louis Blues, then served as USA Hockey's executive director from 2000 to 2005. A few years later, when the top job for the top hockey museum in the country opened up, Palazzari jumped at the chance to move home and again work alongside USA Hockey to promote the his- tory of the American game. That move came after some uncertain- ty for the Hall in the 1990s and 2000s. Eveleth is the rightful place to honor the roots of American hockey, as it is one of those northern communities where the game first took root. But it is also three hours from Minneapolis/St. Paul, and in a relatively remote part of the nation, a far journey from the halls that honor football, baseball, basketball and other American sports. That isolation and a lack of funding led to some hard times, but community support has made a positive difference. A decade or more ag o, there was talk about relocating the Hall to the Twin Cities or another more populous locale, in an effort to attract more visitors. But through hard work, passionate lobbying and cre- ative promotion, along with some generous fiscal assistance from USA Hockey, the Minnesota Wild and others, the Hall is on much more solid ground today. In addition to financial assistance, USA H o c k e y m a i n t a i n s a d e t a i l e d w e b s i t e (ushockeyhalloffame.com) with a myriad of information about the Hall and its mem- bers. USA Hockey plans and produces a gala induction ceremony each year in major hockey markets like Buffalo, Minneapolis and Philadelphia, and is currently planning one for 2017. "There was talk years ago about moving [the Hall], before USA Hockey got back on board in a supportive way, which is good, so we have a strong partnership," said Palazzari, who was a member of the Hall's class of 2000. "We also have a strong board that's dedicated to keeping the museum here, and we have done very well." Annual attendance leveled off in 2016 after five consecutive years of growth, but the Hall usually welcomes between 10,000 and 12,000 visitors yearly, open every day in the summer and on weekends in the winter, when youth hockey teams often make it a must-see stop when they come to the Iron Range for tournaments. Inside they find a multi-level, multi-sen- sory experience, where one of the first Zamboni ice resurfacers sits just below the scoreboard from Disney 's first "Mighty Ducks' movie, and displays of the first versions of metal ice skates reside next to AUGUST 2017 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 21 W E D ) Overseeing the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum is a labor of love for Eveleth, Minn., native Doug Palazzari, who was inducted into the Hall as part of the Class of 2000.