from Curtis Rush of the New York Times,

It is a dark and rainy night when about a dozen members of the Conacher family descend the steps into Mike Wilson’s basement.

The Conachers are a legendary name in Canadian hockey, with bloodlines from the Hall of Fame to the modern N.H.L. But Wilson has his own piece of hockey fame: His 1,000-square-foot basement, in a stately three-story home in the Forest Hill neighborhood, houses what is believed to be the world’s largest collection of Toronto Maple Leafs artifacts.

Wilson, 62, could be considered hockey’s version of Barry Halper, who at one time had assembled the most acclaimed private collection of baseball memorabilia in the United States. In Wilson’s basement, one will find more than 2,000 pieces, including game-worn sweaters from as far back as the 1930s, but also photographs, pucks, sticks, contracts, documents and the original door to the dressing room at the old Maple Leaf Gardens, signed in blue ink by about 60 former Leafs.

continued with numerous pictures...