TORONTO — The man himself is off in another room, resting after an afternoon of hyperbaric chamber treatment, when his wife begins a tour of their museum of a living room.



On one wall, fixed above the fireplace, is a mantle with trophy after trophy, miniature Stanley Cups sitting right under a giant family portrait. Across the room are mostly black and white photos, images that get lost among the room’s glistening silver but in most any other place would be a centerpiece. Brightest among them is a framed piece of paper hung just above the lamp, near the recliner. It is signed by Queen Elizabeth II and former Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson — a proclamation recommending the designation of what we now know as the Canadian Flag.



In a matter of moments, the man to whom all of this belongs will enter the room in a burgundy flannel and khakis, sit down in the chair and tell the stories that bring all of these items to life. But first,...