The unfortunate loss of a local sporting legend this past week is a not-so-subtle reminder that we need a local sports hall of fame. I mean really, enough is enough. You'd never know that Timmins is home to dozens upon dozens of sporting greats. We moved heaven and earth to establish the Shania Twain Center - now it is time to do the same thing for legends like Carlo Cattarello, the Mahovlich brothers, and the Kreiner sisters - for that matter, the Kreiner family. A few photographs on the wall of a local hockey arena isn't good enough. They deserve more.

So the question is, what do we do? How do we recognize the tremendous achievements of our sporting legends? We have an opportunity staring us right in the face. The demise of the Timmins Museum is both a blessing and a curse. A curse in the sense it has sparked a political debate about where to rebuild - but a blessing for the sporting community. It means we have an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

I would hope that our municipal leaders see the opportunity as well. If we are going to rebuild a museum - first off, let's get it right - make it accessible and make it visible and remove petty emotional issues from the decision-making process.. Second, a section devoted to our sports icons should be non-negotiable.

There are hundreds of individuals who could be included. If you could vote right now to induct three people into the Timmins Sports Hall of fame, who would they be? Email me their names and send a photo if you wish - my email address is Kevin@MyTimminsToday.com . I'll start an online Hall of Fame just to get things going. I already have one person in mind. To see the inaugural Online Timmins Sports Hall of Fame, click here.

Here's my fear. Individuals like Lorne Luhta, Hugh Meyer, Vital Shank and others are simply going to fade into obscurity if we do nothing. We squandered the opportunity to establish a Northern Ontario Hockey Hall of Fame to Kirkland Lake several years ago because we didn't have the courage to act. The original concept for that facility started in Timmins - much like the idea of a northern Ontario science center that was conceived here as well.

We can't let this window of opportunity pass us by. The ball is in our court - the puck is on our stick - the snow is under our skis - whatever phrase you want to use, it doesn't matter - the time to act is now. We owe it to guys like Carlo Cattarello who enhanced our lives in so many ways.

If we don't, their contributions and memorabilia will be tucked away in shoe boxes and relegated to obscurity for years to come and future generations will be wondering why folks of our generation did nothing to preserve these important memories.