An appreciative hometown crowd honoured Timmins athletes and coaches who excelled in their sports as they were inducted into the Timmins Sports and Heritage Hall of Fame at the McIntyre Arena on Saturday.
Mayor Steve Black was on hand to present the awards.
“For many of you this is long overdue,” Black said. “The city of Timmins has such a rich sports and recreation tradition - and we have to acknowledge the great effort of those who have organized the Timmins Sports and Heritage Hall of Fame that finally has led to the recognition for these athletes, coaches and builders.”
Chairman of the Timmins Sports and Heritage Hall of Fame Wayne Bozzer also welcomed all the inductees.
“This shows the great pride the people have in the city of Timmins and the athletes and coaches who excelled through their dedication and commitment to their sport,” Bozzer said. “It’s a great pleasure to acknowledge your contributions.”
Among the inductee’s the induction of three members from the Kreiner family was especially moving occasion. Olympic gold giant slalom winner Kathy Kreiner, her sister Laurie Kreiner and their father Dr. Hal Kreiner who was instrumental in the development of Kamiskotia Ski Hill as well as being a team doctor with Canada’s downhill ski team were all inducted.
“It’s a great honour to be recognized by my home town of Timmins, especially along side of my sister Kathy and my father,” said Laurie Kreiner. “Competing in other parts of the world you get to see that top athletes are the same, and through hard work and commitment someone from Timmins can also succeed.
NHL players honoured included: Peter Mahovolich who played with the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens and played on four Stanley Cup teams; Hector Marini played with the New York Islanders and the New Jersey Devils and won two Stanley Cups.
Jim Mair played primarily with the Vancouver Canucks and Buffalo Sabres. Dale Rolfe played for the Los Angeles Kings, Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers., Paul Harrison played for the Minnesota North Stars, Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Eric Vail played for the Atlanta Flames and was the rookie of the year in 1975.
“I’m thrilled at being inducted into the Timmins Sports and Heritage Hall of Fame,” said Paul Harrison who played in the NHL for seven seasons with Minnesota North Stars, Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins. “Sports saved my life, that is all I can say,” he added.
“There were many temptations out there especially in the 1960s with the emphasis on drug culture,” recalled Harrison who after retiring joined the Ontario Provincial Police and served in the Timmins area.
Peter Mahovolich known as the Little M as the younger brother of legendary Frank Mahovolich was unable to attend but said via Wayne Bozzer that he appreciated the selection of his winning goal against Russian goalie Vladimir Tretiak in the 1972 series.
Bozzer said Mahovolich told him he “would let Vladimir know that he now is also enshrined in the Timmins Sports and Heritage Hall of Fame.”
Dale Rolfe who played in the NHL with Los Angeles Kings, Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers thanked former Timmins mayor Leo Del Villano and the Moneta Sports and Recreation Club
Fred Salvador was an athlete who excelled at football, but also was a renowned as a champion wrist wrestler. In the mid-1970s Salvador managed to convince ABC’s Wide World of Sports to come to Timmins for a wrist wrestling championship. ABC continued covering the event from the mid-1970s until the late 1980s. The Timmins baseball stadium is named after Salvador.
The other inductees are:
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Richard Bertrand
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Martin Buchar
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Jim Connelly
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Art Corbeil
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Basil Davis
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Kevin Harrison
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Greg Hicks
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Gerard Labelle
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Mary Laham
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Marc Lalande
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Doreen Lister
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Patricia Melville
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Darlene Polowy (Herceg)
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Harry Polowy
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Jacques Riopelle
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Larry Sheppard
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Alexis Shields
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Chris Shields
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Ike Solomon
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Carole Stoddart
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Gilles St. Pierre Sr.
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Hunter Tremblay
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Carole Trepanier
(PHOTO: Paul Harrison and Hector Marini are pictured at Saturday's induction. Frank Giorno for TimminsToday)
