Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame Inductees reveal the legacies they hope to leave

The Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame welcomed its class of 2026 on Thursday — all the inductees may have different stories, but still share so much in common.

This year’s Hall of Famers bring resumes as loud as Flamboro Speedway legend Jimmy Howard’s stock car.

They also bring passion, joy, and legacies they hope will inspire the next generation of Hamiltonians.

“My number one legacy is, ‘have I been a good father?’,” said Steve Milton, a veteran sports writer and author. “Secondly, ‘have I been good to my extended family,’ and I would include the people in Hamilton, the readers in Hamilton, that way.”

“If there’s a legacy that I want to leave behind, it’s that I helped grow the game so that more people knew about it,” said Kevin Rempel, a paralympic bronze medallist in para ice hockey. “More people could learn how to grow in their skill development, and when I do pass away, someday those videos will live on forever. That’s what I’m most excited about.”

WATCH MORE: Sledge hockey player Kevin Rempel one of seven Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame 2026 inductees

“I just think that we represented the City of Hamilton in the best possible way,” said Skip Reece, who was a member of the Hamilton Cardinals in 1978 when they won the Intercounty Baseball League championship. “We all had jobs, we all went to work, we’d get on the bus, we’d travel. I think we represented the city of Hamilton very well.”

“Last season I was on the ice in London, Ont., playing against a team from Michigan, and I’m at the faceoff dot and some kid’s like, ‘are you Kevin Rempel?,’ I’m like ‘yeah,’ he’s like, ‘dude I watched all your videos,’ and I’m like, ‘this is crazy!’,” said Rempel.

“Have I made your life a little bit better, have I given you any joy, have I helped you understand anything?,” said Milton. “Have I made you smile even for five seconds in a day? If I’ve done that, I’ll take it.”

We are in a golden age of Hamilton sports: the NBA MVP is from Hamilton, the NHL Rookie of the Year is from Stoney Creek and Forge FC just shocked the nation at the Canadian Championships.

All of the groundwork was laid by the legends entering the hall on Thursday.

WATCH MORE: Sportsline: Hamilton Sports Hall of Famer Steve Milton reflects on decades in journalism