Once proudly displayed at Centennial Arena, many of Portage la Prairie's great hockey memories have been lost and forgotten.

They've sat in the dark, cooped up in cardboard boxes since Stride Place first opened in 2010.

Where is all our memorabilia now? And why hasn't it been displayed?

Questions Portage Terriers alumnus Grant Farncombe often wonders about as he visits other arenas around the province, always noticing displays — no matter the size of the community — that celebrate many local achievements.

“In Portage you walk into the rink and there are two people recognized. And besides the plaques for the old Memorial Cup team and Centennial Cup team, there is really nothing else,” says Farncombe, referring to the Hockey Wall of Fame in Stride Arena that dedicates space to Portage la Prairie born former NHL players Aaron Asham and Troy Bodie.

“That's not just the history of Portage. There's a lot of other people to be recognized who put a lot of work in and played a lot of hockey for Portage in past years.”

Grant Farncombe, a Portage Terriers alumnus and member of the 1972-73 winning Centennial Cup team. (file photo)

Farncombe recalls displays being all over the concourse of Centennial Arena. He remembers walking around and looking at countless pictures of players, coaches and teams.

Where are all those pictures now?

They're in the process being prepared for display at Stride Place. Just not in their original format.

Portage Regional Recreation Authority general manager David Sattler says the organization reached out to James Kostochuk, who teaches an archiving class at Portage Collegiate Institute, in January. Students have been working on preserving the photos and digitizing them for display.

“I remember seeing photos dating back to 1890 all the way up to the opening of the new arena,” Sattler says. “It definitely is a concern, because they were kind of lost in time for awhile.”

“But we're really hoping by the start of next year we can get those up and displayed throughout the facility in different aspects.”

But, that's just the history of what used to be displayed. There's so much more the community is missing out on, says Farncombe. The 64-year-old grew up in High Bluff, played junior hockey for the Portage Terriers and has lived and worked in the area all his life. He was part of one great team placard on the walls of Stride Arena: the 1972-73 Centennial Cup winning Terriers. And he can quickly recite many other individuals from Portage who've achieved great things in hockey, or those who played in Portage and went on to big stages nationally and internationally.

Former NHL goaltender Bill Ranford played minor hockey in Portage la Prairie. So did Cam Allison, who went on to play on the Canadian National Team. Shane Moffatt, Muzz McPherson, Blake Spiller. The 1983-84 Portage Junior B Keystone Cup winning team.

Those are just a few players, coaches and teams many would deem worthy of recognition. The list goes on.

“There is so much history that people don't know about,” says Farncombe. “That's the first place anyone goes to when they visit a rink, to the history, just to see who's played and if they know any of the names.”

“Kids of today have no idea of the past history,” continues Farncombe. “They don't recognize older kids that used to play and won provincial titles, or the time coaches put in ... there were provincial titles won and many individuals who had teams go on and win (many championships). That history is important to the city.”

Sattler agrees with Farncombe: There isn't enough history on display at Stride Place. The one caveat he adds, any displays that are built in the city's multi-use recreation facility shouldn't be limited to just hockey. All of Portage la Prairie's historic sports heroes, achievements and triumphs should be celebrated — as efficiently, and fairly, as possible.

“The community doesn't really have one spot for locals (in sport) to be displayed,” Sattler says. “I think having something like a 'Portage Sports Wall of Fame' would be something individuals from the community could be very proud of. And we can showcase the love for the games that we play here in Portage.”

“It is something that's been talked about, off and on, since I arrived at the PRRA in 2011. Unfortunately we haven't really gained any traction,” continues Sattler. “But we are willing to work with any group that has an idea, or wants to come forward to help work with us.”