Mississauga councillors could barely contain their excitement Wednesday as plans were unveiled to launch the city’s own version of a walk of fame, with Oscar Peterson, Karen Kain and Paul Henderson among those who will be honoured.

“I think it’s going to be a wonderful tourist attraction,” said Mayor Hazel McCallion, who joined other councillors backing the proposal by a group called The Mississauga Legends Row Collective.

The volunteer group asked council if it would allow the use of the city’s new Celebration Square, right next to City Hall, to house Legends Row, where each year plaques will be mounted to honour new inductees.

Peterson, Kain and Henderson are at the top of the list of suggested nominees for 2012, along with Toronto Maple Leafs legend Johnny Bower, musicians Tommy Hunter, Ronnie Hawkins and the band Triumph, as well as Olympian Silken Laumann and others.

The volunteer group is aiming at September for the inaugural event, which it hopes will draw lots of attention with the induction of some of the city’s most famous past and present residents.

Nominations will be open to the public each year. Nominees need not be famous to be eligible, but must have made significant contributions to the city or the world at large, said Ron Duquette.

“We want to celebrate Mississauga’s achievements now and into the future,” he said. “And it won’t cost taxpayers.”

Legends Row, Duquette said, will be funded through donations, grants, corporate sponsors and an annual Legends Row event honouring inductees.

“We are a big city now, and we want to celebrate the people that helped make us a big city,” said Councillor Jim Tovey.

Council asked staff to hammer out some details about the space for the plaques and event co-ordination with the Celebration Square committee, before members pledged to give Legends Row their full support.

“There are people we cannot forget,” Duquette said. “People our future generations need to know about.”

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SIX MISSISSAUGA LEGENDS

Oscar Peterson

Canada’s contribution to jazz immortality, the legendary pianist called Mississauga home for most of his life. He picked up eight Grammy awards, the Order of Canada and too many honorary doctorates to count.

Karen Kain

The onetime Mississauga resident put Canadian ballet on the international map. Fifteen years after her retirement, Kain’s name remains one of few in the world synonymous with the title Prima Ballerina.

Paul Henderson

If you were born before the city of Mississauga was created, the most iconic split-second in Canadian hockey history you’re likely to remember came off Henderson’s stick. What many forget is the other winning goals the Mississauga resident scored to win each of the two games prior to the deciding tilt in the ’72 Summit Series.

Ronnie Hawkins

The Arkansas-born Canadian rock legend founded the band that eventually became The Band. He did the moonwalk way before Michael Jackson, and the Hawk once hosted John Lennon and Yoko Ono at his Mississauga home.

Johnny Bower

How much would Leafs Nation pay to have a younger Bower backstopping the buds these days? The Hall of Famer shut out the Montreal Canadiens during the Stanley Cup finals en route to the Leafs’ last cup victory in 1967.

Triumph

The Mississauga band, along with Trooper, Loverboy and others, staked Canada’s claim to ’80s glam rock supremacy. If you’re ever in the mood for some nostalgia, take a trip down Triumph Lane, dedicated by the city to the rock band.