Joe Schembri grew up in a country where he can’t recall ever seeing any ice. Even after living in Canada for close to 60 years, he still hasn’t laced up a pair of skates. “I’m from Malta and soccer is the sport there,” Schembri said. “Nobody has seen a hockey rink or anything like that there.”

Despite never playing the game, he still developed an appreciation for it, enough so to become a longtime executive with the Mississauga Terriers AA program. His son Reg played the game in the 1970s, and Joe and a group of parents decided to form their own team that eventually turned into multiple clubs under the Terriers banner.

On June 8, Schembri will be one of six individuals inducted into the Mississauga Sports Hall of Fame.

“I don’t know much of hockey as far as playing it, but it shows that even if you don’t know much, you can always help,” he said. “There’s room for everybody.”