The Mississauga Crusaders Special Hockey Club is a Non-Profit Organization geared to providing developmentally challenged children, youth and adults the opportunity to play hockey, regardless of their skating abilities and hockey skills. The Crusaders endeavor to give a sense of community involvement to individuals who in the past have only been able to watch from the sidelines. The goal is to give these individuals the opportunity to form the kind of relationships that only teammates can appreciate. Then take these relationships and expose them to aspects of sportsmanship and camaraderie.

The Crusaders were founded in 1995, with six players with special needs and a passion to play hockey somewhere… anywhere. Today, the team has grown to over 40 players. Crusader hockey has grown into an important contributor to Mississauga’s special needs community. Regardless of skating ability or hockey skills, everyone is welcomed to join the team – inclusivity is a fundamental aspect the organization. The Crusaders provide a league style ice hockey program for ALL players that wish to participate in Canada’s National Past-Time. The Mississauga Crusaders operate Saturday mornings from September through to March.

The goal of Crusader hockey is simple: to provide a sense of community to individuals who spent years watching from the sidelines; to create an opportunity to form the kind of relationships that only teammates can appreciate, and expose them to aspects of sportsmanship and camaraderie. By providing the chance to play hockey to special needs youth, adults and seniors – it doesn’t matter what a person’s age is, all are welcome – the Mississauga Crusaders offer a chance for players to be a part of a team, form long-lasting friendships, and travel all over North America to play the game they love.

The Crusaders hockey club, a member of the Special Hockey International travels across the Greater Toronto Area to play other teams over the course of their season which runs from September until March. The season culminates with an international tournament with nearly 50 teams from across North America and Europe converging on the host city’s rinks to celebrate their season. The Crusaders have travelled to London(U.K.), Ottawa, Detroit, New York, St. Louis, Albany, Rochester, Denver and Washington D.C. for the tournament.

The Mississauga Crusaders became an affiliate of the Mississauga Hockey League in 2014.