A 41-year-old former hockey player who is held in high esteem in his native Canada is planning his first visit to Malta accompanied by his parents, Maria née Sammut and Gejtu Tanti, both formerly of Hamrun.

Holding a red hockey shirt bearing the number nine (right winger) and his surname, Tony Tanti admits he does not know a lot about Malta although his parents, who live in Toronto, did speak to him and their five other children about the tiny island in the middle of the Mediterranean. The Maltese language was also spoken at home and, in fact, Mr Tanti says he can pick up some Maltese words.

His parents have not been to Malta for over 20 years and Mr Tanti, who lives in Vancouver on the west coast of Canada, has never been to the island although he has travelled to Europe.

Even if he evidently tries to keep as low a profile as possible, it is not difficult to understand that Mr Tanti made it really big in Canadian hockey.

He took up hockey when he was still 19 and started playing in Chicago. From 1982 to 1990 he played in Vancouver. Mr T or The Maltese Falcon, as he was best known, also played for Pittsburgh and the Buffalos apart from forming part of the Canadian team in international games, including in the World Championships. For some time he also played hockey in Germany. Mr Tanti retired in 1997 by which time he had made a name for himself. He excelled in goal-scoring and held the record for the number of hat-tricks and also for the highest number of power-play goals. Lifting his right hand to indicate his height - normal by Maltese standards but rather shorter than the average Canadian - he recalls it was not easy for him to compete with players who were six feet two or six feet three. But Mr Tanti proved the old adage that small is beautiful.

"The drive, the will to succeed pushed me ahead," he said, quickly adding, as if not to be seen to be selling himself too much: "You have to be really lucky to make it..."

It was his speed and agility, enabling him to wind his way forward through the opponents that made supporters call him The Maltese Falcon.

His "Maltese" surname did not work against him. "No, the surname didn't matter at all, although it'll help Taylor," he says, referring to his 11-year-old son who dreams of following in his father's footsteps. Just like Mr Tanti did in his younger days, he too is working hard to succeed.

The surname will certainly help especially as, Mr Tanti himself admits, he is still very popular even if he hung up his hockey stick seven years ago. "I still get recognised here. But it's ok. In Canada it's different; people will leave you alone. They'll politely ask you for your autograph."

He may not be spending 10 months of the year playing hockey, as he used to do then, but he does have his hands full, what with training his son and running his company which has won contracts both in Vancouver and even in California.

Mr Tanti and his wife, who used to work in a sports shop - "Yes, I used to sell hockey shirts too," she recalls - also have a daughter, Tessa, 15, who is a keen horse-rider.

He may not be a Maltese national as such but Mr Tanti is certainly proud of his Maltese roots. "See you guys in Malta," he promised a group of Maltese journalists visiting Vancouver last week.