Murray Costello, a longtime Ottawa resident who spent a lifetime shaping the game of hockey in Canada, has died at the age of 90.
Costello, who was inducted into the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame last year, died Saturday, according to statements from several hockey organizations.
From playing in the NHL to representing the game on a national and international level, his mark on the hockey world has been indelible — especially for women.
“I don’t think I can overstate the impact that he’s had on women’s hockey,” said Katherine Henderson, the CEO of Hockey Canada.
From 1979 to 1998, Costello was the president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA).
During his tenure, he helped orchestrate the first sanctioned International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) women’s world championship in 1990, which was held in Ottawa.
Most of the development that people are seeing in women’s hockey right now — particularly with this year’s launch of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) — can be directly credited to Costello, Henderson said.
Angela James, a pioneer in women’s hockey, was on the 1990 team. She helped lead Canada to gold in that inaugural tournament, scoring 11 goals in five games.
“Murray had a huge influx of opportunities for all the women and girls in hockey in Canada, based on just that one tournament itself,” James said.
“You don’t always see who the people are that are advocating for your sport, but I know that Murray Costello was one of them.”
In 1994, Costello spearheaded the merger of the CAHA with Hockey Canada.
Costello’s work to get women on the world stage through IIHF influenced the International Olympic Committee to add women’s hockey to the 1998 Nagano Olympic Games, Henderson said.
Since then, women’s hockey has grown exponentially, from the success of the PWHL to the fact that — according to Hockey Canada’s website — nearly 90,000 girls are registered in the sport.
“[It’s] accelerating at every level,” James said. “And it’s only going to get better.”
Lifelong hockey career
Costello was born in South Porcupine, Ont., a community near Timmins, Ont., on Feb. 24, 1934.
He pursued a career in hockey, making his NHL debut in 1953 and playing four seasons with Chicago, Boston and Detroit.
As his playing career was coming to a close, Costello graduated from Assumption University in Windsor, Ont., with a bachelor of arts degree in 1959.
A few years later he got his law degree from University of Ottawa and moved into the administration side of hockey.
Near the start of his two-decade tenure as president of the CAHA/Hockey Canada, Costello also played a key role in turning Canada into a powerhouse at the world junior hockey championships.
According to the IIHF, Costello created a national team in 1982 after convincing three junior leagues to give up their players for a month over the holidays.
The team won gold, and the tournament has been a monumental Canadian event ever since.
After his presidency, Costello moved on to become a member of the IIHF council from 1998 to 2012, spending five of those years as vice-president.
In 2005, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder, someone who helps grow and develop the game.
His induction was followed by many other accolades, including being named an officer of the Order of Canada and being inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.