Murray Costello, a longtime executive inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Builder in 2005, died Saturday. He was 90.
"The National Hockey League mourns the passing of Murray Costello, whose service to hockey, both in Canada and at the international level, over a seven-decade career fundamentally impacted the game," the NHL said in a statement. "Following a four-season playing career in the NHL, Costello earned induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005 as a builder for his transformational leadership of both the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and Hockey Canada, and his vision and passion drove both the establishment of the IIHF Women's World Championship and the addition of women's hockey to the Olympics.
"Additionally, Canada's success at the world junior level is a direct result of Costello's vision in the early 80's to establish a program of excellence that would produce 10 gold medals during his tenure as President of Hockey Canada from 1979 to 1998, including five straight from 1993 to 1997. We send our deepest condolences to Costello's family and many friends in the game all over the world."
Costello was president of Hockey Canada and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association for two decades. As CAHA president, he created the Program of Excellence and was instrumental in organizing the first International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Women's Championship in 1990. Four years later, he led the merger of the CAHA and Hockey Canada, and was a member of the IIHF Council from 1998 to 2012, including five years as vice president.
Costello was born in South Porcupine, Ontario, on Feb. 24, 1934. He played three seasons for Toronto St. Michael's in the Ontario Hockey League, was signed by the Chicago Black Hawks and made his NHL debut Oct. 11, 1953. The forward was traded to the Boston Bruins for defenseman Frank Martin on Oct. 4, 1954, and sent to the Detroit Red Wings on Jan. 17, 1956. He had 32 points (13 goals, 19 assists) in 163 regular-season games and played five Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Costello's playing career ended with Windsor of the Ontario Hockey Association Senior A League in 1959-60. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Assumption University in 1959, a law degree at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law in 1977 and then moved into the business side of hockey, beginning as an executive for Seattle when it won back-to-back Western Hockey League championships in 1967 and 1968. He became an IIHF Lifetime Member in 2012 and was appointed as an officer of the Order of Canada one year later.
Costello was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (2013), the IIHF Hall of Fame (2014) and the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame (2023). He was named to the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2017, joining Hall of Fame coach Scotty Bowman (inducted as a Builder in 1991) and hockey executive Fran Rider.
