Murray Costello

Costello was born on February 24, 1934, in South Porcupine, Ontario. His given name was James. He grew up in Schumacher, Ontario, in a household with three brothers, one sister, and a father who worked at the Dome Mine. Costello was the younger brother of professional hockey player Les Costello. While playing hockey as a 15-year-old, Costello recalled that he once skated four miles along an ice-covered road to get home from a game, when it was unsafe to drive. ==Playing career==

Costello was noticed by scouts as a teen and was convinced by his older brother, Les, to enroll at St. Michael's College School, to play hockey to pay for his education. He played three seasons of junior ice hockey with the Toronto St. Michael's Majors in the Ontario Hockey Association, reaching the J. Ross Robertson Cup finals in the 1952–53 OHA season. Costello was signed by the Chicago Black Hawks in 1953, and was assigned to their affiliate team, the Galt Black Hawks, for the 1953–54 OHA season. Costello made his professional debut in the 1953–54 NHL season, playing 40 games with Chicago. He finished the season with the Hershey Bears in the American Hockey League, reaching the Calder Cup finals in the 1953–54 AHL season. He was traded to the Boston Bruins for Frank Martin on October 4, 1954. Costello finished his playing career with the Windsor Bulldogs in OHA senior hockey, while he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Assumption University in 1959. ==From Seattle to Ottawa==

After graduation, Costello moved to Seattle, working as the marketing director of the Seattle Totems, and stayed for 15 years. He later became publicity director for the Western Hockey League. Costello rose the ranks to become director of hockey operations for the Totems, and his team won consecutive Lester Patrick Cup championships in 1967, and 1968. He moved to Ottawa in 1973, did contract work with the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association teaching and working on coaching certification programs, worked as a scout for the Phoenix Roadrunners, and studied at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law. ==Canadian Amateur Hockey Association president==

Costello was recruited to become the first paid staff to lead the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) in 1979, when the membership voted to have a full-time president instead of a volunteer executive committee. He succeeded Gord Renwick as CAHA president. When he originally accepted the job, he understood it to be a five-year commitment, but that evolved into a lifetime career. The CAHA wanted to send the best team possible but also feared that by not sending a team, the IIHF would turn to the rival Hockey Canada instead. The program also included creating under–17, and under–18 programs to feed into the juniors (under–20), and inviting eligible Canadian players from other leagues such as the USHL, or NCAA hockey. Teams were concerned about losing their best players in the middle of the season, younger players for regional development tournaments, and potential injuries. The Canadian Hockey League was also assured of participating in the Program of Excellence policy committee. Sabetzki asked Costello if the CAHA would stage a women's world championship, and he agreed as long as it could be hosted close to CAHA offices in Ottawa, to keep expenses down. Costello oversaw the formation of the Canada women's national ice hockey team, and the inaugural 1990 IIHF Women's World Championship, which led to the development of women's hockey in Canada. ==Hockey Canada president==

The CAHA and Hockey Canada agreed to merge their organizations in 1994, following negotiation between Costello and Bill Hay. Originally known as the Canadian Hockey Association name, the merged organization operated as Hockey Canada since 1998. Combining the two groups allowed for the profits from Hockey Canada events such as the Canada Cup, and the Summit Series, to be used at the grassroots level, and it also allowed access by professionals in the NHL to international competitions such as the Ice Hockey World Championships, and eventually the Olympics. In the wake of the Graham James scandal in 1997, Hockey Canada implemented a screening program with background checks for hockey staff and teamed up with the Canadian Red Cross to create the Speak Out against bullying and harassment, which evolved into the Respect In Sport Program. As president of Hockey Canada, he recognized the volunteers who helped in the development of minor hockey in Canada. He was succeeded by vice president Bob Nicholson, who said that Costello was a great mentor, and "made every decision based on what he thought was the best interest of the sport". ==IIHF council member==

Costello was a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) council from 1998 to 2012, after retiring from Hockey Canada. He served as chairman of the medical committee for 14 years, chairman of the under-20 committee from 1998 to 2003, chairman of the technical/arena committee from 2003 to 2008, vice president of the IIHF from 2008 to 2012, chairman of the competition committee from 2008 to 2012, sat on the IIHF Hall of Fame committee, and the statutes and bylaws committee. As part of the committees, he oversaw the inspection of Winter Olympic Games ice hockey facilities on behalf of the International Olympic Committee, helped organize international under-20 tournaments, oversaw random drug testing, and promoted the growth of ice hockey worldwide. Costello resigned as vice president of the IIHF, effective September 30, 2012. He later remarked, "the IIHF is very much a European organization. I don't think they would give it [the presidency] to a North American or Russian. It would give Canada too much power." ==Impact on women's hockey==

The 1990 Women's World Cup succeeded in creating media coverage that was lacking for the women's game. Costello says it was partially due to the decision to wear pink jerseys, but he was prouder to have showcased the talent in the women's game to the International Olympic Committee. Costello is credited with growing the game worldwide, specifically in the United States. He facilitated the spread of knowledge and ideas for ice hockey and collaborated with USA Hockey on coaching education. ==Personal life==

Costello resided in Ottawa with his wife Denise, and they had six children. and spent their honeymoon in Seattle, when he moved there for work. Costello himself was able to reach the NHL coming from a poor background by using hand-me-down equipment, but he feared that "hockey is becoming an opportunity only for the people who can pay their way in", and suggested a return to wooden sticks for minors. His funeral was held on August 20, 2024, at St. Patrick's Fallowfield Roman Catholic Church, in Nepean, Ontario. ==Honours and awards==

Regular season and playoffs ==References==