Les Costello

Fr. Leslie John Thomas Costello (February 16, 1928 – December 10, 2002) was a Canadian ice hockey player and Catholic priest.

He was born in South Porcupine, Ontario, a neighbourhood of Timmins, and played hockey as a teenager, eventually joining Toronto's St. Michael's Majors in the 1940s, The incident also attracted international media attention, including coverage in People magazine and on the television show Real People.

As a result of the media coverage, Francis Ford Coppola offered the Fathers a movie option. He brought Wayne Gretzky to Hollywood to audition for the role of Costello, but the film fell apart when Gretzky's acting ability proved unable to carry a film. (However, it was on that trip that Gretzky first met his future wife, Janet Jones.)

For the 25th anniversary of Costello's ordination in 1982, friends and parishioners took up a collection to buy Costello a truck for use in his charity work. Instead, Costello sold the vehicle and used the money to buy furniture and food for needy families.

Death and legacy During a Flying Fathers hockey game in Kincardine in 2002, Costello had a puck stuck in his skates, making him fall backward and hit his head on the ice. Still feeling unwell the following day, he was admitted to hospital, where he slipped into a coma and died a week later on December 10.

As his parish was unable to accommodate the crowds expected for his funeral, the service was held in Timmins' McIntyre Arena. Thousands from all over the country were reputed to have been at the funeral. Timmins native Shania Twain stated tribute to Costello:

Writer and politician Charlie Angus published a biography of Costello, Les Costello: Canada's Flying Father, in 2005.

A foundation to raise funds for food banks, homeless shelters, and other anti-poverty charities in Northern Ontario was also launched in Costello's memory the same year. A major street in the city's Schumacher neighbourhood was renamed Father Costello Drive. The hockey arena in the town of Cobalt is named for Father Costello.

Costello was posthumously inducted into the Timmins Sports Heritage Hall of Fame in 2014, and a 36-inch bronze statue was erected there in his honour in April 2024.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1943–44 South Porcupine Porkies NOHA — — — — — — — — — — 1944–45 Toronto St. Michael's Majors OHA 17 11 8 19 4 9 7 7 14 7 1944–45 Toronto St. Michael's Majors M-Cup — — — — — 14 8 8 16 14 1945–46 Toronto St. Michael's Majors OHA 24 17 23 40 17 11 8 10 18 12 1946–47 Toronto St. Michael's Majors OHA 29 29 33 62 78 9 9 7 16 13 1946–47 Barrie Flyers M-Cup — — — — — 10 12 9 21 13 1947–48 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 68 32 22 54 40 2 0 0 0 2 1947–48 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL — — — — — 5 2 2 4 2 1948–49 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 46 13 19 32 63 — — — — — 1948–49 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 15 2 3 5 11 — — — — — 1949–50 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 70 18 31 49 69 — — — — — 1949–50 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL — — — — — 1 0 0 0 0 AHL totals 184 63 72 135 172 2 0 0 0 2 NHL totals 15 2 3 5 11 6 2 2 4 2