Murray Costello

James Murray Costello (February 24, 1934 – July 27, 2024) was a Canadian ice hockey player, executive, and administrator. He played four seasons in the National Hockey League and was the younger brother of Les Costello. He was a lawyer by trade and president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) from 1979 to 1994. After facilitating the CAHA merger with Hockey Canada, he continued as president until 1998.

Costello helped establish the program of excellence for the Canada men's national junior ice hockey team. He also oversaw the foundation of the Canada women's national ice hockey team and the inaugural 1990 IIHF Women's World Championship. In addition to his work on Canadian national hockey, he spent 15 seasons as an executive in the Western Hockey League, and another 14 years as an International Ice Hockey Federation council member. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, the IIHF Hall of Fame, the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame, and the Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, was an Officer of the Order of Canada, and a recipient of the Order of Hockey in Canada.

Early life 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.

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. 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". 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's grave marker at St. Patrick's Fallowfield cemetery

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 title=Wayne Gretzky International Award— from USA Hockey|quote=I was more than a little surprised because it's not often you get recognized by a nation other than your own and, for a Canadian, any award with the name Gretzky attached to it makes it that much more special. — —Murray Costello, 2012

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1950–51 Toronto St. Michael's Majors OHA 50 18 16 34 24 — — — — — 1951–52 Toronto St. Michael's Majors OHA 51 16 27 43 18 8 5 8 13 41952–53 Toronto St. Michael's Majors OHA 51 30 28 58 38 17 7 8 15 13 1953–54 Galt Black Hawks OHA 3 1 0 1 0 — — — — — 1953–54 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 40 3 2 5 6 — — — — — 1953–54 Hershey Bears AHL 26 7 13 20 10 11 4 4 8 9 1954–55 Boston Bruins NHL 54 4 11 15 25 1 0 0 0 2 1955–56 Boston Bruins NHL 41 6 6 12 19 — — — — — 1955–56 Detroit Red Wings NHL 24 0 0 0 4 4 0 0 0 0 1956–57 Detroit Red Wings NHL 3 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1956–57 Edmonton Flyers WHL 65 19 26 45 37 7 0 2 2 12 1958–59 Windsor Bulldogs OHA-Sr. 35 14 20 34 26 — — — — — 1959–60 Windsor Bulldogs OHA-Sr. 43 18 20 38 23 17 5 7 12 12 NHL totals 162 13 19 32 54 5 0 0 0 2 Source: