Former CAHA and Hockey Canada president Costello passes away

Former hockey executive Murray Costello, who led the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) and Hockey Canada as president for two decades, has passed away at the age of 90.

As the CAHA president, Costello created the Program of Excellence and helped organize the first International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Women’s Championship in 1990. In 1994, he led the merger of the CAHA and Hockey Canada.

Internationally, Costello was a member of the IIHF Council from 1998 to 2012, including as vice-president for five years, and was a fierce advocate for the growth of women’s hockey in Canada and around the world.

In 2005, he was inducted as a builder into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Costello became an IIHF Lifetime Member in 2012 and was appointed as an officer of the Order of Canada in 2013. He was also inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and IIHF Hall of Fame, and was invested into the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2017.

Costello played four seasons in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings.