OTTAWA, ON – On Wednesday, September 27th at Lansdowne Park’s Horticulture Building, the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame is inducting five new members to its local sports shrine – Carol Anne Chenard (builder – soccer referee), Murray Costello (builder – hockey administrator), Tim Higgins (athlete – hockey), Earle Morris (builder – curling coach) and Jill Perry (athlete – boxing). Each Tuesday and Thursday until the event, the Sport Hall will post an article on an aspect of the event. Today’s article is on 2023 Inductee, Murray Costello.

2023 SPORT HALL INDUCTEE – MURRAY COSTELLO:

Few people have had more of an impact on the game of hockey than Murray Costello. He played four seasons in the NHL for Chicago, Boston and Detroit in the 1950s, but his real impact came after his playing days.

Costello spent nearly 20 years in charge of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, which later became Hockey Canada. For another 14 years, he was a key figure in International Ice Hockey Federation.

Costello grew up in Northern Ontario in a family that didn’t have much money. He had lots of talent and earned a spot on the Chicago Blackhawks as a 20-year-old. His playing career was relatively short, but he started on the path to becoming one of the most respected people in hockey when he moved to Ottawa in 1973 to study law at the University of Ottawa.

Costello used his platform to influence positive change in hockey. He set up screening programs and background checks in minor hockey. He spoke out against bullying in hockey. He helped inspire the amazing growth in women’s hockey during his time in leadership.

Few people can match Costello’s positive impact on hockey. He took the game he loved as a kid and helped shape it into something so much better. He is a member of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, the Hockey Hall of Fame, and the IIHF Hall of Fame. In 2013, Costello was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada.

And now, a man who has proudly called Ottawa home for 50 years will become a member of the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame.

“Of course, the people that I spoke for, the volunteers of amateur hockey and the professional staff that I worked for, are the people that made this honour happen for me,” Costello, who won’t be able to attend the Sept. 27 event due to health reasons, said when he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005.

“I’m very, very appreciative to take a childhood passion for the game and not only turn it into a livelihood but then have it recognized in this way is difficult to understand, but it is very, very much appreciated.”

SEPTEMBER 27 OTTAWA SPORT HALL OF FAME INDUCTION EVENING

Tickets for the Wednesday, September 27th Induction Ceremony are available for purchase now!

In the lead-up to the banquet, full-length features on each of the inductees will be posted on the Hall’s new website at OttawaSportHall.ca and shared through the Ottawa Sports Pages, the Hall’s new partner.

Event tickets are $125 per person or $1,200 for a table of 10, while premium tables go for $2,000 and additional sponsorship opportunities are available. See OttawaSportHall.ca for more details.

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Contacts:

Dave Best
Chair, Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame
613-799-9415
Chair@OttawaSportHall.ca

Terry Marcotte
Director, Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame
terrymarcotte1@gmail.com

About the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame:

The Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization, which documents, curates and celebrates outstanding achievement in local sport heritage. The Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame is overseen by a volunteer Board of Directors which works in close partnership with the City of Ottawa to maintain and preserve Ottawa’s rich sporting legacies. Each year, the Hall of Fame Board receives nominations from the public, and selects new inductees to be represented in the Hall. The Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame is located at City Hall. It contains artifacts, photographs and memorabilia honouring our sporting heritage, as well as commemorative plaques honouring its more than 275 inductees.