Longtime Canadian hockey executive Murray Costello dead at age 90

Longtime hockey executive Murray Costello has died.

He was 90.

Hockey Canada said in a statement Costello, who led both that organization and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association for two decades, died Saturday.

The South Porcupine, Ont., native played four seasons in the NHL with Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings in the 1950s, but truly left his mark on the game off the ice.

Costello was president of the CAMA, created its Program of Excellence, and was a key driver in the first women’s world championship in 1990.

He then spearheaded the CAMA’s merger with Hockey Canada four years later.

Costello was also a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation’s council from 1998 to 2012 — including a five-year run as vice-president — and an advocate for the growth of women’s hockey in Canada and around the world.

Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 2005, he became an IIHF lifetime member in 2012 before being appointed as an officer of the Order of Canada one year later.

Costello was also inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and the IIHF Hall of Fame, and was invested into the Order of Hockey in Canada.

“Hockey Canada sends our condolences to Murray’s family and friends, and everyone he positively impacted throughout his life and tremendous career in hockey,” Hockey Canada president and chief executive officer Katherine Henderson said in a statement. “His legacy will continue to benefit hockey in Canada and internationally for generations to come.”