Former Hockey Canada president Murray Costello was fundamental in developing Canada's world junior team and helped launch the IIHF Women's World Championship.

A Hockey Hall of Famer and longtime hockey executive in Canadian and international hockey, Murray Costello, passed away at the age of 90 on Saturday.

Hockey Canada president-CEO Katherine Henderson announced Costello's passing on Monday. Costello led the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) and Hockey Canada from 1979 to 1998, leading the merger of both organizations in 1994 in what he described as the biggest of his accomplishments back in 2017.

"His legacy will benefit hockey in Canada and internationally for generations to come," Henderson said in a statement on behalf of Hockey Canada.

Among Costello's achievements in his storied hockey executive career include helping create the first IIHF Women's World Championship in 1990 and getting women's hockey into the 1998 Nagano Olympics. 

His advocacy for the growth of women's hockey in Canada and worldwide continued, particularly as a member of the IIHF Council from 1998 to 2012, including five years as a vice-president. In 2010, he announced the IIHF was designating $2 million to women's hockey after the Vancouver Olympics.

Costello's leadership with the CAHA and Hockey Canada included creating the national program of excellence that helped Canada become a powerhouse at the World Junior Championship. While Costello later said it was a hard sell to convince the CHL to give up their best players over the holidays for the world juniors while they were experiencing some of their best crowds, Canada won 10 gold medals while he was president. Merging CAHA and Hockey Canada helped focus the country's development process into one stream.

Born in South Porcupine, Ont., Costello played 163 games in the NHL between the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings from 1953 to 1956. He then played three seasons in the senior circuit between the Edmonton Flyers and Windsor Bulldogs. After returning to school to earn his law degree, he became an executive and led the former senior Western League's Seattle Totems to back-to-back championships in 1967 and 1968.

Costello's work in hockey earned him some prestigious honors.

In 2005, Costello was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the builder category. In 2013, he was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada in recognition of his contributions to hockey development in the country, particularly to the men's world junior team and national women's team. The award recognizes a lifetime of a high degree of achievement in service to Canada and beyond.

Costello was also inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, more recently being inducted into the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame in 2023.