OTTAWA, Ontario – The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has announced that beginning this year, the Most Valuable Player of the IIHF World Junior Championship will receive the Murray Costello Award.
Costello, who led the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) and Hockey Canada as president for two decades, passed away in July 2024 at the age of 90.
“As an IIHF Lifetime Member and an inductee of the IIHF Hall of Fame, Murray had such a significant impact on hockey in Canada and around the world throughout his career,” said Luc Tardif, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation. “We thank his family for their support of this recognition and look forward to them handing out the Murray Costello Award to the tournament MVP tonight in Ottawa, where Murray lived for most of his life.”
As president of the CAHA, Costello created the Program of Excellence and was instrumental in organizing the first IIHF World Women’s Championship in 1990. Four years later, 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. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 2005.
“We are grateful to the IIHF for renaming the World Juniors MVP award in Murray’s honour and extending the connection between him and this tournament that meant so much to him,” said Katherine Henderson, president and chief executive officer of Hockey Canada. “Hockey continues to benefit from Murray’s tremendous contributions to the game, and we cannot think of a more deserving tribute to one of our sport’s greatest leaders.”
To learn more about Hockey Canada, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.
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For more information, please contact:
Jeremy Knight
Senior Manager, Corporate Communications
Hockey Canada
(416) 451-3343
jknight@hockeycanada.ca