‘Flying Father’ founder honoured in Timmins
Father Les Costello, the late Catholic priest who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and was a teammate of Bill Barilko, was honoured Wednesday with a statue in his hometown of Timmins.
The statue was unveiled in the Timmins Sports Heritage Hall of Fame, replacing one that was broken last year.
Costello was also a co-founder of the ‘Flying Fathers’ hockey team, which was a way to raise money for charity. He played with that team until his death at the age of 74 in 2002 after sustaining a head injury during a game.
Costello and the team had raised more than $4 million in 40 years for many groups, such as the Dare Program and local minor hockey.
Costello’s nephew and niece said Wednesday he wasn’t one for fanfare, but they are pleased his legacy is being honoured.
“He was very giving,” said Corinne Costello, his niece.
“Everything he did, he did in caring,” added his nephew, John Costello.
“He gave to the community. He gave to all the people in the community, and it was very important to him.”
Ed Pupich from the Timmins Sports Heritage Hall of Fame said they have some items in their collection.
o Download our app to get local alerts on your device
o Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
“We have a flying father's sweater, I think we have his skates and so on,” Pupich said.
“We have the pontoon for the Bill Barilko. So it'll be a display under lock and key, we hope.
Officials said the statue and other historic items will be on a pedestal in the McIntyre Community Centre’s main entrance.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.