‘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
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
BREAKING Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, claims he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers for Jeremy Skibicki have told the court the accused unlawfully caused the death of four women, but argue he is not criminally responsible due to mental disorder.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial fined him US$1,000 on Monday for violating his gag order once again and sternly warned the former president that additional violations could result in jail time.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Holocaust researchers use AI to search for unnamed victims
Researchers in Israel are turning to artificial intelligence to comb through piles of records to try to identify hundreds of thousands of Jewish people killed in the Holocaust whose names are missing from official memorials.
Russia warns Britain and plans nuclear drills over the West's possible deepening role in Ukraine
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.