Today's piece should offer the readers a little insight on religion, and how it can at times be a gathering point for all walks of life, including sports. For the Toronto Maple Leafs, before James Reimer opened up about his faith, there was another Toronto Maple Leaf that opened up about his faith, and even acted upon that, becoming a Father in the Catholic religion. That man was Les Costello, who played for only a couple of years in the NHL, winning a Stanley Cup with the Leafs in 1948. In 1950, he left the game of hockey for seminary studies. Those studies paid off, as he would be ordained as a Father in 1957. In 1963, he helped to found the Flying Fathers, a hockey team consisting of a group of Catholic priests. As of 2005, this group was still active, raising money for charities and in its time, even became a phenomenon in that it made tours of North America. Costello died in 2002 a week after taking a puck to the head and falling back to the ice, hitting his head.
Costello only played two seasons in the NHL, but his legacy was best exemplified in his hometown of Timmins, ON, where his funeral had to be moved to McIntyre Arena to accommodate the large gathering of people. And here's something you may not know: the Flying Fathers were indirectly responsible for Wayne Gretzky meeting his future wife Janet, as the proposed idea was a part of Gretzky's trek through Hollywood long before his trade to Los Angeles in 1988.
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