He was born in South Porcupine, Ontario, a neighbourhood of Timmins, and played hockey as a teenager, eventually joining Toronto's St. Michael's Majors in the 1940s,[1] winning the Memorial Cup twice with the team in 1945 and 1947.

He subsequently played two years in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs, including the 1948 Stanley Cup championship team.

[1] After serving briefly in Kirkland Lake, he took a parish in his hometown of Timmins,[1] where he was widely respected for both his flamboyant, fun-loving demeanor and his tireless commitment to social justice and charity work.

At a Flying Fathers game in Kincardine in 2002, Costello had a puck get stuck in his skates, making him fall backward and hit his head on the ice.

Whether it was to find my grandmother a second-hand fridge; marry my parents; give our family funeral services – including our beloved Mom and Dad; or just plain joining in on a good joke.

A foundation to raise funds for food banks, homeless shelters, and other anti-poverty charities in Northern Ontario was also launched in Costello's memory the same year.