Tony Esposito

Anthony James "Tony O" Esposito (April 23, 1943 – August 10, 2021) was a Canadian-American professional ice hockey goaltender, who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), 15 of those for the Chicago Blackhawks. He was one of the pioneers of the now popular butterfly style. Tony was the younger brother of Phil Esposito, a centre. Both brothers had notable careers and are enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Esposito's jersey number 35 was retired by the Blackhawks in 1988.

Esposito won the NHL's Vezina Trophy, then awarded to the goaltender(s) of the team which allowed the fewest goals in the regular season, three times, most notably in 1970, when he recorded the modern (since 1942) NHL record of 15 shutouts in a season. He was also awarded the Calder Trophy as the best rookie in the league that season. He was named to the league's First All-Star Team three times and to the Second All-Star Team two times, and served as one of Canada's two goaltenders in the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union. In 2017 Esposito was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.

Hockey career Early years Esposito grew up in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario with his brother, fellow future NHL star Phil Esposito. He played college ice hockey for Michigan Tech.

A three-year hockey varsity letter winner, Esposito was a three-time first-team All-America selection. He was a driving force in helping the Michigan Tech Huskies to the 1964–65 NCAA Championship

Esposito turned professional with the Vancouver Canucks in the Western Hockey League in 1967–68 and played with the Houston Apollos in the Central Hockey League in 1968–69. Esposito made his NHL debut against the Oakland Seals, playing 26 minutes in relief of Rogie Vachon. His first NHL start was against the Boston Bruins, then led by his brother Phil.

Distinctions Esposito is one of eight goalies to have won the Vezina catching the puck right-handed (that is, he was left-handed, using his dominant left hand for his stick and blocker).

Esposito was the second NHL player to wear the number 35, a common number now worn by many goaltenders. Minnesota North Star goaltender Fern Rivard was the first to wear 35 during the 1968-69 NHL season. It was assigned to him during training camp prior to Chicago's 1969–70 season because the standard goalie numbers 1 and 30 were already assigned. After posting a shutout in his first exhibition game for the team, he chose to keep wearing the number. His number 35 was retired by the Blackhawks on November 20, 1988.

Retirement He retired from professional play in 1984 and was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988. In 1991, when his brother helped found the Tampa Bay Lightning, Phil hired Tony as chief scout.

In 2007, Tony was inducted, alongside his brother Phil, into the Sault Ste. Marie Walk of Fame.

On March 19, 2008, the Chicago Blackhawks honoured Esposito with "Tony Esposito Night", where he was formally introduced as an Ambassador for the Blackhawks organization. Tony Esposito died on August 10, 2021, at the age of 78, from pancreatic cancer. He made an appearance in the second season of Rent-a-Goalie playing poker alongside his brother Phil.

Awards and honours Award Year All-WCHA First Team 1964–65 All-WCHA First Team 1965–66 In 1998, he was ranked number 79 on ''The Hockey News''' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players. Hockey Hall of Fame 1988 Michigan Sports Hall of Fame 2024

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV% 1962–63 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds NOJHA — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 1963–64 Michigan Tech WCHA — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 1964–65 Michigan Tech WCHA 17 — — — 1020 40 1 2.35 — — — — — — — — — 1965–66 Michigan Tech WCHA 19 — — — 1140 51 1 2.68 — — — — — — — — — 1966–67 Michigan Tech WCHA 15 — — — 900 39 0 2.60 — — — — — — — — — 1967–68 Vancouver Canucks WHL 63 25 33 4 3734 199 4 3.20 — — — — — — — — — 1968–69 Montreal Canadiens NHL 13 5 4 4 746 34 2 2.73 .913 — — — — — — — — 1968–69 Houston Apollos CHL 19 10 7 2 1139 46 1 2.42 — 1 0 1 59 3 0 3.05 — 1969–70 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 63 38 17 9 3763 136 15 2.17 .932 8 4 4 480 27 0 3.38 .907 1970–71 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 57 35 14 6 3325 126 6 2.27 .919 18 11 7 1151 42 2 2.19 .928 1971–72 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 48 31 10 6 2780 82 9 1.77 .934 5 2 3 300 16 0 3.20 .895 1972–73 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 56 32 17 7 3340 140 4 2.51 .917 15 10 5 895 46 1 3.08 .898 1973–74 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 70 34 14 21 4143 141 10 2.04 .928 10 6 4 584 28 2 2.88 .911 1974–75 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 71 34 30 7 4219 193 6 2.74 .905 8 3 5 472 34 0 4.32 .878 1975–76 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 68 30 23 13 4003 198 4 2.97 .904 4 0 4 240 13 0 3.25 .901 1976–77 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 69 25 36 8 4067 234 2 3.45 .900 2 0 2 120 6 0 3.00 .915 1977–78 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 68 28 22 14 3840 168 5 2.63 .914 4 0 4 252 19 0 4.52 .838 1978–79 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 63 24 28 11 3780 206 4 3.27 .901 4 0 4 243 14 0 3.46 .889 1979–80 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 69 31 22 16 4140 205 6 2.97 .903 6 3 3 373 14 0 2.25 .924 1980–81 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 66 29 23 14 3935 246 0 3.75 .890 3 0 3 215 15 0 4.19 .878 1981–82 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 52 19 25 8 3069 231 1 4.52 .867 7 3 3 381 16 1 2.52 .917 1982–83 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 39 23 11 5 2340 135 1 3.46 .888 5 3 2 311 18 0 3.47 .889 1983–84 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 18 5 10 3 1095 88 1 4.82 .859 — — — — — — — — NHL totals 886 423 306 151 52,583 2,563 76 2.92 .906 99 45 53 6,017 308 6 3.07 .903

International Year Team Event GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA 1972 Canada SS 4 2 1 1 240 13 0 3.25 1977 Canada WC 9 6 2 1 510 27 1 3.17 1981 United States CC 5 2 3 0 300 20 0 4.00 Senior totals 18 10 6 2 1050 60 1 3.43