Chicago Blackhawks: Tony Esposito was an all-time great

It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we discuss the life of Tony Esposito. The Chicago Blackhawks announced that one of the all-time great players in Tony has passed away after a short fight with cancer. He was 78 years old. Not only was he one of the great goalies of his time, but he was also one of the great human beings of his time. Rock Wirtz, the owner of the Blackhawks, reflected on that in his statement following Esposito’s death.

The Blackhawks have a lot of great players in its franchise’s history and Esposito is right there. His number 35 has been retired by the Blackhawks for a long time now. You can see it flying at the United Center any time you go there.

When we say he was a great goalie, we mean that he was a legendary goalie. He was a five-time All-Star, a Calder Trophy winner as the league’s top rookie, and a three-time recipient of the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender. He went 423-306-152 in his career and had 76 shutouts. He had a 2.93 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. All of these achievements landed him in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

He was an incredible talent that got to play on the world’s greatest stage for 16 years. He played his first season with the Montreal Canadiens and then the next and final 15 with the Chicago Blackhawks. The Hawks were a last-place finisher the year before Esposito came to town and he helped them turn everything around.

The Chicago Blackhawks will surely miss Phil Esposito as he was truly a legend.

Players like this are always instrumental to a foundation of a franchise. As the Blackhawks near their 100th anniversary as an organization, Esposito will clearly be recognized as one of its greatest players. It is sad to think about the fact that he won’t be there to see it.

Whenever a player like this leaves us we often find it hard to think of what to say without the usual polite cliches. In this case, we can remember Esposito for being a literal legend in the Chicago sports scene and how he acted in the community. If humanity had a Hall of Fame, he would make that one too.