Tony Esposito passed away yesterday. He was 78.
His resume is impressive.
*Had 15 shutouts as a rookie with Chicago in 1969-70, most in the NHL’s modern era.
*Won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goalie three times.
*Won the Calder Trophy as best rookie in ’69-70.
*Played for Team Canada in the historic 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union.
*Was the first goalie to win 30 or more games in seven consecutive seasons.
*Won 423 games on his career, 10th-most in NHL history.
*Pioneered the butterfly style of goaltending.
*Is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Esposito was Penguins GM for a short period: 106 games from 1988 thru ’89. Esposito drafted Mark Recchi and traded for Tom Barrasso.
He and his brother Phil – also a Hall-of-Famer – were spokesmen for street hockey before it was dekhockey. They endorsed Mylec’s line of screw-on stick blades and goalie masks.
Tony Esposito played from 1968-84,
The goaltenders from that era were better than today’s goalies.
These days, it’s not the goalie that stops the puck. It’s the oversized equipment. The equipment could go out there by itself and make most of the saves.
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