Chicago Blackhawks Top 100- #95 Phil Esposito

We’re heading into the dog days of the offseason, counting down the days until the Chicago Blackhawks 2017-2018 season kicks off on October 5th against the Pittsburgh Penguins. We’re going to do a Top 100 list of the all time Chicago Blackhawks.  It’s a fun way to pass the time and take a stroll down memory lane looking back at our favorite Blackhawks. 

It’s kind of funny listening to all the comments about the Brandon Saad trade for Artemi Panarin as it being Stan Bowman’s chance to get the “one that got away” back to Chicago and possibly as the face of the franchise after Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane move on to retirement. All of which are true in my mind.  Saad was a core piece that Bowman couldn’t figure out how to keep under team contractual control in the salary cap era.

The thing is the real player that got away was Phil Esposito! He really didn’t do much in a Chicago Blackhawks uniform, but when he did arrive in Boston his offense exploded and the Chicago Blackhawks looked like fools for letting him get away!

Here are Phil’s stats in Chicago, and as you can see he wasn’t a point a game player with the Hawks in his youth.

Phil Esposito Career Blackhawks Statistics

Games-235

Goals-74

Assists-100

Points-174

Penalty Minutes– 135

Phil had 3 20 goal seasons with the Hawks before getting traded in 1967 to the Boston Bruins for

Pit Martin

,

Jack Norris

, and Giles Marotte in one of the worst NHL trades ever.

Phil would go on to score 50 or more goals with the Bruins 5 times and with Bobby Orr win 2 Stanley Cups in Boston.

More from All Time Blackhawks

• Blackhawks’ Legend Niklas Hjalmarsson Retires After 14 Seasons
• Blackhawks: The five longest tenured captains in team history
• Blackhawks News: Andrew Shaw Retires At Age 29
• Best Blackhawks Goalie of All-Time: Esposito, Hall, or Crawford?
• The Jersey Numbers Never Worn in Blackhawks History

My Dad and others around his age will always say how many more Cups could the Hawks have won in the late 60’s and early 70’s if they had Phil Esposito with Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull.  It was a very bad time in Chicago for trades with the Esposito and Lou Brock trades both hurting our favorite franchises for decades.

Phil is a top 10 all-timer, but in Chicago he is more of a What could have been player but still makes my Top 100.

What do you think? Too high, Too low or shouldn’t have made the list?

Only 95 days left until the season kicks off at the United Center!