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Chicago Blackhawks: Tony Esposito Days From 2019 Season

By Samuel Boland |
Tony Esposito, goalie for the Chicago Black Hawks, guarding the net.
Tony Esposito, goalie for the Chicago Black Hawks, guarding the net.
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As the Chicago Blackhawks 2018-19 season countdown continues, we’ll take a look at one player who best wore the same number as there are days left until the season starts. The season starts October 4 against the Ottawa Senators.

The Chicago Blackhawks regular season is now rapidly approaching after a long, dragging summer. Yesterday, we remembered Dave Bolland as there were 36 days until Blackhawks hockey. Now, with 35 days to go, we look at the best (and only) player to wear No. 35 in Blackhawks history, Tony Esposito.

Esposito broke onto the NHL scene amidst the 1968-69 season as a member of the Montreal Canadiens. Tony O played only 13 games that season, posting a 2.73 GAA and a record of 5-4-4. Following that season, Esposito was claimed by the Chicago Blackhawks. Blackhawks’ team historian Bob Verdi recalls that day as nothing to write home about.

“When Tony Esposito was obtained by the Chicago Black Hawks on June 15, 1969, it merited only small print in the Windy City,” Verdi said. “The [Chicago] Black Hawks finished last the previous season, he was a spare part for the Montreal Canadiens and, besides, the Cubs were in first place.”

Well, the Cubs being in first back in 1969 didn’t make much difference to their World Series hopes. Besides, the only years that really matter in Chicago baseball are 1906, 1917 and 2005.

Southside tangent aside, nobody cared too much when Esposito was brought in (like no one cared when the 2016 World Series happened)(alright, I’m actually done now). Though Esposito’s No. 35 is hung in the rafters at the United Center, he wasn’t an immediate success story.

In fact, it was more or less the opposite.  In the first game of the season, Esposito got lit up in a 7-2 loss at the hands of current divisional rival, the St. Louis Blues. The Chicago Blackhawks didn’t fare any better in the following games as they got off to a brutal 0-5-1 start.

Then, things changed when the Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks at the time) traveled to Montreal to face off against Esposito’s former team. This time, the “story book” game happened. Esposito posted a shut out and, according to Bob Verdi, the Blackhawks started to gain momentum as a result. Verdi recalls the club at the time saying:

“The Black Hawks, just a .500 team by early January, embarked on a remarkable streak, losing three games in February and only one in March.”

Three losses in February.

One loss in March.

One.

All of a sudden, the Chicago Blackhawks had found a goalie who could legitimately replace what Glenn Hall was able to do for the team for so many years.

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    • The situation reminds of Corey Crawford taking over for Antti Niemi, except imagine Anti Niemi being a consistent all star, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy, being a top-six Hart Trophy Finalist seven different times and winning the Vezina Trophy twice, all while with the Chicago Blackhawks for ten seasons.

    Then, imagine that Corey Crawford replaced him and won three Vezina Trophies, was a top-ten Hart Trophy seven times, consistently earned all-star game selections and won the Calder Memorial Trophy, all while playing for the Hawks over a 15-year span.

    Okay, maybe it’s not as similar as it seems.

    The year Esposito took over, he posted a whopping 15 shutouts, a record for any goaltender (or rookie goalie) which still stands today. His shutout numbers helped him to earn the nickname, Tony O.

    In his first year with the Chicago Blackhawks, Esposito notched a 38-win season, just months after winning 5 of 13 the year prior. That 38-win year would be the start of seven straight 30+ win seasons for Tony O. He lead the league in wins in that season and the year following.

    In that first season Esposito won the Calder Memorial Trophy (awarded to the best rookie) and the Vezina Trophy (awarded to the best goaltender).  It was the best performance from any rookie goaltender in the history of the game.

    Further Evaluating Esposito

    All in all, Tony O still leads the Chicago Blackhawks in all-time wins with 418. The closest behind him are Glenn Hall with 276 and Corey Crawford with 230. While we’re on the topic of all-time leaders, Esposito is also the current Chicago Blackhawks shut-out leader with 74 all-time with the team.

    Crawford would need to post 51 more if he wanted to catch Tony.

    On Tony Esposito, Blackhawks Team President John McDonough said in a Blackhawks press release “Tony is a Hall of Fame goaltender and one of the greatest players to ever wear the Blackhawks jersey.”

    That’s a no brainer from McDonough, however I’d argue he’s one of the best goaltenders in NHL history as well. In his 16-year career, he is 423-306-151, earning him a spot as the fourth winningest goaltender of all time. Additionally, his 76 total shutouts are good enough for eighth in NHL history.

    More from Blackhawk Up

    He was an enormous reason the Chicago Blackhawks went to the Stanley Cup Final in 1971 and 1973. However he was never able to capture one in a Blackhawks sweater.

    His only Stanley Cup win came with the Montreal Canadiens, one year before coming to Chicago.

    “To tell you the truth, you never really get over it. You’re angry,” Esposito told NHL.com in reference to losing those two Stanley Cup Final series.

    Regardless, in 1988 he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. At his acceptance speech in 1988, Esposito said “I dedicated my life to playing goal. I gave it everything I had and I put it above everything.”

    It certainly showed in his effort and in the results he earned because of it. Team Historian Bob Verdi recalls what it took to be Tony Esposito, on and off the ice:

    Although not to the extent of Hall — who logged an amazing 502 consecutive starts — Esposito was an ironman. He toiled despite a variety of injuries, his body routinely a mosaic of welts and bruises. He was fastidious about equipment, sewing his own pads. He was famously focused: his wife Marilyn joked that during car rides to the rink she might as well brought a book because there was no conversation. But Tony O endeared himself, not only to fans but especially teammates, by accepting blame for every goal. It was his fault, even if it really wasn’t.

    Though Tony may have taken a lot of the blame for goals or losses, teammates gave him credit for the wins. “Tony was the backbone of our team,” former teammate Bobby Hull told NHL.com. “He won many games for us. He was fearless.” Recently, Tony O was named to the NHL’s list of 100 the 100 greatest players of all time.

    For more on Tony and his career, check out the video NHL.com did on him above.

    When all is said and done, Esposito was a class act through and through. About ten years ago, he rejoined the Chicago Blackhawks as an official “Blackhawks Ambassador.” The position was also held by Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita, who would represent the Blackhawks at events both within the Chicago area and inside the United Center.

    Next. Blackhawks Season Countdown: Dave Bolland Days Away. dark

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    Today, I encourage all of us to remember Tony O as one of the greatest Chicago Blackhawks, and players, of all time. Esposito was the first Chicago Blackhawk to wear the number 35, and the Hawks did good on his part to keep it that way. Stay tuned for which former Blackhawk will earn the honors of being featured for no. 34.

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