Blackhawks Hall of Fame goaltender Tony Esposito dies at 78

CHICAGO (AP) — Tony Esposito, the pioneering Hall of Fame goaltender who played astir his full 16-year vocation with the Chicago Blackhawks, has died pursuing a little conflict with pancreatic cancer, the squad announced Tuesday. He was 78.

Esposito debuted with Montreal during the 1968-69 play and appeared successful 13 games. He was past near unprotected with the Canadiens heavy successful goalies and taken by the Blackhawks successful an intraleague draught for $25,000, an concern that paid contiguous dividends for a squad that finished past successful its division.

Esposito helped pb the Blackhawks to archetypal place, showcasing his butterfly benignant to station a 2.17 goals-against mean and 15 shutouts, inactive a modern grounds for an NHL goalie. He won the Calder Trophy arsenic the NHL’s rookie of the twelvemonth arsenic good arsenic the Vezina Trophy fixed to the apical goaltender. He besides won the Vezina successful 1972 and 1974.

“Tony was 1 of the astir important and fashionable figures successful the past of the franchise arsenic we adjacent its 100th anniversary,” Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz said. “Four generations of our household — my gramps Arthur, my begetter Bill, my lad Danny and I — were blessed by his enactment ethic arsenic a Hall of Fame goalie, but much importantly, by his specified beingness and spirit.”

Esposito was from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, conscionable crossed the St. Mary’s River from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and helium helped Michigan Tech to an NCAA title successful 1965. His older brother, Phil, was a prima successful his ain right, a Hall of Fame halfway who played 18 seasons successful the NHL.

The younger Esposito’s archetypal NHL commencement was Dec. 5, 1958, against Boston — and his brother. Phil Esposito scored doubly connected his younger brother, but Tony made 33 saves and the crippled ended 2-2.

Commissioner Gary Bettman called him “a beloved subordinate of the hockey family.”

“It was Esposito’s style, charisma and bosom that endeared him astir to hockey fans not lone successful Chicago but crossed the NHL,” Bettman said. “The hockey satellite volition miss him greatly.”

Esposito helped pb Chicago to the playoffs successful 14 seasons. The Blackhawks reached the Stanley Cup Final successful 1971 and 1973, losing each clip to his erstwhile team, Montreal.

He is Chicago’s vocation person with 418 wins and 74 shutouts. His wide grounds of 423-306-151 ranks 10th successful league history. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame successful 1988, joining his brother.

The Blackhawks retired Esposito’s No. 35 connected Nov. 20, 1988, and paid tribute to him again connected March 19, 2008. He was named a squad ambassador successful a pregame ceremonial attended by franchise icons and erstwhile teammates Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita. In 2017, helium was selected by the league arsenic 1 of the “100 Greatest Players successful NHL History.”

Esposito is survived by his woman Marilyn, sons Mark and Jason, and grandchildren Lauren and Kamryn. His brother, Phil, is 79 and does vigor enactment for the Tampa Bay Lightning, which helium helped found.