Early years Esposito grew up in
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario with his brother, fellow future NHL star
Phil Esposito. He played
college ice hockey for
Michigan Tech. A three-year hockey
varsity letter winner, Esposito was a three-time first-team
All-America selection. He was a driving force in helping the Michigan Tech Huskies to the 1964–65
NCAA Championship Esposito turned professional with the
Vancouver Canucks in the
Western Hockey League in 1967–68 and played with the
Houston Apollos in the
Central Hockey League in 1968–69. Esposito made his NHL debut against the
Oakland Seals, playing 26 minutes in relief of
Rogie Vachon. His first NHL start was against the
Boston Bruins, then led by his brother Phil. The game ended in a 2–2 tie, in which Phil scored both goals for Boston and Tony made 33 saves. Esposito played thirteen regular-season games, due to both
Gump Worsley and Vachon being injured. However, Esposito returned to the
minor leagues when they both returned from their injuries. Worsley was injured again during the playoffs, so Esposito was called again. He served as backup to Vachon, dressing for all four games in the
Final as Montreal won the
Stanley Cup, with Esposito having his name engraved on there as a winning member. As the Canadiens club was deep in goaltenders at that time, with Worsley, Vachon, and other prospects in the system, Esposito was left unprotected by the Canadiens in 1969.
Rise to fame For the 1969–70 season, the
Chicago Blackhawks claimed him from Montreal on waivers, known at the time as the "
intra-league draft". Esposito had a spectacular season with Chicago, posting a 2.17
GAA and setting a modern-day NHL record with fifteen
shutouts, for which he won the
Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's best rookie. He also took the
Vezina Trophy (then awarded to the goalies for the team which allowed the fewest goals during the regular seasons) and was named to the First All-Star team at season's end. He also was runner-up for league MVP (
Hart Memorial Trophy). It was during this record-setting season that he earned the nickname "Tony O" for his shutout abilities, with the big letter O looking like the big zero that he kept holding opponents to. In 1970–71, he again proved to be one of the league's top goalies and helped Chicago finish first in the NHL's West division. The Blackhawks made it to the
Stanley Cup Final, but lost in seven games to Montreal. The following season he posted the lowest GAA of his career (1.77) and shared the Vezina with backup
Gary Smith. He was again selected to the NHL's First All-Star team. Esposito was named to Team Canada for the
Summit Series of September 1972. He was the first goalie to earn a win against the Soviets, splitting Canada's goaltending duties with Montreal's
Ken Dryden. Esposito posted both the lowest GAA and the highest save percentage of the three goalies (Esposito, Ken Dryden, and
Vladislav Tretiak) who appeared in the series. Tony's brother Phil had an exceptional series as well and was the inspirational leader of the team. Despite the loss of
Bobby Hull, Esposito and the Hawks led their division in 1972–73, but lost the Stanley Cup in six games to Montreal. Esposito was named to the NHL's Second All-Star team that year. The next season, 1973–74, was another brilliant season with a sparkling 2.04 GAA and 10 shutouts. Esposito won his third Vezina, sharing it with the
Philadelphia Flyers'
Bernie Parent, and was again named a Second Team All-Star. The Blackhawks declined over the next few seasons although Esposito remained among the top netminders in the NHL. Tony won his 300th game on December 3, 1978, with a 4 -3 win over the
Colorado Rockies. In 1979–80, Esposito enjoyed a fine season with six shutouts and made the First All-Star team for the third time. In 1981, he became a naturalized American citizen and played for Team USA in the
Canada Cup (he had previously represented Canada at the 1977
Ice Hockey World Championship tournament). He played a few more seasons in Chicago before retiring after the 1983–84 season.
Goaltending style Esposito wrote: ==Distinctions==