Philip Anthony Esposito ( , ; born February 20, 1942) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, coach and executive, and current broadcaster for the Tampa Bay Lightning. A member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, he played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins, and New York Rangers, winning two Stanley Cups with Boston.
He is considered one of the greatest players of all time, and is the older brother of Hall-of-Fame goaltender Tony Esposito. He became the first player to score more than 100 points in a season, with 126 in 1968–69, a feat he achieved a further five times. In 1970–71 Esposito also became the first player to score 50 goals in five consecutive seasons, including the then records of 76 goals and 152 points the same year. Altogether, he won the Art Ross Trophy as the leading point scorer five times, led the league in goals six times, was voted the Hart Trophy for MVP twice, and was named as a first team All-Star centre six times.
After retiring as a player, Esposito served as head coach and general manager for the Rangers for two seasons. In 1991, he and brother Tony co-founded the Tampa Bay Lightning, the first NHL team in Florida. Phil Esposito served as the franchise's first president and general manager until 1998; he now serves as the Lightning's radio colour commentator.
Esposito was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history in 2017, and the ninth-best player of all time by The Athletic in 2023. His #7 jersey was retired by the Bruins on December 3, 1987, and there is a statue in his likeness at Tampa Bay's Benchmark International Arena.
Early life Phil Esposito was born on February 20, 1942, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, to his parents Pat and Frances, who were both of Italian descent. His father's parents immigrated to Canada at the beginning of 20th century. His father quit school as a teenager to work in Sault Ste. Marie's steel mills, and later worked as a labourer and a welder, and married Frances in 1941. He built the family's first house for $3,000 and paid it off six years later. Esposito grew up with his sisters Mary and Janice and his brother Tony. The Esposito brothers started playing hockey together at an early age on frozen ponds, outdoor rinks, and local community leagues.
Playing career
Minor league
Esposito signed with the Chicago Black Hawks as a teenager and was assigned to the Sarnia Legionnaires Jr. 'B' hockey team for the 1960–61 season. In just 32 games with the Legionnaires, he scored 47 goals and 61 assists, for 108 points - a scoring pace of 3.3 points per game. He scored 12 points in one playoff game as the Legionnaires advanced to the Western Ontario final before being eliminated. After a sparkling junior season with the St. Catharines Teepees of the Ontario Hockey Association in 1961–62, Esposito spent two seasons with Chicago's minor league affiliate, the St. Louis Braves, scoring 90 points in his first season and 80 points in only 46 games in his second. He was then named to the OHA-Jr. Second All-Star Team.
Chicago Black Hawks (1963-1967) Midway through the 1963–64 NHL season, Esposito was called up to the parent Black Hawks to make his NHL debut. He appeared in 27 games and scored his first NHL goal on January 25, 1964 versus the Detroit Red Wings. Centreing for Bobby Hull beginning in the 1964–65 season, he proved himself a quality playmaker, twice finishing amongst the league-leading scorers over the next three seasons. In 1964–65 he appeared in 70 games scoring 20+ goals for the first time, along with 32 assists for 55 total points. Esposito appeared in 13 playoff games scoring 3 goals and 3 assists as the Black Hawks reached the 1965 Stanley Cup Final, in which they were defeated 4–3 by Montreal. Esposito produced similar numbers the following season scoring 27 goals and 26 assists in 69 games, as the Black Hawks were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. His final season with the Black Hawks came in 1966-67 during which he scored 21 goals and 41 assists in 69 games, as the Black Hawks again lost in the first round.
Boston Bruins (1967-1975) In 1967, Esposito was dealt with Ken Hodge and Fred Stanfield to the Boston Bruins in a blockbuster trade. While Hodge and Stanfield rose to become stars in Boston, Esposito blossomed into the greatest scorer of his day. In his first year with the club, Esposito's play improved greatly; he appeared in 74 games and had his first 30+ goal season, scoring 35 goals along with 49 assists. As a result he led the Bruins in all 3 categories of goals, assists and points. This resulted in him being named to the NHL second All-Star team for the first time in his career. In addition he helped the Bruins break their 8 year playoff drought. However they were swept by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round.
A 6-foot-1, 215-pound, strong man who seldom hid his emotions, Esposito was nearly unstoppable when he maneuvered in the slot. He'd find or fight for some free ice against the frustrated defenders trying to stop him, and figure out a way to get the puck on his stick. As soon as it was there, he sent it goalward. One of his best attributes was his shot. During his time with the Bruins he benefitted from his point-blank positioning, especially on the power play. Being a big player for his day, and even as he withstood a flogging from penalty-killing stick swingers, he would still get his shots in, with 249 going in, which made him one of the greatest power-play scorers in league history. Esposito play style has led to him being described as hockey's version of Willie Sutton, the prolific American bank robber. Asked why he robbed banks, Sutton said, "Because that's where the money is." As for Esposito he parked his hulking frame in front of the opponent's net because that's where his goals were scored.
The following year, 1968–69 season, Esposito had both a breakout and historic year; in 74 games Esposito scored 49 goals and 77 assists for 126 total points, making him the first player in NHL history to score 100 points in a season. Esposito scored the historic 100th point in a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 2, 1969 when he scored 2 goals in a 4-0 Bruins victory. For this feat, Esposito ended up playing in his first NHL all star game and was named to the NHL first All-Star team for the first time as well. In addition, Esposito took home the Art Ross Trophy as the league's top scorer, and also won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's most valuable player. The Bruins defeated The Rangers in the first round, but despite Esposito’s 18 point postseason, the Bruins once again lost to Montreal 4-2 in the semifinals.
During his prime, Esposito centered one of the most renowned forward lines in history, featuring Ken Hodge on his right wing and Wayne Cashman on his left. Esposito continued to put up sensational numbers alongside fellow superstar Bobby Orr. During the 1969–70 season Esposito appeared in 76 games and finished just one point shy of a second consecutive 100 point campaign, scoring 43 goals and 56 assists. For his efforts, he was once again selected to the NHL first All-Star team. The Bruins once again made the postseason and Esposito led the way during the postseason, scoring a career high 13 playoff goals along with 14 assists in 14 games. The Bruins defeated both New York and Chicago to reach the 1970 Stanley Cup Final where they defeated the St Louis Blues to secure Boston's first cup in 29 years.
During 1970–71, Esposito shattered the record for most goals in a season: in 78 games he averaged nearly a goal a game, scoring 76 goals. This mark stood until 1982, when Wayne Gretzky scored his 77th, 78th and 79th goals against the Buffalo Sabres on February 24, 1982, at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. Esposito was on hand to present the game puck to Gretzky. Esposito also set the single-season point-scoring record in 1971, as along with his 76 goals, he tallied 76 assists for 152 total points, a mark later superseded by Gretzky's 215 points in 1985-86. Only four others have reached the 150 point plateau — Mario Lemieux (four times), Steve Yzerman, Bernie Nicholls and Connor McDavid — and only Gretzky, Lemieux, Brett Hull, Teemu Selänne and Alexander Mogilny have matched or bettered Esposito's 76 goals in a season.
The 1970 season also saw Esposito shatter the single-season mark for shots on goal, tallying 550. Only one other player has come within 100 shots of this record, Alexander Ovechkin in 2008–09, in a season that was four games longer than when it was set. With Esposito scoring 152 points, his fellow teammates also put up incredible numbers: Bobby Orr (with 139), Johnny Bucyk (116) and Ken Hodge (105). The group finished 1–2–3–4 in league scoring, the first time in NHL history the season's top four scorers all played for one team. Once again, Esposito received numerous accolades for his performance, earning his second Art Ross Trophy, a third NHL first All-Star team selection, and his first Lester B. Pearson Award as the league's most outstanding player in the regular season. Despite the tremendous regular season, Esposito and the Bruins were upset by the Canadians in the first round of the playoffs 4-3.
On August 31, 1971, Esposito signed a lucrative four-year contract extension with the Bruins, making him one of the highest-paid players in the NHL at over $100,000 per season following a record-breaking 76-goal season.
The next year, during the 1971–72 season, Esposito continued his tremendous scoring average; in 76 games, Esposito scored 66 goals and 67 assists for 133 total points. This resulted in Esposito, along with teammate Bobby Orr, becoming the first players in league history to have back to back 100+ point seasons. Esposito earned his third Art Ross Trophy and his fourth first All-Star team selection. The Bruins finished that season with the league's best record, and once again Esposito put up big numbers during their postseason run, scoring 9 goals and a postseason-best 15 assists in 15 games, as the Bruins reached the 1972 Stanley Cup Final vs. New York. After the Rangers staved off elimination in game five, Esposito said famously, "If the Rangers think they're going to beat us in the next two games, they're full of 'Park' spelled backwards," referring to Rangers star defensemen Brad Park. Sure enough, the Bruins put them away in game six at Madison Square Garden, winning their second Stanley cup in three years.
During the 1972-73 season, Esposito had a third consecutive 100+ point season. In 78 games, he scored 55 goals and 75 assists for 130 total points. This resulted in a fifth All Star game appearance, fifth first All-Star team selection and his fourth Art Ross Trophy. However, Esposito only appeared in 2 postseason games, as the Bruins were defeated by New York in the first round.
During the 1973–74 season, Esposito scored his 1000th career point on February 15, 1974 vs the Detroit Red wings. He would go on to have another explosive year: in 77 games Esposito would score 66 goals and tally 76 assists for 145 total points. Esposito's 145 points, combined with teammate Orr's 122 points, Hodge's 105 points, and Cashman's 89 points, meant the Bruins again finished 1–2–3–4 in league scoring, the only other time in NHL history the season's top four scorers all played for one team. Esposito would win his fifth and final Art Ross Trophy, along with the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's MVP for a second time. The Bruins once again finished with the league's best record, and during the postseason, Esposito scored 14 points (9 goals and 5 assists) in 16 games, as the Bruins reached the 1974 Stanley Cup finals. However, they were defeated by Philadelphia 4-2.