Phil Esposito facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Phil Esposito OC
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1984
Esposito in 2012
Born	(1942-02-20) February 20, 1942 (age 83) Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Chicago Black Hawks Boston Bruins New York Rangers
National team	Canada
Playing career	1963–1981

Phil Esposito is a famous Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was also a coach and a team executive. Today, he works as a broadcaster for the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team.

Phil Esposito is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. He played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins, and New York Rangers. He won two Stanley Cups with the Boston Bruins.

Many people think he is one of the greatest hockey players ever. His younger brother, Tony Esposito, was also a Hall of Fame goaltender. Phil was the first player to score more than 100 points in a season. He did this with 126 points in the 1968–69 season. He reached 100 points five more times after that. He was also the first player to score 50 goals in a season five times in a row. This included a record 76 goals in the 1970–71 season. That same year, he also set a record with 152 points.

Overall, Phil Esposito won the Art Ross Trophy five times. This award is for the player who scores the most points. He led the league in goals six times. He also won the Hart Trophy twice as the league's most valuable player. He was named a first team All-Star centre six times.

After he stopped playing, Esposito coached and managed the Rangers for two seasons. In 1991, he and his brother Tony started the Tampa Bay Lightning. This was the first NHL team in Florida. Phil was the team's first president and general manager until 1998. Now, he is a radio commentator for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

In 2017, Esposito was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history. In 2023, The Athletic ranked him as the ninth-best player of all time. The Bruins retired his #7 jersey on December 3, 1987. There is also a statue of him at Tampa Bay's Amalie Arena.

Playing Hockey

Starting in Minor Leagues

Phil Esposito signed with the Chicago Black Hawks when he was a teenager. He played for the Sarnia Legionnaires in the 1960–61 season. He scored 108 points in just 32 games. This was an amazing 3.3 points per game!

After playing well in junior hockey, Esposito spent two seasons with Chicago's minor league team, the St. Louis Braves. He scored 90 points in his first season and 80 points in only 46 games in his second.

Playing for Chicago (1963-1967)

Esposito joined the Chicago Black Hawks in the middle of the 1964 season. He played as a centre for the great Bobby Hull starting in the 1965 season. He quickly showed he was a skilled playmaker. He finished among the league's top scorers in the next three seasons.

Becoming a Star in Boston (1967-1975)

Esposito with the Boston Bruins in 1969.

In 1967, Esposito was traded to the Boston Bruins. This was a huge trade. In Boston, Esposito became the best scorer of his time. In 1969, he was the first NHL player to score 100 points in a season. He actually scored 126 points, which was a new record. He almost reached 100 points again in 1970. Then, he scored over 100 points for five years in a row.

During this time, he won the Art Ross Trophy five times (1969, and 1971 to 1974). He also led the league in goals for six straight seasons (1969–70 to 1974–75). Esposito was named to the NHL's first All-Star team six times in a row (1969 to 1974). He won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player in 1969 and 1974.

Boston fans loved his scoring. They even had bumper stickers that said, "Jesus saves, Espo scores on the rebound." Esposito was not the fastest skater. But he was known for standing strong in front of the opponent's net. From there, he could score from almost anywhere. He once said, "Scoring is easy. You simply stand in the slot, take your beating and shoot the puck into the net." He was also good at holding onto the puck for a long time. This helped his team when they were playing with fewer players.

Esposito played on one of the most famous forward lines in hockey history. He was the centre, with Ken Hodge on his right and Wayne Cashman on his left. Esposito and superstar Bobby Orr led the Bruins to Stanley Cup wins in 1970 and 1972. They also finished first in the league in 1971, 1972, and 1974.

In the 1970–71 season, Esposito broke the record for most goals in a season with 76. This record stood until 1982, when Wayne Gretzky scored his 77th goal. Esposito was there to give Gretzky the game puck. Esposito also set the single-season point-scoring record in 1971 with 152 points. This mark was later broken by Gretzky.

As of 2024, Esposito ranks second in all-time regular-season goals for Boston with 459. He also holds the Boston record for most playoff hat-tricks with four. He scored 20 shorthanded goals for Boston during his career.

The 1972 Summit Series

Esposito was the captain and a big leader for Canada in the Summit Series in 1972. This was a special series of games against the Soviet Union. He was Canada's top scorer in the series. He also scored the first goal of the series. In the final game, he scored or helped with four goals.

After a tough loss in Game Four, Canadian fans booed the team. Esposito gave a famous speech to the fans:

"If the Russian fans boo their players in Moscow like you people are booing us, I'll come back and apologize personally to every one of you, but I really don't think that will happen. We gave it and are doing our best. All of us guys are really disheartened. . . We came out here because we love Canada. They're a good hockey team, and we don't know what we could do better, but I promise we will figure it out. But it's totally ridiculous – I don't think it is fair that we should be booed."

This speech is often credited with inspiring his teammates. For his performance, Esposito won the 1972 Lou Marsh Trophy. This award is for Canada's best male athlete of the year. He was also made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Esposito also played for Canada in the first Canada Cup in 1976. He played on a line with Hall-of-Famers Bobby Hull and Marcel Dionne. He also played for Canada in the 1977 World Championships.

Playing for New York (1975-1981)

In the 1975–76 season, Esposito was traded to the New York Rangers. This happened because he wanted to keep playing a lot, even as he got older. He and Carol Vadnais were traded for Brad Park, Joe Zanussi, and Jean Ratelle. This was a very important trade.

Even though he wasn't scoring as much as before, Esposito was still a good player. As captain of the Rangers, he led the team in points in every full season he played there. He was an effective scorer until his last season. A big moment for him in New York was leading the Rangers to the 1979 Stanley Cup Finals. He was 37 years old and finished third in scoring during the playoffs.

On November 4, 1977, Esposito scored his 600th NHL goal. He was the first player to reach this milestone while playing for the Rangers.

Esposito retired in 1981. At that time, he was second only to Gordie Howe in career goals and total points. He was third in assists.

After Playing Hockey

Working for the New York Rangers

Esposito was the general manager and head coach of the Rangers from 1986 to 1989. He was known as "Trader Phil" because he made so many trades. He made more trades than the Vancouver Canucks made in the entire 1980s!

Starting the Tampa Bay Lightning

When the NHL planned to add new teams in the late 1980s, Phil Esposito wanted to bring a team to Tampa Bay, Florida. He worked with his brother Tony and Mel Lowell. They faced competition from another group. But Phil's strong reputation helped them win the bid for Tampa Bay on December 6, 1990. The Tampa Bay Lightning started playing in the 1992–93 NHL season. Phil Esposito was the team's first president and general manager.

For the Lightning's first season, Esposito hired many of his old teammates from the Bruins. He also made hockey history by signing Manon Rhéaume. She became the first woman to sign with and play for an NHL team.

The team had some financial problems early on. In 1998, the team was sold to a new owner. Shortly after, Phil and Tony Esposito were no longer with the team.

Working as a Broadcaster

After retiring from playing with the Rangers in 1981, Phil Esposito became a TV commentator. He later returned to the Lightning organization in the 1999–2000 season. He became a radio colour commentator for their home games. He still calls home games today. He also co-hosts a daily radio show about hockey.

Family Life

Phil Esposito was married to Linda during his playing career. They had three children together. He is now married to his second wife, Bridget.

Honors and Awards

Esposito was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1984. On December 3, 1987, the Boston Bruins retired his #7 jersey. This was a very emotional ceremony. The player who was wearing #7 at the time, Ray Bourque, took off his jersey to show his new number, 77. He was giving his old number to Esposito. Esposito was very touched by this gesture.

Phil's younger brother, Tony Esposito, is also in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Former NHL player Alexander Selivanov is Phil Esposito's son-in-law.

Achievements and Awards

• NHL second All-Star team (1968, 1975)
• Played in NHL All-Star Game (1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980)
• Art Ross Trophy winner (1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974)
• Hart Memorial Trophy winner (1969, 1974)
• NHL first All-Star team (1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974)
• Stanley Cup champion (1970, 1972)
• Lester B. Pearson Award winner (1971, 1974)
• Won Lou Marsh Trophy as Canadian athlete of the year in 1972.
• Lester Patrick Trophy winner (1978)
• Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1984.
• His #7 Jersey was retired by the Boston Bruins on December 3, 1987.
• Retired as the second leading all-time NHL goal and point scorer.
• First player in NHL history to reach 100 points in a single season (1969).
• Holds the record for shots on goal in a single season with 550 in 1970–71.
• Had thirteen seasons in a row with 30 or more goals.
• In 1998, he was ranked number 18 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
• Inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
• Inducted into the Sault Ste Marie Walk of Fame in 2007 (with his brother Tony).
• Received a star on the Italian Walk of Fame in Toronto in 2009.
• A statue of him was unveiled in front of the Tampa Bay Times Forum (now Amalie Arena) in 2011.
• Inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.
• Named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history in 2017.
• Named an inaugural member of the Tampa Bay Lightning Hall of Fame in 2023.
• Named One of the Top 100 Best Bruins Players of all Time.
• Boston Bruins All-Centennial Team.

Career Statistics

International Play

Head Coaching Record

See also

In Spanish: Phil Esposito para niños

• 1972 Summit Series
• Hockey Hall of Fame
• List of NHL players with 1,000 points
• List of NHL players with 500 goals