Blackhawks Goalies: The Seventies

1967-1984: The Arrival of "Tony O"

When Glenn Hall was taken by the St. Louis Blues in the great expansion of 1967, Denis DeJordy was handed the keys to the Hawks crease. Truth is, DeJordy who had backed-up Hall through parts of three seasons during the 60's, had taken over the number one job in Chicago in the 66-67 season. That year he played the lions share of the games that year (44 games played), relegating Hall to second string. For his part, DeJordy shared the Vezina with Hall that season.

He would go to be the guy for the next two seasons in the City by the Lake. Dave Dryden, brother of Canadiens legend Ken, would serve as DeJordy's backup for the next two seasons. Dryden would later go on to play in the fledgling WHA.

In 1969, the Montreal Canadiens had a glut of goaltenders. With Gump Worsley and Rogie Vachon pencilled is as the 1 and 2 combination, there was no room for an unorthodox 26 year-old from Sault Ste. Marie. Anthony James Esposito was left unprotected and quickly picked up by the Black Hawks in what was then known as an Intra-League Draft.

Espo, known for his quick glove, was unorthodox by 1969 standards. His loose style perplexed scouts of the day not yet accustomed to what would later be known as the butterfly style. They all agreed he was effective nonetheless.

"I studied all the basic older guys. I learned a lot of things from Glenn Hall. For example, when I was in college, my brother played for Chicago and Glenn Hall was the goalie, and I'd go down and visit. I'd spend hours with Glenn Hall. We would go out and have a sociable beer and he would talk goaltending and stuff with me." said Esposito. Tony O and Mr. Goalie were pioneers of the butterfly style.

Esposito's arrival spelled the end of Dave Dryden's run in Chicago. When Dryden refused a minor league assignment, he was suspended and later traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

In his first season, "Tony O" was dynamite. He played in 63 games recording 38 victories to go along with a sparkling 2.17 goals-against average. He also set a modern day record that year notching 15 shutouts. The Black Hawks would finish the season tied for the East Division lead with the Boston Bruins. At the conclusion of the year Esposito would claim the Calder trophy, the Vezina and be named a First Team All-Star. It was the first time that a rookie would win the Vezina since Frank Brimsek in 1939.

The next year, the Hawks were moved to the West Division and captured their first Campbell Bowl en route to a Stanley Cup matchup with the Montreal Canadiens. Esposito and the Hawks narrowly missed a fourth Stanley Cup championship, losing in seven games to the Habs.

In 71-72, he would share the Vezina with his new backup- Gary "Suitcase" Smith (left). Nicknamed "Suitcase" because he played for so many teams, Smith was acquired from the woeful California Golden Seals in September of 71 to be the No. 2 in Chicago's goal. He would play 28 games that season, posting a 2.42 goals-against average while notching 14 wins- 5 by shutout.

Before the 72-73 season would begin, Tony Esposito would play for Canada in the famous 72 Summit Series against the Soviet Union's Central Red Army. After sitting out Game 1 in favor of Ken Dryden, Tony O would start Game 2. His style was better suited against the criss-crossing Soviet attack and Esposito would allow only one goal on 21 shots in registering the win. Tony shared the Team Canada MVP honors for that game with his brother Phil.

After a tying Game 3, Tony was back in goal for Game 5 of the eight-game affair. Despite losing the first game in Moscow, Tony O was once again named as an MVP for the Canadian side. In game 7, with Canada behind 3-2 in the series and their backs against the wall, Tony Esposito got the call. In the madness that was the second period, Tony Esposito was peppered with 13 shots, stopping every one of them sending it to the third tied at two apiece. In the third, he would make at least 6 memorable saves as his squad went on to win 4-3 forcing an eighth game that will be forever remembered for Paul Henderson's heroic winning goal.

When Tony returned home to the Black Hawks for the 72-73 NHL season, he hit the ground running leading the Hawks back to the Stanley Cup final before losing in six games to Montreal. The next year he would again share the Vezina trophy, this time with Philadelphia's Bernie Parent. That year he would shutout opponents 10 times and add another in the playoffs.

Over the next ten seasons, the Hawks would make the playoffs with Tony in net. During that time a number of backups would come and go, most notably Mike Veisor and later on Murray Bannerman. By the 82-83 season, Tony O was 39 and one of the games grand old men and he was now splitting time in goal and in 83-84 he was the games oldest player and had relinquished the starters job to Bannerman. He retired at seasons end.

For his career, Tony Esposito played in over 900 games in a Chicago sweater, both regular season and playoffs, winning more than 450 times. His number 35 was retired by the Hawks in 1988, the same year he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.