| Born: | February 20, 1942 | Draft: | Undrafted Black Hawks |
| Hometown: | Sault Ste. Marie, ON | Position: | C |
| Known For: | 6x Rocket Richard Trophy | Shoots: | Left |
| National Team: | Canada |
Philip Anthony Esposito OC (/ˌɛspəˈziːtoʊ/ ESP-ə-ZEE-toh,[1] Italian: [eˈspɔːzito]; born February 20, 1942) is a Canadian broadcaster, and former professional ice hockey executive, coach and player. A member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, he played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins, and New York Rangers. He is considered one of the greatest players of all time and is the older brother of fellow Hall-of-Famer Tony Esposito, a goaltender.
After retiring as a player, Esposito served as head coach and general manager of the New York Rangers before co-founding the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was the principal studio analyst for the NHL on Fox 1995–1998. He now serves as Tampa Bay’s radio colour commentator.
In 2017, Esposito was named one of the ‘100 Greatest NHL Players’ in history.
Years as an NHL Player: 1963-1981
Years as an NHL Coach: 1980, 1986-1987
Years as an NHL Executive: 1986-1989, 1992-1998
Phil Esposito Statistics
Deeper Dive
- Phil Esposito Grew to Love Rangers Fans, Playing in New York
- Esposito: The Trade That Shaped the Boston Bruins
- Rangers’ Esposito Era: 5 Best and Worst Trades of ‘Trader Phil’
- Esposito’s Best Move as Lightning GM Was Drafting Brad Richards
- Boston Bruins 50-Goal Scorers
- Boston Bruins With 100-Point Seasons
- Chicago Blackhawks’ Worst Trades of All-Time
- Oldest Players With 100-Point Seasons
Coaching History
- New York Rangers (Assistant Coach) 1980-1981
- New York Rangers (Head Coach) 1986-1987
Front Office History
- NHL New York Rangers (General Manager) 1986-1989
- NHL Tampa Bay Lightning (President & General Manager) 1992-1998
- ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones (Franchise Owner) 2001-2004
Achievements
- Captain of the Rangers (1975-1978)
- Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985
- Jersey (#7) retired by the Bruins in 1987
- Lester Patrick Trophy (1978)
- Canada Cup Champion (1977)
- 6x NHL First All-Star Team (1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974)
- 2x NHL Second All-Star Team (1968, 1975)
- 6x Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard Trophy (1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975)
- 5x Art Ross Trophy (1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974)
- 2x Hart Memorial Trophy (1969, 1974)
- 2x Ted Lindsay Award (1971, 1974)
- 2x Stanley Cup Champion with the Bruins (1970, 1972)
- 10x Played in NHL All-Star Game (1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980)
- Retired as the second leading all-time NHL goal and point scorer, and third in assists.
- Among the all-time NHL leaders in goals scored (7th), assists (21st), and total points (10th).
- First player in NHL history to score 1,000 points in a decade (1970s).
- Won Lou Marsh Trophy as Canadian athlete of the year in 1972.
- Received Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement in 1972.
- Holds the record for shots on goal in a single season with 550 in 1970–71.
- All-time leader in game-winning goals with 118. (tied by fellow Bruin Jaromír Jágr on April 21, 2013)
- Had thirteen consecutive 30+ goal seasons, second-most in history.
- 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 in 2007 (alongside brother Tony) into the Sault Ste Marie Walk of Fame.
- In the 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats, was ranked No. 23 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team’s first 82 seasons
- Received a star on the Italian Walk of Fame in Toronto in 2009.
- Statue unveiled in his honour in front of the Tampa Bay Times Forum (now Amalie Arena) on December 31, 2011.