Tribute Tony Esposito passes away after battle with pancreatic cancer

[Mrfenn92]

RIP

 

[Joe Scaduto]

Tony O .One of the greatest goalies ever.RIP Tony .

 

[Fenway]

 

[Marotte Marauder]

Tony O

A great Hawk legend and a nice guy on top of that . RIP

 

[Gee Wally]

My condolences.
He was one of my favorites. I was a 12 year old bantam goalie when he won the Calder and Vezina with the Hawks.
Bruins- Hawks games then always special.
Phil vs. Tony…..nothing could be better.
RIP Tony O.

 

[pvr]

My condolences.
He was one of my favorites. I was a 12 year old bantam goalie when he won the Calder and Vezina with the Hawks.
Bruins- Hawks games then always special.
Phil vs. Tony…..nothing could be better.
RIP Tony O.

Phil always seemed to score on Tony. Drove me crazy.

Met Tony after a Hawks practice in Northbrook circa 1971. All the players signing autographs. Great memories. A true Black Hawks icon.

This is a very sad day.

 

[Primary Assist]

Rest in Peace Tony O. As a kid who grew up loving Ed Belfour, I also had a huge amount of respect for the Blackhawk legend Tony Esposito. If I'm not mistaken I believe he still holds the record for the number of shutouts in a modern season with 15.

Rest in peace

 

[ITM]

Childhood hero. Part of the best memories of my life. Played as him as a kid more times than I can recall in Toronto, as a Leafs fan then. First official NHL puck I chose as a kid at the Gardens was a Hawks puck...at a Leafs vs Canadiens game.

Vivid state dependent memory in reading the name Tony Esposito today, and all of it wonderful.

God bless, Tony Esposito. Rest In Peace and Joy.

Condolences to the family.

 

[Artorius Horus T]

Well, that sucks.

For his family and friends :

 

[Artorius Horus T]

Yeah, cancer fuc**** sucks.

 

[Ray Martyniuk]

Sad to hear Tony O has passed away...Cheered for him and the Black Hawks during the 1971 Stanley Cup Finals. Played goal because of Tony Esposito the rookie sensation of 1969-70 who racked up 15 Shut-outs the most in history! A mark that still stands! Thoughts and prayers for the famiglia a Antonio Esposito...Tony O was an All-Star here and All-Star wherever he goes

 

[HLLYWD99]

RIP Tony O.

F#%k Cancer

 

[elvisisalive]

Tony Esposito was my number 1 sports hero growing up. first time i saw him in net when i was 5, i thought he was the coolest thing ever. no other goalie looked or played like him. i met him for a brief moment in i think 1979 in new brunswick during a hawks toronto pre season game. He'll always be the greatest goalie to me.

 

[Cement Head]

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I watched that game on television, probably WGN, amazing performance by Tony. As you can see the Hawks shooting percentage was outstanding that game and the Bruins with Orr and Phil Esposito were still an excellent team. The previous year in 1974, the Flyers beat the Bruins in the Finals. Lucky for the Hawks it was a three game series, I'm sure Boston would have won the remaining games if it were a five or seven game playoff round. I will always remember that game as well as the seventh game against the Canadians in 1971 and the goal scored from the blue line by Jacques Lemaire, I didn't see it but heard it announced on the radio since the telecast was blacked out in Chicago. Oh oh, now I'm having bad memories again!

 

[Fenway]

RIP

Pancreatic Cancer can be a very quick battle. Some people are diagnosed and dead in a week. It took my dad in less than 4 months.

The problem is when symptoms develop it usually in an advanced stage

 

[Fenway]

I watched that game on television, probably WGN, amazing performance by Tony. As you can see the Hawks shooting percentage was outstanding that game and the Bruins with Orr and Phil Esposito were still an excellent team. The previous year in 1974, the Flyers beat the Bruins in the Finals. Lucky for the Hawks it was a three game series, I'm sure Boston would have won the remaining games if it were a five or seven game playoff round. I will always remember that game as well as the seventh game against the Canadians in 1971 and the goal scored from the blue line by Jacques Lemaire, I didn't see it but heard it announced on the radio since the telecast was blacked out in Chicago. Oh oh, now I'm having bad memories again!

Tony always said he didn't miss the Lemaire shot - he never saw it.



Wirtz agreed to move the Hawks to the West in 1971 to allow Vancouver to be in the East with Montreal and Toronto

It should have been a Boston/Chicago final but the Bruins fell asleep in Game 2 in the first round blowing a 5-1 lead in what was Orr's worst game as a Bruin.

 

[swerdnase]

My very first favorite player. RIP Tony O.

 

[Enyaw]

Class Act ... Rest in Peace Tony

Thanks for the memories

 

[Fenway]

@Nellie Fox

Harvey Wittenberg announcing the starting lineups in 1983 - only one Hawk player brought a reaction from the fans - #35

 

[Fenway]

I watched that game on television, probably WGN, amazing performance by Tony. As you can see the Hawks shooting percentage was outstanding that game and the Bruins with Orr and Phil Esposito were still an excellent team. The previous year in 1974, the Flyers beat the Bruins in the Finals. Lucky for the Hawks it was a three game series, I'm sure Boston would have won the remaining games if it were a five or seven game playoff round. I will always remember that game as well as the seventh game against the Canadians in 1971 and the goal scored from the blue line by Jacques Lemaire, I didn't see it but heard it announced on the radio since the telecast was blacked out in Chicago. Oh oh, now I'm having bad memories again!

That game paved the way for Phil Esposito to be traded by Boston to New York. Phil scored a garbage-time goal late and he reacted as the Bruins had just won the Cup that enraged Bruins GM Harry Sinden.

To the shock of most Bruins fans rookie coach Don Cherry wasn't fired but instead, Phil was traded to NY for Brad Park.

 

[HLLYWD99]

Tony always said he didn't miss the Lemaire shot - he never saw it.



Wirtz agreed to move the Hawks to the West in 1971 to allow Vancouver to be in the East with Montreal and Toronto

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It should have been a Boston/Chicago final but the Bruins fell asleep in Game 2 in the first round blowing a 5-1 lead in what was Orr's worst game as a Bruin.

1971 Painfull memory for this BlackHawks fan.

 

[featherhawk]

RIP to one of the greatest Hawks

f*** cancer

exactly my thoughts, Cancer got both my mom and dad...

gone before 70...sad really.

Tony you were one of my first favourite Hawks, buddy, rest in piece and say hi to my mom and dad up there in heaven cause that is where you all are now.

 

[Fenway]

1971 Painful memory for this BlackHawks fan.

I wonder if this woman who NHL Films featured back in 1971 is still with us

Tony did get his name engraved on the Cup - with Montreal