1969-70 O-Pee-Chee 138 Tony Esposito Hockey Card (Front)
1969-70 O-Pee-Chee 138 Tony Esposito Hockey Card (Back)
1969-70 O-Pee-Chee NHL Checklist
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Card Notes
Tony received his big “break” this year when Chicago drafted him from the Montreal organization. This rookie goaltender appears to be on the threshold of a brilliant career in the NHL. Tony shut-out Canadiens twice before this season was two months old.
En Français
Tony a eu sa chance cette année quand Chicago l’a repêché de l’organisation de Montréal. Ce “recrue” gardien de buts semble être au seuil d’une brillante carrière dans la LNH. Tony a blanchi les Canadiens deux fois, même si la saison n’etait commencée que depuis moins de deux moins.
Details
The 1969-70 NHL season did not start well for the Chicago Blackhawks. The team didn’t get their first win until the seventh game of the season. The Hawks rotated three goalies early on, with Denis DeJordy, Gerry Desjardins and Tony Esposito seeing time between the pipes.
It all changed, for the team and for Tony-O, when they visited the club that let Esposito go over the off-season. On October 25, 1969, The Montreal Canadiens hosted the Blackhawks. Tony turned away all 30 shots put his way while Habs goalie Rogie Vachon let in five on just 20 shots. It was the first of an amazing 15 shutouts for Esposito in 1969-70.
As mentioned on the back of this 1969-70 O-Pee-Chee hockey card, Tony shut out his old team for a second time on November 16, 1969, this time at home at Chicago Stadium. Esposito made 29 saves for the blank while Rogie Vachon let in just one goal on 33 shots in the 1-0 game. The lone goal scorer was Stan Mikita, putting up the game winning goal with less than three minutes left in the match.
That year, Tony twice shutdown his brother, Phil Esposito, and the highly potent offense of the Boston Bruins. In one match, the game ended in a 0-0 tie. In the other, Chicago scored a single goal for a 1-0 win. However, when the two teams met in the post season, Tony allowed 20 goals over the four games and the Bruins advanced to the Stanley Cup final.
Between 1968-69 and 1983-84, Tony Esposito appeared in 886 regular season and 99 playoff games with the Canadiens and Blackhawks. Along with the Calder Trophy he won in 1969-70, Tony was also a three time recipient of the Vezina Trophy. Esposito was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988.