Brothers Tony Esposito and Phil Esposito are well known for their Hockey Hall of Fame NHL careers. Both can be truly defined by a single outstanding season. Tony is in the books for his 15 shutouts during the 1969-70 season, a modern day record (George Hainsworth holds the all-time record with 22 but the game was much different compared to today). Phil changed the hockey world the following season with his 76 goals and 152 points.
In this article, we’ll take a look at how the two brothers fared head-to-head in Tony’s season, 1969-70. The Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins met eight times during the regular season and four times in the playoffs (a 4-0 sweep by the Bruins in the semi-final). One brother or another, and sometimes both, played prominent roles in all 12 games.
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Tony Esposito 1969-70 NHL Season
In his first full season in the National Hockey League, Esposito certainly earned his nickname, Tony-O. Appearing in 63 games for the Chicago Blackhawks, Tony recorded 15 shutouts and a 2.17 goals against average. His only previous NHL experience came the year before when he played 13 games for the Montreal Canadiens.
Esposito helped the Blackhawks to a first place overall finish during the regular season. In the post season, Chicago swept the Detroit Red Wings in the opening round before being swept by the Bruins in the semi-final.
Tony took home the hardware, winning the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year and the Vezina Trophy for the lowest GAA.
Phil Esposito 1969-70 NHL Season
In 1969-70, Phil led the league with 43 goals, a number he would come close to doubling in the following season. One goal behind him was a young Garry Unger of the Detroit Red Wings with 42. In the race for the Art Ross Trophy, Phil’s 99 points were good for second behind teammate Bobby Orr. Orr was well ahead with 120 points.
In the post season, Espo helped the Bruins to a Stanley Cup championship with incredible numbers. In 14 games, he scored 13 goals and assisted on 14 for 27 points. As great as the numbers were, it wasn’t Conn Smythe Trophy worthy. That honour went to Bobby Orr.
Head-To-Head (Regular Season)
As mentioned, the Bruins and Blackhawks met eight times during the regular season in 1969-70. Each team won three games with two games ending in a draw. Tony recorded two shutouts while Phil scored two goals and assisted on four for six points.
November 21, 1969
Playing at Chicago Stadium, the two teams battled to a 2-2 tie. Tony made 32 saves on 34 shots. Phil went pointless with a -1 while recording seven shots on net. He also sat two minutes for roughing in the second period.
December 6, 1969
For their second meeting, the Bruins were the host at the Boston Garden. Boston won quite handily 6-1. Tony made 24 saves on 28 shots and was pulled midway through the third. In his place, Denis DeJordy let in two goals on six shots. Phil assisted on two of the six goals. He went +1 with four shots on net.
January 17, 1970
Tony lulled the Bruins and the Boston Garden to sleep in this game. Chicago came out ahead 1-0 with Esposito stopping all 36 shots put his way. His brother was a -1 with four shots on net.
February 4, 1970
The two teams met three times in February and the rivalry between a couple of the best teams in the league started to heat up. At Chicago Stadium, goals came in bunches and the Blackhawks beat the Bruins 8-4.
Tony made 35 saves on 39 shots. Phil scored the first goal of the game at 3:20 of the first period, assisted by Fred Stanfield. The goal was on the power play with Doug Mohns in the box for tripping. That would be the only point for the older brother despite his six shots on net. For Chicago, Stan Mikita had a night to remember with five points on a goal and four assists.
February 22, 1970
Again in Chicago, the Blackhawks again doubled up on the Bruins, this time 6-3. Tony made 26 saves on 29 shots. Phil made his mark on the scoresheet, although offensively he contributed just a assist (on a second period goal by Wayne Carleton).
The older Esposito was handed 17 minutes in penalties during the game. In the first, he was assessed five for fighting. Near the end of the second, a two minute minor for elbowing and a 10 minute misconduct came his way after an altercation with Bill White.
February 28, 1970
The result at the Boston Garden was a shutout, but for Gerry Cheevers of the Bruins not Tony-O. The game ended up 3-0 with Esposito putting in an exceptional performance in the loss, stopping 38 of 41 shots fired at him. Tony got on the scoresheet after a third period dust-up with Derek Sanderson got him two minutes for roughing.
Phil scored the first goal of the game which, of course, was the game winner. At 5:33 of the first, he scored his 34th of the season with help from Ken Hodge. It was one of six shots he put on his brother that night.
March 11, 1970
Tony recorded another shutout at home in this yawner. The teams tie 0-0 with both Esposito and Eddie Johnston awarded a shutout. Johnston was the busier of the goalies, turning away 32 shots while Tony faced 24. Phil was mostly ineffective with just two shots on net.
March 19, 1970
Their final regular season meeting was played at Boston Garden. The Bruins came out on top 3-1 with Phil assisting on John Bucyk’s game winning goal at 12:54 of the second. For Bucyk, it was his 28th of the season.
Tony made 38 saves on 41 shots in the losing cause. Eleven of those 38 saves were made on shots from his brother.
Head-To-Head (Playoffs)
The Blackhawks and Bruins met in the semi-final. Tony allowed 20 goals over four games while Phil scored five and assisted on four for nine points. Boston needed just four games to Eliminate Chicago.
April 19, 1970
Playing in Chicago, the Bruins doubled up on the Blackhawks 6-3. Tony made 24 saves on 30 shots and it was Phil that made the difference in the game. He got the hat trick with his 7th, 8th and 9th goals of the playoffs. His third goal from Bobby Orr and Johnny Bucyk in the second was the game winner. In all, Phil had nine shots on his brother.
April 21, 1970
The second game was also hosted by the Blackhawks at Chicago Stadium. Boston put 32 shots on Tony, scoring on four of them. The fourth goal for the Bruins was scored by Phil at 5:02 of the third, his 10th of the playoffs. He put a relatively tame five shots on his brother that night.
April 23, 1970
A change of venue didn’t help the Blackhawks, losing 5-2 at the Boston Garden. Again, Tony faced 32 shots, allowing four with an empty-netter. Scoring that empty net goal at 19:39 of the third was, of course, brother Phil, his eleventh of the playoffs. He would also assist on two goals, including the game winner by Wayne Cashman in the second period.
April 26, 1970
This was Chicago’s game to win. Unfortunately, it ended in a 5-4 loss. The Blackhawks led 4-3 going into the third and it took until 15:19 before Ken Hodge scored to tie the game with assists going to Phil and Wayne Cashman. John McKenzie scored the game and series winning goal at 18:19, assisted by Fred Stanfield.
Still, Tony-O had no reason to hang his head. He stopped an incredible 49 of 54 shots put his way. Eight of those shots came from his brother and he stopped them all. Phil came out of the game with two assists.
Stay Tuned For Part 2
Next, we’ll take a look at Tony Esposito and Phil Esposito head-to-head in Phil’s record breaking 1970-71 NHL season.