Phil Esposito: The 78 Goal Scorer in 1972-73 (According to 1977-78 O-Pee-Chee)

According to O-Pee-Chee, Phil Esposito broke his own record for most goals in a single season with 78 in 1972-73. This total beat the 76 he scored in 1970-71 by two. Wayne Gretzky would shatter Esposito’s number and establish an unbreakable record with 92 in 1981-82.

On the back of the 1977-78 O-Pee-Chee #55 Phil Esposito hockey card, it states that Phil scored 78 goals in 1972-73. In fact, Esposito only scored 55 in 1972-73 with the Boston Bruins. Still respectable but not a record breaker.

The card is, of course, considered an uncorrected error (UER). If it were true, coupled with Phil’s 75 assists that season, he would have totaled 153 points, beating his own record by a single point.

Just The Facts

• On his 1977-78 hockey card, O-Pee-Chee printed that Esposito scored 78 goals in 1972-73.
• Esposito scored 55 in 1972-73.
• Phil’s record of 76 goals in 1970-71 stood as an NHL record until Wayne Gretzky’s 92 in 1981-82.
• Phil Esposito’s rookie card from 1965-66 is valued at $400.
• The 1977-78 O-Pee-Chee error card is valued at $3.

The 1977-78 O-Pee-Chee Phil Esposito error card is worth $3.00, according to Beckett Hockey Monthly. This is a far cry from the 1965-66 Topps #116 Phil Esposito rookie card. That gem is valued at $400. The 1977-78 Topps Phil Esposito hockey card contains the same error.

After playing junior hockey with the OHA’s St. Catherines Teepees in 1961-62, Esposito broke into the NHL for the 1963-64 season with the Chicago Black Hawks. Phil played 1,282 regular season NHL games between 1963-64 and 1980-81 with the Black Hawks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers.

He won the Art Ross Trophy five times and the Hart Memorial Trophy on two occasions. Esposito was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1984 and his number 7 was retired by the Boston Bruins three years later.

Esposito scored 717 career regular season goals in the NHL. That mark places him fifth all-time, some three plus decades after retiring as a player. His 873 assists place him 22nd and his 1,590 points put Phil tenth all-time.

In 1998-99, the National Hockey League introduced the Rocket Richard Trophy to honour the player each season with the most regular season goals. Perhaps, they should have named it the Phil Esposito Trophy.

Esposito led the NHL in goals in six consecutive seasons from 1969-70 to 1974-75. He finished fourth in 1967-68, second in 1968-69 and eighth in 1978-79. Richard led the NHL in goals on just four occasions.

Phil Esposito Career Stats

Season	Team	Lge	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1961-62	Sault Ste. Marie Thunderbirds	EPHL	6	0	3	3	2
1961-62	St. Catharines Teepees	OHA	49	32	39	71	0
1962-63	Syracuse/St. Louis Braves	EPHL	71	36	54	90	51
1963-64	St. Louis Braves	CPHL	43	26	54	80	65
1963-64	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	27	3	2	5	2
1964-65	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	70	23	32	55	44
1965-66	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	69	27	26	53	49
1966-67	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	69	21	40	61	40
1967-68	Boston Bruins	NHL	74	35	49	84	21
1968-69	Boston Bruins	NHL	74	49	77	126	79
1969-70	Boston Bruins	NHL	76	43	56	99	50
1970-71	Boston Bruins	NHL	78	76	76	152	71
1971-72	Boston Bruins	NHL	76	66	67	133	76
1972-73	Boston Bruins	NHL	78	55	75	130	87
1973-74	Boston Bruins	NHL	78	68	77	145	58
1974-75	Boston Bruins	NHL	79	61	66	127	62
1975-76	Boston Bruins	NHL	12	6	10	16	8
1975-76	New York Rangers	NHL	62	29	38	67	28
1976-77	New York Rangers	NHL	80	34	46	80	52
1977-78	New York Rangers	NHL	79	38	43	81	53
1978-79	New York Rangers	NHL	80	42	36	78	37
1979-80	New York Rangers	NHL	80	34	44	78	73
1980-81	New York Rangers	NHL	41	7	13	20	20
	NHL Totals		1282	717	873	1590	910

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