ESPOSITO, Phil(ip Anthony) 1942-

PERSONAL:

Born February 20, 1942, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada.

ADDRESSES:

Agent—c/o Triumph Books, 601 S. La-Salle St., Suite 500, Chicago, IL 60605.

CAREER:

Professional ice hockey player, broadcaster, executive, and author. Chicago Black Hawks, center, 1964-1967; Boston Bruins, center, 1968-1976; New York Rangers, center, 1976-1981, general manager, 1986-1989; Tampa Bay Lightning, president and general manager, 1992-1999; Fox Sports Net, analyst, 1999—.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Hart Memorial Trophy, most valuable player in National Hockey League, 1969 and 1974; Art Ross Trophy, leader in league scoring, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, and 1974; Lester B. Pearson Award, National Hockey League outstanding player, 1971 and 1974; inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame, 1984.

WRITINGS:

(With Tony Esposito and Tim Moriarty) The Brothers Esposito, Hawthorn Books (New York, NY), 1971.

(With Gerald Eskenazi) Hockey Is My Life, Dodd, Mead (New York, NY), 1972.

(With Tony Esposito and Kevin Walsh) We Can Teach You to Play Hockey, Hawthorn Books (New York, NY), 1972.

(With Dick Drew) Phil Esposito's Winning Hockey for Beginners, H. Regnery (Chicago, IL), 1976.

Thunder and Lightning: A No-B.S. Hockey Memoir, Triumph Books (Chicago, IL), 2003.

SIDELIGHTS:

Ice hockey star Phil Esposito has co-written several books that detail his development as a player and explain strategies of the game. Born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Esposito grew up playing hockey with his brother in his backyard rink. In 1964 he joined the Chicago Black Hawks as a center, but reached his greatest achievements as a member of the Boston Bruins from 1968 to 1976. During these years he became the highest-scoring center in the history of the National Hockey League. He scored 459 regular-season goals. Including goals and assists, he had six 100-point seasons, as well as five 50-point seasons. He pushed the Bruins to their first Stanley Cup in twenty-nine years in 1970, and helped lead them to another Stanley Cup in 1972. That same year, Esposito played for Canada against the Soviet Union in the Olympic Games at Sapporo, Japan. Though Canada did not win a medal, it was the only team to win a game against the Soviets. Esposito scored a goal of his own and set up the winning shot.

In 1976 the Bruins traded Esposito to the New York Rangers. The center was stunned and angry; according to Barbara Matson in the Boston Globe, he called the trade "the only bad thing that ever happened to me in hockey." But Esposito did not let this move derail his career. He became the Rangers' leading scorer for four years, and propelled them to the final round of Stanley Cup competition in 1979. After retiring as a player in 1981, Esposito began a career in broadcasting. He also enjoyed several years as a general manager, first for the Rangers and then for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Boston Globe, December 16, 1999, Barbara Matson, "Esposito Was Immovable Force," p. C2.

New York Times, January 10, 1981, Georgey Vecsey, "The Rangers' Big Man Takes His Final Shot," p. 20; September 25, 1984, Kevin Dupont, "Esposito Savors the Past," p. 24; July 16, 1986, Robert Finn, "Esposito Relishes Top Post," p. B9; February 23, 19987, Craig Wolf, "Esposito Casts His Spell over Rangers," p. 29.*