Remembering Phil Esposito: A Celebration

Bob Forsey is the education officer at the Newfoundland Museum in St.
John’s.

Back in the early 1960s, Phil Esposito didn’t fit the mold of a future
National Hockey League superstar. He was cut from his Midget and Junior
“A” teams for being too heavy and slow. This book shows how Esposito
fought through obstacles to become an NHL star and Hall of Fame member.

Editor Craig MacInnis and writers Frank Orr, Doug Herod, and Bob Adler
describe the character traits that made Esposito a star and a player who
was described as “large and in charge” during Canada’s Summit
Series win over Russia in 1972. Coach Rudy Pilous of the St.
Catharine’s Teepees told the aspiring junior that he would have to
slim down to 200 pounds in order to make the team. Hard work and sweat
helped Esposito reduce and he made the Teepees and later the Chicago
Black Hawks in 1963.

However, Esposito’s outspokenness soon prompted General Manager Tommy
Ivan to trade him to Boston in 1967. Esposito blossomed and turned the
Bruins into a contender, but even after winning scoring titles, league
MVP’s, and scoring a record 76 goals in 1971, he could not escape his
critics. They called him a “garbage goal scorer” who benefited from
playing with superstars Bobby Hull and Bobby Orr.

Esposito silenced the naysayers permanently in the 1972 Canada–Russia
Summit Hockey Series by filling the void left by the ineligible Hull and
the injured Orr. The underrated Russians shocked Canadians by winning
two, tying one, and losing one of the first four games in Canada.
Esposito’s speech after the Game 4 loss in Vancouver inspired Team
Canada, which won three of four games in Russia to take the series. Doug
Herod of ESPN, a former critic, praised Esposito’s stick handling, his
toughness in the slot, and his quick, accurate passes and shots during
the series. Today, the “large and in charge” player is remembered by
the media for his courage, frankness, and humour.