When the Chicago Blackhawks acquired Tony Esposito from the Montreal Canadiens in the 1969 off-season, few could’ve predicted just how quickly he’d begin carving out a legendary career. But on October 25, 1969, the hockey world got its first real glimpse of “Tony-O” in top form and it happened in poetic fashion.
After a rough start to the season, Chicago had gone 0-5-1 in its first six games, Esposito had already suffered losses to St. Louis and Detroit. But the tides shifted in Montreal, where Esposito had once made his NHL debut. Playing against the team that let him go, he shut the door, literally.
Esposito turned aside all 30 shots he faced at the Montreal Forum to earn his first NHL shutout as a member of the Blackhawks. It marked his second career NHL shutout overall, but his first in Chicago colors. At the other end, Canadiens netminder Rogie Vachon gave up five goals on just 20 shots in a 5-0 Chicago victory.
Lou Angotti got things rolling early, scoring the game-winner just over four minutes into the first period with help from Eric Nesterenko and Pat Stapleton. Nesterenko and Dennis Hull also tallied goals and assists in the statement win.
Adding to the historical flavor of the night, rookies Keith Magnuson and Marc Tardif dropped the gloves in the third period. The bout marked the first NHL fight for both players.
Esposito’s shutout was the first of 15 that season, a staggering total that helped earn him the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie. It also marked the beginning of one of the greatest goaltending careers in league history.
Tony Esposito's 15 Shutouts In 1969-70
Being that it was just the third season of the post Original 6 era, you might think that this is a watered down record due to weak expansion teams. However, eight of the 15 shutouts for Esposito in 1969-70 came against Original 6 teams. Two were against the Boston Bruins, powered offensively by his brother Phil Esposito. He also had a pair of blanks each against the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs.
The highest scoring was a 9-0 drubbing of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Tony made 23 saves in that one while also assisting on the game winning goal by Lou Angotti. The most saves in a one of his shutouts was 36 in a 1-0 win over the Bruins. His other blank against the Bruins was a 0-0 tie with Ed Johnston also not allowing a goal.
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