Remembering Tony Esposito, (Tony O) , on his 79th birthday

Late Blackhawks legend, Tony O, would have celebrated his 79th birthday today, following his passing in August of last year. The goaltender played for the Blackhawks from 1969 to 1984, and during that time he became a legend. Esposito was special from the minute he put on a Blackhawks Jersey, as a rookie Esposito played in the first All-Star game. Where he then set the current NHL record of 15 shutouts in a season picking up a Vezina Trophy, his first of three. To end a successful first year, he led Chicago to the Stanley Cup playoffs against Montreal. Throughout the rest of his career, he never let up his guard, in the net, and could often be seen saving shots with his butterfly style. Tony O was notorious for leading multiple shutout games a season, from 15 in 1969, to 6 shutouts in the 1980 season, granting him the nickname of Tony O. However after 886 games in the NHL Esposito retired as a Blackhawk in 1984. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988, and soon after his number 35 was sent to the rafters, for a job well done. As we remember Tony O today, it's hard to imagine if we'll ever get to see that talent again on the net.