Phil Esposito

Philip Anthony Esposito, OC^[1] (born February 20, 1942^[2] ) is a Canadian of Italian heritage, and a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre. Born in Canada, he made his home in the USA where his sporting career was based. He played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers. He is an Honoured Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. It is said he is one of the best players in the National Hockey League. Phil is the older brother of Tony Esposito. Tony is a goaltender and he is also a Hall-of-Famer.

In 1972, Phil Esposito captained the Canadian team for the eight-match "Summit Series" which pitted them against the Soviet Union. The Canadians unexpectedly lost the first game held in Montreal. When they lost game four, Phil Esposito was interviewed on the ice rink afterwards, berating the fans for turning on their team. The Canadian team went on to win the series thanks to a goal by Paul Henderson in the last minute of the final game. The series involved multiple incidents of unsportsmanlike play from both sides, including the notorious incident in game seven when the Canadian player, Bobby Clarke, deliberately slashed the Soviet player Valeri Kharlamov (no. 17), breaking a bone in his ankle. Kharlamov's career, and the super series have been dramatized in the film Legend No. 17.

After retiring as a player, Esposito was head coach and general manager for the New York Rangers. Then he started the Tampa Bay Lightning. He worked for the NHL on Fox from 1995 to 1998. He is now Tampa Bay's radio announcer.