Phil Esposito

Philip Anthony Esposito ( ESP-ə-ZEE-toh, Italian: [eˈspɔːzito]; born February 20, 1942) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, coach and executive, and current broadcaster for the Tampa Bay Lightning. A member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, he played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins, and New York Rangers, winning two Stanley Cups with Boston. He is considered one of the greatest players of all time, and is the older brother of Hall-of-Fame goaltender Tony Esposito. He became the first player to score more than 100 points in a season, with 126 in 1968–69, a feat he achieved a further five times. In 1970–71 Esposito also became the first player to score 50 goals in five consecutive seasons, including the then records of 76 goals and 152 points the same year. Altogether, he won the Art Ross Trophy as the leading point scorer five times, led the league in goals six times, was voted the Hart Trophy for MVP twice, and was named as a first team All-Star centre six times. After retiring as a player, Esposito served as head coach and general manager for the Rangers for two seasons. In 1991, he and brother Tony co-founded the Tampa Bay Lightning, the first NHL team in Florida. Phil Esposito served as the franchise's first president and general manager until 1998; he now serves as the Lightning's radio colour commentator. Esposito was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history in 2017, and the ninth-best player of all time by The Athletic in 2023. His #7 jersey was retired by the Bruins on December 3, 1987, and there is a statue in his likeness at Tampa Bay's Benchmark International Arena.