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1970-72 Tony Esposito Chicago Blackhawks Rookie Era Game Worn Jersey MEARS A10
<p><strong>ADDENDUM (2/16/2022): This jersey is from the 1970-72 and not from 1969-70 as was previously stated online and in our printed Look Book.</strong></p><p>"Tony - O" was his nickname, a beautiful nickname for a goalie because the "O" stood for zero - as in a shut-out. Tony earned that nickname. In his rookie season, he set the still-standing modern record of 15 shut-outs in a season. Esposito was the younger brother of fellow Hall of Famer, center Phil Esposito, and Phil jokes that he deserves the credit for Tony's success because when the brothers were boys, he made his younger brother play goalie - to catch Phil's shots. It worked. Being one of the pioneers of butterfly goaltending, Tony was terrific in the 1969-70 season. He won both the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie, and the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goalie. For his 16-year NHL career, all with Chicago but for a single partial season with Montreal, Tony won two more Vezina Trophies, and was a 5-time All-Star. <span style="font-size: 10pt;">The red jersey shows use. It has a "Gunzo's" manufacturer's tag, frayed and slightly torn, in the collar. The collar also has a "42" size tag. There are loose threads and a small tear on the back neck collar. Staining is inside the lower front on the outside collar, on the upper right chest, and on the white and black stripes of the lower front. The iconic Black Hawks logo is on the chest. A white "35" and a crossed-tomahawk logo are on each sleeve. The back of the jersey has "35" in white, 10-inch letters. In <em>Wayne's</em> <em>World</em> and <em>Wayne's World 2</em>, actor Dana Carvey sported a Tony Esposito jersey, and you can too. Sadly, Tony Esposito passed away in August 2021, and in tribute, hockey fan and collector Sal Berry wrote in <em>Puck Junk</em>, "Tony treated every fan as if they mattered." <span style="font-size: 13px;">Comes with MEARS A10 LOA.</span></span></p>
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