Phil Esposito is one of the most legendary athletes with Boston-Chicago connections, but that’s not to say the Hall of Famer is going to be hosting any Bruins-Blackhawks Stanley Cup Final parties.
Espo, who began his legendary career with the Hawks and led the NHL six times in goals as a member of the B’s before retiring as a Ranger, told the Toronto Sun that this series — dubbed the most exciting SCF in recent years — won’t mean that much to him.
“You want to know the truth?” Esposito said. “This series doesn’t mean [expletive] to me. I have no feelings for these teams. There’s nothing emotional about it. They both got rid of me, traded me. So screw them.
“I didn’t choose to leave Chicago. I didn’t choose to leave Boston. I signed a contract in Boston for less money than I could have gotten from going to the WHA. I could have made millions doing that. And you know how they repaid me? Three weeks later, they traded me [to the New York Rangers].”
After four years in Chicago, where he potted 74 goals and 100 assists, Espo was traded to the B’s with Ken Hodge and Fred Stanfield for Pit Martin, Jack Norris, and Gilles Marotte. The rest is history — as in becoming the greatest forward in Bruins history and currently standing in as the fifth-leading goal scorer in NHL history.
“The Blackhawks traded me. They didn’t want me,” he said. “That’s not my fault that I was in the most one-sided trade in history. They were the stupid ones. They made the deal.”
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