The Black Hawks' Hall of Fame goaltender, who died Tuesday afternoon at the age of 78, Tony 'O' revolutionized the game and wasn't afraid to take the path less travelled
As a young goalie coming up the ranks in the early 70s, Esposito's 15 shutouts could not be ignored.His "modern style"of playing outside in and using Glenn Hall's butterfly was copied in part by many of us during that era.One must also remember that Roger Crozier used these techniques before Espo.Crozier, winning the Conn Smythe in 66 opened the door for goaltenders to be more acrobatic,utilizing the butterfly as a base save selection.Esposito refined the new techniques into a style,a system.Many goalers in that era used the butterfly for screen shots and down low from the red zone.It was much more effective than a two pad stack in many instances.Most of us still stood up from the circles.From than angle, the net was small enough to cover on ones feet.Espo was the first to use the butterfly in most instances,setting the stage for Patrick Roy and Francois Allaire's Quebec revolution in the 90s.Tony O,does not get enough credit for his contribution to modern goaltending.Hall invented the move but Esposito and Roger Crozier proved it could used as a style.This more than opened the door to future refinements coming out of Montreal in the early 90s..
As a young goalie coming up the ranks in the early 70s, Esposito's 15 shutouts could not be ignored.His "modern style"of playing outside in and using Glenn Hall's butterfly was copied in part by many of us during that era.One must also remember that Roger Crozier used these techniques before Espo.Crozier, winning the Conn Smythe in 66 opened the door for goaltenders to be more acrobatic,utilizing the butterfly as a base save selection.Esposito refined the new techniques into a style,a system.Many goalers in that era used the butterfly for screen shots and down low from the red zone.It was much more effective than a two pad stack in many instances.Most of us still stood up from the circles.From than angle, the net was small enough to cover on ones feet.Espo was the first to use the butterfly in most instances,setting the stage for Patrick Roy and Francois Allaire's Quebec revolution in the 90s.Tony O,does not get enough credit for his contribution to modern goaltending.Hall invented the move but Esposito and Roger Crozier proved it could used as a style.This more than opened the door to future refinements coming out of Montreal in the early 90s..
Another good write up Nek!! Keep it up!!