Phil Esposito

Last Updated: October 24, 2008 2:14 PM  

Kristina Rutherford Minor Memories

The Hall of Famer is considered one of the best to ever play the game. A native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Esposito played 18 seasons in the NHL, a career that saw him win two Stanley Cups, five scoring titles and four league-wide most valuable player awards (2 Hart trophies, 2 Lester B. Pearson awards).

CBCSports.ca: How did you get into hockey?

Esposito: "Three years old, my dad built a rink in the backyard, and he pushed us, I'll never forget because my brother was only 2, he could hardly walk. I was like 11 lbs. 5 ounces when I was born, apparently, it nearly killed my mother, so it took me longer to learn how to walk than my brother because I was bigger and fatter. Geez I'm still like that, too, by the way (laughs).

"But anyway, they pushed us out on the ice, and I remember when I was I think 9 or 10 years old, in those days they used to have guidance counselors that would come around and ask you what you wanted to be when you grew up. Her name was Mrs. Cunningham and I'll never forget her because she was probably 5 foot by 5 foot, and she also whacked me across my rear end with a yardstick when I got in trouble at school. She'd really nail me. In those days, they did those things.

"And I said, 'I want to be a hockey player' and she said, 'That's not good enough,' and I said 'Why not? I do. I want to play hockey.' Well, she sent a note home to my dad, which I had to give him, and I thought oh boy am I in trouble, he's going to be really pissed at me, he's going to want to do something. I was so afraid of him at that point. He and I up until this point, 9 or 10 years old, I didn't care for him, my old man, it always seemed he was beating on me or something, maybe because I was always doing something wrong (laughs).

"But he said 'What'd you do, why the note, why does she want to see me?' I said, 'Well, I don't know dad, I didn't do anything, I'm telling you, I didn't do anything.' So we go over to the school and she proceeds to tell him I didn't answer the question, and you know I didn't want to be a lawyer or a doctor...And my dad said, 'What did my son say?' And she said, 'Hockey player.' And he turned to me and said 'Is that what you want to do, son?' I said, 'That's what I want to do, dad,' and he turned to her and said 'What's wrong with that?' My old man went from here, way up. From that moment on, boy, there was nothing my dad could ever do wrong. He stuck up for me, and that's what I wanted to do, and that's what I did. There was nothing else in my mind, and to this day people ask me 'Do you still miss it?' Every day of the week. I wake up every morning thinking I can play again, until I start skating again (laughs). And then I know I can't."

CBCSports.ca: What was the first game you can remember playing?

Esposito: "Street hockey. I played street hockey all the time. We played all the time on the street, and it was so cold sometimes and we'd have ice on the streets, we would steal the - what do you call those, horses, the things to block a road....Saw horses, that's what they were called. We stole them and put them at the end of the street. Then the cops would come and take them down, and give us heck, and we'd go back and put them on again (laughs).

"We'd actually skate right on the street, 'cause we didn't want them to put the sand, or the salt on the street, 'cause it would screw up the ice for us to skate (laughs). When they did that we'd scrape it off, because that's how much ice there was formed on the streets in those days. It was really wild."  

CBCSports.ca: Who was your funniest teammate, and why?

Esposito: "My funniest? Gerry Cheevers... He was just, on the bus trips for example, because we took the bus a lot, we'd play games before trivial pursuit was even on, we'd play these games where we'd make up movies, also we would pick the all good looking wives team, the all bad team, the all good team. And we were so bored, and Cheevey, without a doubt, he was the funniest dude I ever met. We had the ignorant squad on our team and Gerry was most valuable player (laughs).

CBCSports.ca: Where was the most memorable tournament you ever played, and why?

Esposito: Team Canada '72, without a doubt, because it was the unknown. We had no idea that these guys could play like they did, no idea. In fact, the Toronto Maple Leafs scouts scouted them, and they told us they couldn't do this, couldn't do that. I made a statement saying no wonder the Leafs are in last place, their scouts are stupid. They couldn't pick anybody, 'cause this was a good hockey team. I think that was the most memorable tournament for me. And the Stanley Cups, to me, the Stanley Cups were just terrific, fabulous, to win.

CBCSports.ca: Where was the worst arena you've ever played at? What was it like?

Esposito: "Oh god, it goes back to Junior B hockey. I want to say a place called Tillsonburg. It was a screen fan box, and there was this woman just yelling and screaming..."

CBCSports.ca: Where was the coldest game of hockey you ever played? Describe it.

Esposito: "Outside in the Soo. I wouldn't leave, my feet were freezing, absolutely freezing, but we played a game after playing hockey, we played a game called 'Pump, pump, pull away,' where one guy stood in the middle and you'd say pump, pump, pull away and catch as many as you can. The idea was to be the last one, without getting caught, and I always was close to the last....Jesus, I might have been 8, 9, 10 years old. My dad would come out and whistle, that meant we had to get home...

CBCSports.ca: Who was the most memorable hockey parent you ever met? Why?

Esposito: "My dad, I guess, but I think outside of that, probably Bobby Hull's dad. I never met a more gruff, tough, rough son of a bitch in my life...Also, Bobby Orr's dad was terrific. I really liked Doug Orr, he was a great guy."

« Minor hockey coach dies after fall at practice | Minor Memories home | Mouth guard maintenance »