Esposito calls welcome-back ceremony 'highlight of my life'

The thunderous roar from the crowd that greeted Tony Esposito at a sold-out United Center on Wednesday night came as no surprise to Blackhawks coach Denis Savard.

"The fans here have always loved their goaltenders," Savard said.

And no goalie was loved more by Hawks fans than Esposito, the unconventional butterfly flopper who was formally welcomed back into the organization as an ambassador in a ceremony before the game against the Washington Capitals.

Chants of "To-ny, To-ny, To-ny" flooded down from the rafters just like old times at Chicago Stadium, where Esposito starred for 15 seasons with the Hawks.

"You're the best people in the world and the best hockey fans. It's wonderful to be with you," Esposito said. "This is going to be the highlight of my life being with you tonight."

The Hawks brought in Phil Esposito, who presented his brother the first mask he wore with the Hawks.

"It's a great feeling to be on this ice again," Esposito said.

Like former teammates Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita, Esposito was cast aside by the previous owner and his people despite his enormous popularity and Hall of Fame resume.

A call from new president John McDonough, with the blessing of new chairman Rocky Wirtz, corrected those wrongs.

"Rocky has changed the whole attitude around here," Esposito said. "He told me personally that he's here to win.

"Everything is so upbeat now. It's the Rocky Wirtz show. John McDonough is a real go-getter and they've got some good, young players. Even when they lose now, they're competitive and that's what the fans like here."

Esposito said the call from McDonough offering a contract to return to the organization as an ambassador came out of the blue.

"I don't know what an ambassador does, but whatever it is I'm selling," said Esposito. "I've always been a true Blackhawk and I always will be."

Esposito was a pioneer when it came to the butterfly style of goaltending that almost every goalie playing today now uses. While others mostly stood straight up in goal, Esposito flopped and wandered and sprawled.

"I used to go into hockey hotbeds such as Toronto and Montreal and get crucified in the newspapers for my style," Esposito said.

The 15 shutouts he posted as a Hawks rookie in 1969-70 still stands today as the NHL mark.

Esposito won 413 games with the Hawks and posted 74 career shutouts, which are two of his 10 club records.

"Every Chicago kid that donned the pads, the blocker wanted to be Tony-O," said Rocky Wirtz.

Savard played four seasons with Esposito and remembers being afraid to go near him on the day of a game, so intense was the goalie's preparation.

"His gear, his pads, blocker and glove was laid out and you made sure you went around it -- like way around it," Savard said. "If you happened to step over it or in between them, he'd give you the dirty look. He was very focused. Tony wouldn't talk to anybody on the day of the game and I stayed away from him."

Esposito laughed when told how Savard avoided him.

"I always wanted to be mentally ready to play, even if I might not have been ready physically," Esposito said.