Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

A battle of the Esposito brothers' teams yields another 'Phil is Phil' moment

06/12/2013 at 1:32am EDT

Boston Bruins vs. Chicago Blackhawks. A long time ago, that might mean watching Phil Esposito shoot on his brother Tony. These days, Tony is a player ambassador for the Blackhawks, but the elder Esposito, ever the...Unique...character...Has a very different take on the significance of the team that first owned his hockey rights versus the team for which he achieved his greatest reknown, as he told the Toronto Sun's Steve Simmons:

"You want to know the truth," said Esposito, the fifth-leading goal scorer in hockey history. "This series doesn't mean s*** to me.

"I have no feeling 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)."

The brothers actually do talk about the series at hand, as well as their memories regarding playing for Chicago and Boston, but...Phil's Phil is the 60's-70's-and-80's-equivalent of "J.R. is J.R.," except that Esposito was a better player.

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About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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