Hall of Fame goaltender Tony Esposito, who was a fixture for the Chicago Blackhawks, has died at the age of 78.
Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz said in a statement that Esposito had a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.
Chicago claimed Esposito from the Montreal Canadiens in what was then an intra-league draft in 1969. And he became a Blackhawks institution. In his first full season, he was an All-Star, won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year and the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender.
He played years in Chicago, winning the Vezina twice more and making four more All-Star teams.