Tony Esposito Dead: NHL Legend Cause of Death a Lethal Health Issue?

By Alexandria Reeves

Tony Esposito, the athlete who turned tables on the NHL, has died. He was 78.

The sports world has been bombarded with another death after several news outlets confirmed Esposito's death.

Initially, the Chicago Blackhawks' official Twitter account shared the saddening news to its followers, delivering an update regarding its iconic goalkeeper. The ice hockey team shared the official statement from the Esposito family.

"To the Blackhawks and the National Hockey League, Tony Esposito was a Hall of Fame goalie. To us, he was a Hall of Fame husband, father, and grandfather," the statement said

Though it did not mention Tony Esposito's cause of death, several news outlets confirmed that he died due to pancreatic cancer - the same disease that took away the lives of Alex Trebek, Steve Jobs, and Alan Rickman, among others.

The same statement detailed how Chicago felt like home from the time he arrived in the state in 1969. Esposito felt special since then because of the warmth and love he received from the Writz family and then-18,000 Blackhawks fans regardless of the game's results.

The athlete's survivors now cherish the memories following the passing of the patriarch. Although they are currently in a mourning stage, they took their time to thank them for everyone's support.

The family, in the end, thanked everyone who loved the former goalkeeper before assuring that he loved them back.

Fans Paid Tribute

Following the heart-wrenching news, his fans left profound messages to the Twitter post, sending messages of condolences to the family.

One fan said, "To the Esposito family I send you my deepest, deepest condolences. My idol Tony made people all over the World love goaltending as well as the great game of hockey."

"RIP to the legend, sad to see another hockey legend taken away so soon," another added.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman also sent his condolences to the bereaved family.

After his death, he is still tied for 10th in NHL history for creating 76 shutouts. He made 15 of it during the 1969-70 season, ranking second in league history.

In addition, he served as Chicago's career leader with 418 wins, pushing him to have an overall record of 423-306-151. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988 following his brother's footsteps.

In 2017, he became one of the top 100 players in history by the league.