Worst Trades - Pit Martin for Phil Esposito

One of the worst hockey trades of all time took place in 1967, when the Boston Bruins traded Pit Martin, Jack Norris and Gille Marotte to the Chicago Blackhawks for Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge and Fred Stanfield. The Bruins easily made the better trade in this regard, as they were handed enough potential to become a Stanley Cup contender for years to come.

Esposito had been a junior hockey sensation and was a prolific scorer. He was promoted to the Chicago club in 1964 and played on the same line with the legendary Bobby Hull. Esposito was among the top scorers in the league in two of his first three seasons. Surprisingly, he was shipped to the Bruins, where he became the greatest goal scorer in the game. How's that for better trades?

Espo became the first player in NHL history to score 100 points in a season, when he netted 126 in 1969. He scored 100 points six times in all and had 99 points another year. Neither graceful nor fast, Esposito would often camp in front of the net and score on pucks that came his way. He had the uncanny knack to score from many different angles. Esposito scored 76 goals in the 1971 season, a record that Wayne Gretzky broke in 1982. He was the league's MVP in 1969 and 1974.

Esposito was traded in 1975 in another blockbuster deal. He was dealt to the New York Rangers, along with Carol Vadnais, for Brad Park Joe Zanussi and Jean Ratelle. Esposito played six solid seasons with the Rangers, but was unable to bring the Stanley Cup to Madison Square Garden.

Hodge had nine very productive years in Boston, too. Twice he scored more than 100 points. Stanfield was underrated and scored nearly 80 points per season while playing on the third line. So not only did this better trade bring the Bruins a great player in Esposito, it gave them two very good players in Hodge and Stanfield.

Pit Martin had a good career, but never won a Stanley Cup with Chicago, while the other two players added very little to the bottom line. The Hawks were never the same thanks to this better trade gone awry.