EVEGENY TIMKIN of Vityaz Chekov nets a dandy in a KHL game against CSKA Moscow. He's no Sam Gagner, but a move like this shows chutzpah.

Goalie Karri Ramo of Avangard Omsk (Jaromir Jagr's former team) appears to try a puck-juggling trick after making a save in a KHL game...AND IT GOES HORRIBLY WRONG.

He had a big head. A big face. Big features. A bad body.

But boy, PHIL ESPOSITO could play.

Espo had 717 goals and 1,590 points in 1,282 NHL regular-season games. Sixty-one goals and 76 assists in 130 playoff games. He led the NHL in goals six consecutive seasons from 1969-70 through 1974-75: 43, 76, 66, 55, 68, 61. Seventy-six goals in 1970-71 stood as the single-season high until Wayne Gretzky came along.

Espo won five scoring titles. Two MVPs. He was a six-time first-team NHL All-Star.

Espo won two Stanley Cups. He was a big, bad Boston Bruin. He led Canada to victory over Russia in the 1972 Summit Series, collecting seven goals and six assists in eight games. He could not be stopped. He was INDOMITABLE.

Espo kept it simple. He was slick. Smart. Above all, he WENT TO THE NET. The garbage added up.

Phil Esposito is one of hockey's all-time greats. In Pittsburgh, we tend to think the game began with Mario. Not so. Esposito was one of my favorite players when I was a kid. He also bought me my first beer, but that's another story.

Witness Espo's glory: