“There would be another, less formal tribute to the best of the 1972 series: the name [Phil] Esposito eventually found its way into Russian street slang. Apparently, whenever a luckless Russian hooligan accidentally burns himself on the stove or cuts himself on an unexpectedly sharp knife he winces and shouts out the worst curse imaginable: Esposito!” WordsCurseHockeyRussianSlangPhil Esposito Book:Hockey Night Fever: Mullets, Mayhem and the Game's Coming of Age in the 1970s Source: Hockey Night Fever: Mullets, Mayhem and the Game's Coming of Age in the 1970s