Esposito won the NHL's Vezina Trophy, then awarded to the goaltender(s) of the team which allowed the fewest goals in the regular season, three times, most notably in 1970, when he recorded the modern (since 1942) NHL record of 15 shutouts in a season. He was also awarded the Calder Trophy as the best rookie in the league that season. He was named to the league's First All-Star Team three times and to the Second All-Star Team two times, and served as one of Canada's two goaltenders in the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union. In 2017 Esposito was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.

Awards and honours:

• Stanley Cup Champion (1969).
• Calder Memorial Trophy (1970).
• NHL First All-Star Team Goalie (1970, 1972, 1980).
• NHL Second All-Star Team Goalie (1973, 1974).
• Vezina Trophy (1970, 1972, 1974).
• NHL All-Star Game Goalie (1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1980).
• Member of Canada men's national ice hockey team at 1972 Summit Series and 1977 Ice Hockey World Championship tournament.
• Played for US national men's hockey team in the 1981 Canada Cup.
• His #35 was retired by the Chicago Blackhawks on November 20, 1988.
• In 1998, he was ranked number 79 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
• Hockey Hall of Fame 1988.