Ron Hextall

Lore & Background

Hextall was a third-generation NHL player: his grandfather Bryan Hextall was a Hall of Famer with the New York Rangers, his father Bryan Hextall Jr. played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and his uncle Dennis Hextall played 14 NHL seasons. During his youth, Hextall saw his father and uncle roughed up by the Philadelphia Flyers, whose aggressive style earned the team the name 'Broad Street Bullies,' and he later reflected that he 'hated the Flyers' during that period. He began his junior hockey career in 1980 with the Melville Millionaires of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, where in one game he faced 105 shots and made 84 saves in a 21–2 loss. He was selected by the Flyers in the sixth round of the 1982 NHL Draft, 119th overall, after scout Gerry Melnyk noted that some teams thought Hextall 'was loony' but that his attributes fit the Flyers.

Reader's Guide

Hextall's significance lies in his revolutionary mobile style of play, in which he provided support to his defencemen by coming out of the goal area to play the puck, inspiring future generations of goaltenders such as Martin Brodeur. He became the first NHL goaltender to score a goal by shooting the puck into the opponent's empty net, against the Boston Bruins in the 1987–88 season, and the following season became the first goaltender to score in the playoffs, against the Washington Capitals. He was also known as one of the NHL's most aggressive goaltenders: he was suspended for six or more games on three occasions, had more than 100 penalty minutes in each of his first three seasons, and set new records for penalty minutes by a goaltender. During his rookie season in 1986–87, he won the Vezina Trophy and led the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Final, where despite losing to the Edmonton Oilers in seven games, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoffs MVP. Injuries in the middle of his career led to a drop in playing ability and three trades between 1992 and 1994, but upon returning to Philadelphia he regained form, recording goals against averages below 3.00 in each of his final five seasons.

Did You Know?

• Hextall is one of only six players to win the Conn Smythe Trophy in a losing effort.
• He set a record for the most penalty minutes accumulated by a goaltender in the WHL during the 1983–84 season.
• Hextall was inducted as one of the inaugural members of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League Hall of Fame in 2009.