Ron Hextall

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Position	Goaltender
Caught	Left
Nickname	Hexy
Height Weight	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg)
Pro Clubs	Philadelphia Flyers Quebec Nordiques New York Islanders
Nationality	Canada
Born	May 3, 1964, Brandon, MB, CAN
NHL Draft	119th overall, 1982 Philadelphia Flyers
Pro Career	1984 – 1999

Ron Jeffrey Hextall (born May 3, 1964 in Brandon, Manitoba) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender most often associated with the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League. He is the grandson of Hall-of-Famer Bryan Hextall, the son of former NHL player Bryan Hextall Jr and nephew of former NHL player Dennis Hextall.

Contents 1 Playing career 2 Awards 3 Records 4 Career statistics 4.1 Regular season 4.2 Post season 5 International play 5.1 International statistics 6 See also 7 References

[edit] Playing career

Hextall played the bulk of his career in two stints with the Philadelphia Flyers (1986-87 to 1991-92, and 1994-95 to 1998-99). He and Jacques Plante are considered responsible for revolutionizing the position of goaltender, leaving the goal mouth regularly to play the puck with their sticks. This style is now commonplace in hockey today, with goaltenders like Martin Brodeur and Rick DiPietro perfecting the art of more proactive goaltending.

Hextall was known for his aggressive play, something which made him a fan-favorite in Philadelphia. He holds the record for most penalty minutes by a goaltender in one season with 113 in 1988-1989. In the closing minutes of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens that season, Hextall, his team already down 3 games to 2 and trailing 4-2 on the scoreboard, whacked his stick and blocker pad at Canadien defenseman Chris Chelios, apparently in retaliation for Chelios' illegal, yet unpenalized, hit that left the Flyers' Brian Propp with a concussion in Game 1. Hextall received a five-minute major and a match penalty for the incident, and was suspended for the first 12 games of the 1989-90 season.

On December 8, 1987, Hextall became the first goalie in NHL history to score a goal by actually shooting the puck into an open net vacated when the opposing team replaced their netminder with an offensive player. (Because hockey's score keeping rule always credits a goal to the last offensive player to touch the puck, on November 28, 1979, Billy Smith of the NHL's New York Islanders was the first goalie to be credited with a goal; however, the puck was accidentally shot into the net by a defensive player as in an own goal.) Hextall replicated the feat in the playoffs on April 11, 1989 against the Washington Capitals, thus becoming the first goalie to score a goal in a playoff game.

Ron Hextall was also the winner of the Vezina Trophy (NHL's Best Goaltender) and the Conn Smythe Trophy (NHL Playoff MVP), as well as being named to the NHL All-Rookie Team in 1987 as a rookie for the Philadelphia Flyers, as the Flyers took the powerful Edmonton Oilers to seven games during the Stanley Cup Finals. The Calder Trophy was the only honor that eluded Hextall that year as he finished second behind Luc Robitaille. He was also remembered for a slash on Edmonton's Kent Nilsson in the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals; any Oiler player that approached the Flyers' net would receive welts on their legs from Hextall's stick.

Hextall was traded to the Quebec Nordiques in a trade involving Eric Lindros among several others. He spent the 1992-93 NHL season there, helping the Nordiques to make the playoffs for the first time in several years. Hextall then moved on to the New York Islanders for 1993-94. The Flyers reacquired him in 1994 and he helped them reach the finals in 1997, although he did not have a strong series as he let in several soft goals. He finished out his career with the Flyers in 1999.

In June of 2006, the Los Angeles Kings named Ron Hextall as Assistant General Manager. In addition, Hextall will serve as the General Manager of the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League, the Kings’ primary affiliate.

Prior to playing in the NHL, Hextall won the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award in 1986 as the top rookie of the American Hockey League, while playing for the Hershey Bears.

[edit] Awards

[edit] Records

First goalie to get a goal

[edit] Career statistics

[edit] Regular season

[edit] Post season

Lead Flyers to one win of the Stanely Cup in 1987

[edit] International play

[edit] International statistics

[edit] See also

• Notable families in the NHL

[edit] References

• Career statistics
• Hextall Scores 1st Goal
• Legends of Hockey
• More Career Stats

Preceded by: John Vanbiesbrouck	Winner of the Vezina Trophy 1987	Succeeded by: Grant Fuhr
Preceded by: Patrick Roy	Winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy 1987	Succeeded by: Wayne Gretzky