Ron Hextall

Ron Jeffrey Hextall ( May 3, 1964 in Brandon, Manitoba ) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender and is currently an assistant general manager with the Los Angeles Kings in the National Hockey League, as well as General Manager of the Manchester Monarchs in the American Hockey League.

Career

Ron Hextall comes from a hockey family. His grandfather Bryan Aldwyn Hextall was in 1940 a star with the New York Rangers and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Even His father, Bryan Lee Hextall, played around 1970 over 500 games in the NHL. Nearly 700 games played in his uncle Dennis Hextall. Ron began his career in 1981 in the Canadian Junior Football League WHL Brandon Wheat Kings in the. After a year, he was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the sixth round of the NHL Entry Draft in 1982 at position 119.

After two more years in the WHL Hextall played in 1984/85 at the Kalamazoo Wings IHL and the Hershey Bears in the AHL, both farm teams of the Flyers. 1985/86 he only played for Hershey and was awarded as the best rookie in the AHL, as he still held the status as league rookie because he had played only eleven games in his first season in the AHL.

1986/87 was then his first year for Ron Hextall into the NHL and the same as a goalkeeper. As best team in the Prince of Wales Conference made ​​it the Flyers in the playoffs. In the first round they defeated the New York Rangers in six games and moved into the second round, where they had a hard fought series changed with the New York Islanders fought. After four games, Philadelphia has already led 3-1, but lost the next two games. In the seventh and deciding game the Flyers managed a tight 5-4 victory to progress to the next round. In the Conference Finals, they faced the Montreal Canadiens and defeated them 4-2. The Edmonton Oilers superstar Wayne Gretzky were the opponents in the Stanley Cup final. The Oilers were for the fourth time in five years in the Stanley Cup final and have won twice win the Cup. And it looked even after four games out of it. With they led 3-1 and needed only a win, but the Flyers fought back and equalized from the series, and then in the last game but losing 1-3. Despite the final defeat Ron Hextall was named most valuable player of the playoffs with the Conn Smythe Trophy. A few days later he received the Vezina Trophy as still the best goalkeeper in the NHL and was appointed to the NHL All- Rookie Team. The Calder Memorial Trophy, he certainly did not get, but Luc Robitaille.

In the season 1987/88 he was the first goalkeeper who even scored a goal. The keeper of the New York Islanders Billy Smith was in 1979 once listed as scorer, but he scored the goal itself, but was the last player of the Islanders, who touched the puck before the opposing team scored an own goal. But in the playoffs, it did not run for the Flyers and they already dropped out in the first round.

In the playoffs, the 1988/89 season Hextall once again showed its hardness for which he was known and why he had collected 113 penalty minutes in the season, more than any other goalie in the history of the NHL. In the sixth game, the Montreal Canadiens have already led 4-2 and had to pick up on the way the crucial fourth victory when Hextall Chris Chelios with his bat and struck saver, apparently in retaliation for an attack by Chelios in the first game to a player of the flyers, who had suffered a concussion. The attack of Chelios was not punishable at the time. Hextall received a major penalty for five minutes and a game misconduct penalty and was also suspended for the first twelve games of the upcoming season.

After serving the lock at the beginning of the 1989/90 season, he was able to complete only two games before he incurred a serious injury. Only in mid- February, he came back into use, yet played six games, was injured again and finished the season. The next season was also marked by injuries and Hextall came only 36 games.

The 1991/92 season was again largely injury-free, but the Flyers missed the playoffs. In the summer of 1992, Hextall was part of the largest transfer business in the history of the NHL. Together with Hextall gave the Flyers Peter Forsberg, Steve Duchesne, Kerry Huffman, Mike Ricci, Chris Simon, two first-round draft picks and 15 million U.S. dollars to the Quebec Nordiques from to get the highly rated talent Eric Lindros.

Hextall remained only one year in Quebec but could lead the Nordiques for the first time after several years back in the playoffs. In the summer of 1993 he was transferred to the New York Islanders, but went after a year back to the Philadelphia Flyers.

After five unsuccessful years managed the Flyers with Hextall in 1995, again in the playoffs and in the season 1996/97 they again reached the Stanley Cup final. Hextall presented but not true to form in 1987 and after only four games with the Detroit Red Wings was the winner of the Stanley Cup firmly.

Hextall played two years for the Flyers, but was in his last season, only the number two in the goal. He was released from the Philadelphia Flyers in 1999 and ended shortly after his career.

Ron Hextall is considered alongside Jacques Plante as one of the players that have revolutionized the game of the goalkeeper. Often they left their goal area for the puck with their rackets to play with teammates. Was this style up in the nineties still rather rare, it is now widely used and is by goalies like Martin Brodeur Rick DiPietro or more and more perfected. In addition, Hextall was known for his kind, as he attacked players who ran with the puck on his goal. He conceded by frequently penalties and holds the NHL record with 584 penalty minutes in his career.

Of the fans, he was nicknamed " Der Hexer " because he had fished many a puck in the goal already seen from the air. He wore during his career, the numbers 27 and 72

In the summer of 2006, Ron Hextall of the Los Angeles Kings was hired as assistant general manager and itself acts as a general manager at the Kings farm team in the AHL, the Manchester Monarchs.

Awards and achievements

  • Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award 1986 ( best rookie in the AHL )
  • Stanley Cup Finals 1987 and 1997
  • Vezina Trophy 1987
  • Conn Smythe Trophy 1987
  • NHL First All -Star Team in 1987
  • NHL All- Rookie Team in 1987
  • NHL All-Star Game in 1988

Special and Records

  • First goalkeeper who shot himself a goal ( December 8, 1987 against the Boston Bruins )
  • First goalkeeper in the playoffs a goal shot ( April 11, 1989 against the Washington Capitals )
  • Goalkeeper with most penalty minutes in a regular season - 113 penalty minutes; 1988/89
  • Goalkeeper with most penalty minutes in the playoffs a season - 43 penalty minutes; 1986/87
  • Goalkeeper with most penalty minutes in his career (regular season) - 584 penalty minutes
  • Goalkeeper with most penalty minutes in his career ( playoffs ) - 115 penalty minutes
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