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Monday, September 6, 1999
No more games in goal for Ron Hextall
The goalie largely responsible for leading the Philadelphia Flyers to the 1987 Stanley Cup finals retired Monday and will become a scout for the team.
"There's a million things in a bowl that I kind of grinded together, and it all came out pointing to the fact that it was time to move on," Hextall said at the Flyers' training camp.
"I thought about it all summer. In the end, I felt the right thing to do was call it a career."
Hextall, 35, said he was offered a deal to play with Calgary, but chose the scouting job with the Flyers. He cited ongoing hip problems and family concerns for not wanting to leave Philadelphia.
"I just told them upstairs that I wanted to play this year. But you know with my body aging and all the (other) factors, most things pointed to the fact that it was time."
Hextall was released by the Flyers this summer after playing backup all season. He was not claimed in the expansion draft, and his retirement was expected.
"I didn't want to be a guy who kind of hung on," he said.
General manager Bob Clarke credited Hextall with strong passing skills that paved the way for such outstanding goalies as Colorado's Patrick Roy and New Jersey's Martin Brodeur.
"Ron probably changed the position of goaltending in the National Hockey League. He was the first one that came in and handled the puck better than most of our defensemen," Clarke said.
Team chairman Ed Snider recalled that Hextall was the first NHL goalie to score a goal.
"A tremendous feat," he said.
The team waived Hextall on July 1, and since no team claimed him, the Flyers must buy out the final year of his contract. He will be paid $475,000 this year and next year as part of the negotiated buyout, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
He was 10-7-4 with a 2.53 goals-against average last season and had a 296-214-69 career record. The Atlanta Thrashers, wanting younger and less expensive players, did not select him in the expansion draft.
A 13-year veteran, Hextall backed up John Vanbiesbrouck last year, overtaking Bernie Parent for the team lead with 240 victories. Hextall also is No. 1 on the Flyers' career lists for games, playoff games and playoff victories. He was the starting goalie for the Wales Conference in the 1988 All-Star game.
Hextall was drafted by the Flyers in 1982.
One of the highlights of his career was the 1987 Stanley Cup finals against the Wayne Gretzky-led Edmonton Oilers. Even though the Flyers lost the series in seven games, the 23-year-old Hextall won the Conn Smythe trophy as the playoff MVP. He also captured the league's Vezina Trophy that season.
Hextall was traded to Quebec in the seven-player Eric Lindros deal in June 1992. He was later traded to the New York Islanders, playing one season before being dealt back to the Flyers in 1994.
The Flyers made it back to the Stanley Cup finals against the Detroit Red Wings in 1997, but Hextall was benched after allowing two soft goals in the opening game.
His last start for the Flyers was April 5 against the New York Rangers. He allowed five goals on 27 shots.
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