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Finnish goaltender Sinuhe Wallinheimo playing for an SM-liiga team JYP Jyväskylä in 2007.

Goalie Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks during a pre-game warmup in Vancouver against Toronto.

Elizabeth Wyn Wood's Bas-relief of a goaltender at Ryerson University in Toronto

In ice hockey, the goaltender, also known colloquially as the goalie, is the player who defends his/her team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his/her team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goalie usually plays in or near the area in front of the net called the goal crease (often referred to simply as the crease or the net). Goalies tend to stay at or beyond the top of the crease to cut down on the angle of shots. Because of the power of shots, the goaltender wears special equipment designed to protect the body from direct impact. Only one goalie is allowed to be on the ice for each team at any given time.

As there are no jersey number restrictions in ice hockey, a goaltender could theoretically wear any number from 00 to 99 (or 1 to 98 in the NHL, since 99 is retired in honour of Wayne Gretzky throughout the league and 00 notably of Martin Biron has since been banned), however there have been traditional goalie numbers. During the "original six" era, it was normal for teams to dress only one goaltender and their number was commonly 1 or 30, the numbers at the either end of the range of standard jersey numbers. As teams started dressing two goaltenders, other numbers entered into the mix. The most common additional numbers were at the end of the range, such as 29, 31, 35. Non North American hockey had additional traditional practices for goalie numbering such as 1 and 2 or 1 and 20. In the modern era, goaltenders have used a larger variety of numbers. Besides the long established #1, they are typically in the range of 27 to 60, with the 30's being the most common, particularly the traditional #30. The #40 is becoming more common among young goalies, a notable example being Boston's Tuukka Rask. The two players in NHL history that wore the number 00 before it was banned, John Davidson and Martin Biron, were both goaltenders.

Goaltender play in hockey[link]

Goaltending is a specialized position in ice hockey; at higher levels in the game, no goalies play other positions and no other players play goalie. A typical ice hockey team may have two or three goaltenders on its roster.

The goaltender has special privileges and training that other players do not. He wears special goaltending equipment that is different from that worn by other players, and is subject to specific regulations. Goalies may use any part of their bodies to block shots. The goalie may legally hold (or freeze) the puck with his hands to cause a stoppage of play. If a player from the other team hits the goaltender without making an attempt to get out of his way, the offending player may be penalized. In some leagues (including the NHL), if a goalie's stick breaks, he can continue playing with a broken stick until the play is stopped, unlike other players who must drop any broken sticks immediately.

Additionally, if a goaltender acts in such a way that would cause a normal player to be given a penalty, such as slashing or tripping another player, the goaltender cannot be sent to the penalty box. Instead, one of the goaltender's teammates is sent to the penalty box in his or her place. However, the goalie does receive the penalty minutes on the scoresheet. If the goalie receives a Game Misconduct penalty, he is removed from the ice and a replacement goalie is played.

Saves[link]

When a goaltender blocks or stops a shot from going into his goal net, that action is called a save. Goalies often use a particular style, but in general they make saves any way they can: catching the puck with their glove hand, deflecting the shot with their stick, blocking it with their leg pads or blocker or another part of their body, or collapsing to butterfly position to block any low shot coming, especially in close proximity. After making a save, the goaltender attempts to control the rebound to avoid a goal scored by an opposing player when the goaltender is out of position ('scoring on a rebound'), or to allow the goalie's own team to get control of the puck. Goalies may catch or hold a puck shot at the net to better control how it re-enters play. If there is immediate pressure from the opposing team, a goalie may choose to hold on to the puck (for a second or more, with judgment from the referee) to stop play for a face-off. If a goalie holds on to the puck for too long without any pressure they may be subject to a 2-minute delay of game penalty. Recently, in the NHL and AHL, goalies have been restricted as to where they can play the puck behind the net.

Glossary and techniques[link]

• Angle play: The method where, by positioning themselves in a direct line between the puck (not the shooter) and the net, a goaltender covers more of the net than he would otherwise be able to, and often "skulling" slowly, directly towards and closing on the opposing shooter to block more of the net. Two of the most notable angle goaltenders in the 1970s were Gilles Gilbert and Bernie Parent.

• Blocker: This equipment is predominantly worn on the dominant hand of the goaltender, the blocker is a rectangular piece of equipment with a glove to hold the stick. It protects the wrist area, and can be used to direct shots away from the net. The blocker should be positioned at one's side, and at a height which allows the goaltender's stick to remain flat on the ice while in their ready stance.

• Glove: This piece of equipment was originally shaped in the same fashion as a baseball glove, it has evolved into a highly specific piece of equipment that is designed specifically for catching the puck. Some of the more significant changes are the use of a "string mesh" in the pocket of the trapper, and the substantial palm and wrist protection. The pocket is the area between the thumb and first finger of the glove, and is where most goaltenders try to catch the puck, as it reduces the chance of a rebound falling out of the glove. The trapper can be held in a variety of positions depending upon the individual goaltender, but the trend among younger goaltenders is to hold the glove with the palm facing towards the shooter, instead of the "shake hands" position that was popular for so long. The "Cheater" portion of the glove is the part that covers the wrist of the goaltender.
• Butterfly save: On low shots, modern goaltenders usually work in the "butterfly" position, keeping their knees together and their stick covering their five-hole, or knee gap. A fairly new, more effective way of stopping low shots is to redirect the puck with the stick. The goalie does this by rotating their hips, their glove and stick square with the puck as they direct it to the corner to the left or right of them, depending on which side the puck is shot to, rather than kicking the puck way out of reach. The glove is kept up and out, ready for a possible deflection, and the goaltender is focused on the incoming shot. Goaltenders should keep both arms out in front of them at all times, covering the gaps between the goaltender's arms and body (sometimes called the 7 and 11 holes), and making it easier to direct rebounds with the stick and blocker.
• Butterfly slide: On breakaways or any other movement goaltenders should be using this technique to make "proper saves". To perform this goaltender move, you must use your leg to push off with your skate and with one knee hovering just above the ice while using your other skate to push your body side to side.
• Hasek roll: The Hasek roll is a desperation maneuver named after Czech goalkeeper Dominik Hasek. In the stacked pad stance the lower part of the net is protected very well, but the upper third is completely open. In a last-ditch effort to block an incoming high shot the goalkeeper can roll around his upper back, flailing his pads through the air and stacking them on the other side. If the timing is right the goalie might get his leg up just in time to make the save.
• Holes one through seven: When a goaltender stands in the net in the ready position, there are seven open areas that the goalie must cover. They are:

1. Glove side, high: this area is defined by the goaltender's arm and catcher on the bottom, mask on the inside, and the post and top of the goal on the outside.
2. Glove side, low: this area is defined by the goaltender's arm and catcher on the top, the ice on the bottom, and the outside post of the goal. During a butterfly-style save, this area is closed off completely and the catcher is typically stacked on top of the leg pad as the leg is extended to cover the post.
3. Stick side, high: this area is defined by the goal post, top of the goal, and the goalie's arm and blocker. The top half of the goaltender's stick is held in this area, but is not commonly used for stopping the puck.
4. Stick side, low: this area is the lower half of the stick side, defined by the blocker and arm, the ice, and the outer post of the goal. During a butterfly save this area is also covered by the leg pad with the blocker stacked on top to protect against low shots. When a goaltender is standing, the paddle of their stick is used to cover this area and to deflect the puck away from the net.
5. 'Five Hole': the fifth and final area is between the goalie's leg pads and skates. This area is protected by the blade of the stick at all times, and is closed up by the upper leg pads when the goalie is in the butterfly position.
6. Between the goalie's blocker and rib cage.
7. Between the goalie's glove and rib cage.

• Leg pads: Worn on the goaltender's legs to both protect the legs and help stop shots. The leg pads may not be more than 11 inches (280 mm) in width. (Current NHL Rules have reduced this to 11 inches (280 mm) in width, the overall height is restricted based upon individuals proportionally) The leg pads should come to about three inches above the knee. Pads that are too long will affect balance and timing; pads that are too short will not protect the knees or allow the goaltender to make butterfly saves properly.
• (Leg) kick save: A save made with any part of the leg pads. The goaltender should remain relaxed and skate backwards with the incoming shot, thus helping to absorb the blow and reduce the rebound effect. One type of leg pad save is the butterfly save.
• Lie: The angle created between the handle of a goaltender's stick and the paddle. The higher the lie, the closer the stick resembles the capital letter "L".

• Mask: The protective headgear worn by goaltenders. The first goaltender to wear a mask in the National Hockey League was Clint Benedict in 1930 who wore a crude form made of leather.^[1] In November 1959, Jacques Plante, wore a self-made fiberglass mask after taking a New York Rangers shot to the face. Following his lead, goaltenders around the world began to don protective headgear, which is now a requirement. Masks have evolved from the flush style introduced by Plante, to the player's helmet/special "birdcage" style best associated with Vladislav Tretiak and Chris Osgood, to the modern hybrid helmet, made of advanced materials such as carbon fiber or Kevlar, increasing in safety as time went on. Especially at higher levels of hockey, many goaltenders have their masks painted to represent their team's colors/imagery, landmarks in the city they play in or personal interests/nicknames. Examples of this include Mike Richter's Statue of Liberty mask, Ryan Miller featuring the words "Matt Man" on his masks in honor of his late cousin, and motorsports fan Craig Anderson including the Corvette Racing logo on the backplate of his masks.
• Paddle: The thick part of the goaltender's stick, not to be confused with the blade; the blade should remain flat on the ice as often as possible.
• Paddle down: A type of stance by the goaltender when the play is coming from the corner to the front of the net and the puck carrier is carrying the puck in front of the net looking to score. Here the goaltender puts the stick down on the ground, parallel to the ice, with the leg farthest from the post down and the other up and ready to push. This works well against angled rushes or wrap arounds where the skater would normally out–skate the goalie. The skater does have the top part of the net to shoot at, but it is difficult to lift the puck over the goalie from up close. The paddle down stance is also effective against low passes from behind the net to players looking to score from the slot.
• Poke check: When the goaltender wants to poke the puck away from an opposing player, he quickly slides his hand up the stick, thrusting forward towards the puck. This is a risky play, and occasionally the goaltender will miss and the puck-carrier will be left with an unguarded net. For in tight situations, a quick, hard jab should be used.
• Pro-fly: This style of play is derived from the butterfly style of play, although most will argue that this is nothing more than a marketing term. Current leg pad design allows for the full face of the pad to be perpendicular to the ice, maximizing blocking area. This is also called "flaring the pad", almost all modern goaltenders play this style. The stance is very wide and low to maximize the amount of body blocking the net. Many of today's great goaltenders have adopted this technique. This forces the shooter to get the puck off the ice to score. The con of this stance is that it is very hard to move quickly. The more efficient users of this style include Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers, Mike Smith of the Phoenix Coyotes, and Robert Luongo. This is still considered a butterfly motion, as the mechanics of making the save are the same, however it is the design of the leg pad that achieves this rotation more than anything.
• Screen shot: Screen shots are blind shots, in which the goalie can not find the location of the puck. Goalies should never anticipate or guess when and where the puck will hit. In the screen shot, another player (usually an opponent, but sometimes the goaltender's own teammate) stands between the shooter and the goaltender, obscuring the goaltender's vision of the shot. On a screen shot, the goaltender must do everything possible to try to see the shot, dropping to the butterfly stance and thrusting their glove out at the sound of a shot is not the best idea in the modern game. Some goalies, such as Ed Belfour or Ron Hextall, went as far as (illegally) punching players in the head or slashing their legs.
• Shuffle: A technique for lateral movement when the puck is relatively close to the net. The goaltender slides his legs, one at a time, in the desired direction. If the goaltender is not quick this technique momentarily leaves the five-hole open. This is the most common method of movement for a goaltender when in the butterfly position.
• Skate save: A save made with the goaltender's skate. The goaltender decides which direction the rebound should travel in, and turns his skate in that direction. Then, bending the other leg, he pushes towards the puck with the off leg, as the bent knee drops to the ice. This move is rarely used and widely thought of as "not effective"
• Skating: A common fallacy is that the goaltender can get by with merely adequate skating, and often young players are placed in net because of their poor skating. In fact, the goaltender must be one of the best technical skaters on the team, and must be able to keep up with the moves of every skater on opposing teams. In particular, goaltenders must be adept at lateral skating and quick pivoting. Goaltenders must also have exceptional leg strength and the capability for very explosive movement.
• Stacked Pad Slide: When a goaltender is on the angle, often a sudden pass close to the net will leave the net relatively unguarded. Stacking the pads is a desperation move in which the goaltender slides feet-first, with legs together (and consequently, "stacked"), across the crease, attempting to cover as much space as possible.
• Stance: In a proper stance, the goaltender has the weight on the balls of his feet, the trapper and blocker just above knee-height and slightly out in front so they can be seen in the goalies peripheral vision, and the stick flat on the ice. Stance should also be conformed to the goaltender's style and comfort.
• Stick: The stick, held by the goaltender in their blocker hand, the blade of the stick should remain flat on the ice. Keep notice of the lie on a new stick. A high lie will force a goaltender to play on their heels, offsetting balance, while a low lie places a goaltender lower to the ice, and may affect high saves.
• Stick save: A save made with the goaltender's stick. On stick saves, the goaltender should not keep a tight grip on the stick, instead allowing the shot's momentum to push the stick back into the skates/pads, cushioning the blow.
• Stood on his head: This is a term to describe an outstanding performance by an ice hockey goaltender in a short period of time. Often when a goalie lets out a rebound, the opposition returns the shot quickly, and the goalie has to make a quick save. A goalie often falls on his side and "stacks the pads" and appears to nearly stand on their head. The term may have been derived after NHL President Frank Calder, alluding to the 1918 rules change that permitted goalies to leave their feet to make a save, remarked, "As far as I am concerned, they can stand on their head(s)."^[2]
• C-step: A technique used by goaltenders to move in a lateral direction. To perform a C-step, a goaltender directs his outside skate at the desired angle, pushing with the opposite leg, covering the five hole. This method of lateral movement is most effective when the puck is far from the net. Use of this move when the puck is in close is not needed. Shuffling is good when the puck is in close.
• Skulling: Skulling is a method of moving inward and outward from the goal crease, often used in "angle play". Most often used in setting up prior to the puck entering their zone, especially to "cut down the angle", this move is accomplished by simply allowing your skates to separate, resulting in forward motion, then pulling your skates back together and stopping. At no time during a skull do your skates leave the ice. This can also be referred to as telescoping or bubbling.

Playing styles[link]

Stand-up style[link]

The oldest playing style is the stand-up style. In this style, goaltenders are to stop the puck from a standing position, not going down. The Goalies may bend over to stop the puck with their upper body or may kick the puck. Such saves made by kicking are known as kick saves or skate saves. They may also simply use their stick to stop it, known as a stick save. This was the style seen in the early NHL and was most commonly used up until the early 60s. One of the more notable goalies who was last seen using stand up was Bill Ranford, but most of the goalies from earlier decades such as Jacques Plante were considered pure stand up goalies.

As the name suggests, the stand-up style refers to a style of goaltending in which the goaltender makes the majority of the saves standing up. This style is not as popular in the modern era, with the majority of contemporary goaltenders switching to the butterfly style and the hybrid style. The stand-up style is in contrast to the butterfly style, where goaltenders protect the net against incoming shots by dropping to their knees and shifting their legs out.

The advantage of the stand-up style is in the continued mobility of the goaltender mid save. While standing, a stand-up goalie can remain square to the puck and adjust his positioning to ensure that he is covering as much of the net at all times. He is also in a better position to stop pucks that are headed towards the upper part of the net.

The main disadvantage of the stand-up style, however, is a susceptibility to shots travelling along the bottom half of the net. A larger percentage of shots occur in the bottom portion of the net, and a goaltender utilizing the butterfly will cover a larger portion of that area. If there is a screen, however, a stand-up goalie is generally in a better position to see the slapshot.

Butterfly style[link]

Another style is the "Butterfly", where goalies go down on both pads with their toes pointing outwards and the tops of their pads meeting in the middle, thus closing up the five hole. This results in a "wall" of padding without any holes, lowering the chances of low angle shots getting in. These goalies rely on timing and position. Early innovators of this style were goaltending greats Glenn Hall and Tony Esposito who was born in S.S. Marie, Ontario and who was good friends with great hockey player Ronald Lavergne, who played during the 50s-60s and 70s-80s, respectively. Hall is credited to be among the very first to use this style, and both he and Esposito had tremendous success with it. This is the most widely used style in the NHL today. "Butterfly" goalies have developed methods of sliding in the "Butterfly" position in order to move around fast in one-timer situations. As pad size increased, it became a more notable style of goaltending and is still evolving.

Hybrid style[link]

This style of goaltending is a blend of stand-up and butterfly style, where the goaltender primarily relies on reaction, save selection, and positioning to make saves. Hybrid goaltenders will usually control rebounds well, deflect low shots with their sticks, will utilize the butterfly, and are generally not as predictable as goaltenders who rely heavily on the butterfly as a save selection. Most players are not pure stand-up or butterfly, but simply tend to prefer stand-up or butterfly over the other. If a player does not have any preferences, he is considered a hybrid goalie. All modern NHL goaltenders generally use some form of this style. Some goalies who do this effectively are Ryan Miller, Martin Brodeur, Tim Thomas, Jaroslav Halák, Jonathan Quick, Miikka Kiprusoff, and Jimmy Howard.

Empty net situations[link]

A delayed penalty call situation, in which the referee (top-left) indicates a coming penalty by raising his arm, and prepares to blow the whistle when a player from the team to be penalized (in white) touches the puck. Goaltender Jere Myllyniemi can be seen (right) rushing to the bench to send on an extra attacker.

Normally, the goalie plays in or near the goal crease the entire game. However, teams may legally pull the goalie by substituting in a normal skater and taking the goaltender off the ice. A team temporarily playing with no goalie is said to be playing with an empty net. This gives the team an extra attacker, but at significant risk—if the opposing team gains control of the puck, they may easily score a goal. However, shooters that attempt to score on an empty net from the opposite side of the red line face getting called for icing the puck if they miss the net. Two common situations where a Goalie is generally pulled:

1. The opposing team has a delayed penalty coming against them

The offended team, if in control of the puck, will pull their goaltender for an extra man. This is safe since as soon as a player on the team to be penalized touches the puck, the whistle is called, so they cannot score on the empty net. This effectively increases the one-man disadvantage beyond the standard penalty time. There are, however, situations, where a team scores on its own empty goal.

2. A team needs a goal in order to avoid losing (such as trailing in the remaining minute or two of a game)

The 6 on 5 play advantage is very risky, as it is fairly certain that if the opposing team gets control of the puck they will be able to score on the empty net. Sometimes if a team is trailing in the last minutes of regulation, and has a power play advantage, they may pull the goaltender for a 6 on 4 advantage.

A goal scored in an empty net situation is not recorded as a shot faced or goal against on the personal stats of the goaltender who has left the ice.

NHL goaltender awards[link]

• The Vezina Trophy is awarded each year by the NHL to the league's most outstanding goaltender as determined by the general managers of the teams.
• The William M. Jennings Trophy is awarded each year by the NHL to the goaltender(s) from the team that allowed the fewest goals during the regular season.
• The Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award is awarded each year by the NHL to the goaltender with the best save percentage during the regular season.
• The Hart Trophy is awarded to the Most Valuable Player in the NHL.
• The Calder Trophy is awarded to the Rookie of the Year.
• The Ted Lindsay Award is awarded to the most outstanding player in the regular season as judged by the members of the NHL Players Association.

Goalies credited with goals[link]

A goalie scoring a goal in an NHL game is a very rare feat, having occurred only twelve times in the history of the National Hockey League, the first time occurring in 1979 after the league had been in existence for six decades. NHL rules forbid goaltenders from participating in play past the center line, so a goal by a goalie is possible only under unusual circumstances.

Seven of those twelve goals resulted from the goalie shooting into an empty net. The remaining five goals were not actually shot into the net by the goalie; rather the goalie was awarded the goal because he was the last player on his team to touch the puck before the opposition scored on themselves. Ron Hextall and Martin Brodeur are the only NHL goalies to be credited with two career goals (each scoring once in the regular season and once in the playoffs), though only Hextall has scored two goals by shooting the puck into an empty net. Damian Rhodes and José Théodore are the only goalies in NHL history to score a goal in which they also had a shutout game. Evgeni Nabokov of the San Jose Sharks was the first Russian goaltender to score a goal and the first goaltender to score a power play goal. Chris Osgood also scored a goal against the Hartford Whalers.

NHL[link]

AHL[link]

A chronological list of goals scored in the AHL by goalies:^[3]

• Darcy Wakaluk, December 5, 1987, Rochester Americans at Utica
• Paul Cohen, March 28, 1992, Springfield Indians vs. Rochester
• Robb Stauber, October 9, 1995, Rochester Americans at Prince Edward Island
• Christian Bronsard, October 30, 1999, Syracuse Crunch at Rochester
• Jean-François Labbé, February 5, 2000, Hartford Wolf Pack at Quebec
• Chris Mason, October 15, 2001, Milwaukee Admirals at Utah
• Antero Niittymäki, April 11, 2004, Philadelphia Phantoms at Hershey
• Seamus Kotyk, April 17, 2005, Milwaukee Admirals at San Antonio
• Drew MacIntyre, February 20, 2008, Manitoba Moose at Chicago (overtime winner)
• Chris Holt, March 19, 2010, Binghamton Senators vs. Rochester

ECHL[link]

A chronological list of goals scored in the ECHL by goalies:

• Corwin Saurdiff, March 18, 1995, Hampton Roads Admirals versus Charlotte Checkers
• Olie Sundstrom, December 15, 1995,^[4] Erie Panthers versus Wheeling Nailers
• Sean Gauthier, December 19, 1995^[5] at Raleigh IceCaps
• Nick Vitucci, March 6, 1996, Charlotte Checkers Louisville Riverfrogs
• Mark Bernard, March 22, 2001, Toledo Storm versus Johnstown Chiefs
• Mike Smith, October 26, 2002, Lexington Men O'War versus Dayton Bombers
• Brian Eklund, December 5, 2003, Pensacola Ice Pilots at Mississippi Sea Wolves
• Trevor Koenig, March 2, 2005, Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies at Wheeling Nailers
• Jonathan Quick, October 24, 2007, Reading Royals at Pensacola Ice Pilots
• Timo Pielmeier, December 19, 2009, Bakersfield Condors at Utah Grizzlies

IHL[link]

• Ryan Mior, Flint Generals versus Dayton Gems

KHL[link]

• Ilya Proskuryakov, January 25, 2009, Metallurg Magnitogorsk at Ak Bars Kazan^[6]
• Edgars Masalskis, January 7, 2010, Dinamo Riga at Amur Khabarovsk^[7]

CHL[link]

The first recorded instance of a professional goalie scoring a goal occurred on February 21, 1971, in the CHL. In a game between the Oklahoma City Blazers and the Kansas City Blues, the Oklahoma City Blazers were trailing 2-1 and decided to pull their goaltender. Michel Plasse, the goaltender for the Kansas City Blues then scored on an open net.^[8]

Subsequently, three goalies have scored empty-net goals in the CHL: Phil Groeneveld of the Fort Worth Fire scored against the Thunder in Wichita, Kansas, on November 20, 1995; Bryan McMullen scored for the Austin Ice Bats on February 17, 2002; and Mike Hall of the Arizona Sundogs scored a goal against Corpus Christi on March 16, 2007.^[9]

NCAA[link]

Damian Rhodes was credited with a goal while playing with Michigan Technological University

Chad Alban, Michigan State University goalie, scored an empty-net goal against Ferris State on February 28, 1998. Alban is credited as the only goalie in NCAA history to shoot the puck themselves and score a goal.

SM-Liiga[link]

• Mika Järvinen, December 3, 2008, KalPa at Lukko Rauma^[10]

Elitserien[link]

• Karol Krizan 2005-2006 Modo Hockey
• Vesa Toskala, 1999–2000, Färjestad BK
• Jarmo Myllys, 1999–2000 & 2000-2001, Luleå HF
• Jörgen Wikström, 1999-2000 IF Björklöven (First Eltiserien Goalie to score OG)

2.GBun[link]

• Mike Bales, September 30, 2005, Straubing Tigers at Landshut^[11]

Italy[link]

• Craig Kowalski, December 3, 2009, Hockey Club Valpellice vs Sportivi Ghiaccio Pontebba^[12]

AL-Bank Ligaen (Denmark)[link]

• Brian Greer, January 6, 2004 (SønderjyskE against Aalborg)
• Frederik Andersen, March 13, 2010, Frederikshavn White Hawks at Rødovre Mighty Bulls^[13]

Norway[link]

• Chris-Henrik Nygård, September 30, 2011 (Stjernen II vs Grüner)

Junior hockey[link]

• Januar y 7, 1987, Chris Clifford of the Kingston Canadians scored an empty-net goal against Toronto, becoming the first OHL goalie to score a goal
• While playing for the Medicine Hat Tigers, Chris Osgood scored an empty-net goal; as well, Olaf Kolzig scored a goal while with the Tri-City Americans
• April 20, 1993, Fred Brathwaite scored a goal while with the Detroit Jr. Red Wings
• February 21, 1997, the Muskoka Bears' Ryan Venturelli became the first Metro Junior Hockey League goalie to score two goals (both empty net) in a hockey game. The goals came in an 11-6 win against the Durham Huskies^[14]
• March 30, 2004, Justin Peters, then with the Toronto St. Michael's Majors, scored an empty-net goal during the playoffs against the Sudbury Wolves
• September 25, 2005, Antoine Lafleur of the P.E.I. Rocket was credited with an empty-net powerplay goal against the Halifax Mooseheads
• December 6, 2008, in two separate games, two different QMJHL goalies scored goals; Peter Delmas (Lewiston MAINEiacs) was credited with a goal against the Quebec Remparts and Maxim Gougeon (Rimouski Océanic) scored an empty-netter against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles
• June 2009, during a junior B playoff game, Brantford Golden Eagles goaltender Daryl Borden scored an empty-netter
• April 23, 2012, Mark Visentin of the Niagara IceDogs scored an empty-net shorthanded goal during the playoffs against the Ottawa 67's

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ice hockey goaltenders

• Rover (ice hockey)
• Centre
• Winger
• Forward
• Defenceman
• Breakaway (ice hockey)
• List of NHL players

Positions on the hockey rink
Forwards:		Left winger | Centre | Right winger
Defencemen:		Left defenceman | Right defenceman
Goaltender:		Goaltender
Power forward | Enforcer | Grinder | Pest | Captain | Head coach | Referee & linesman

References[link]

External links[link]

• The Goalies Archive Complete goaltending history of every NHL and WHA teams
• HockeyGoalies.org Comprehensive list of goalies
• The Goalie Crease Network A worldwide goaltending community

Ron Hextall
Born	(1964-05-03) May 3, 1964 (age 48) Brandon, MB, CAN
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight	205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Caught	Left
Played for	Philadelphia Flyers Quebec Nordiques New York Islanders
National team	Canada
NHL Draft	119th overall, 1982 Philadelphia Flyers
Playing career	1984–1999

Ronald Jeffrey Hextall (born May 3, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played 13 National Hockey League (NHL) seasons for the Philadelphia Flyers, Quebec Nordiques, and New York Islanders. He is currently the Vice President and Assistant General Manager of the Los Angeles Kings, as well as General Manager of the Kings' American Hockey League affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs.

Hextall played 11 of his 13 seasons over two stints with the Flyers. He holds several team records and is a member of the Flyers Hall of Fame. During his rookie season in 1986–87, he was awarded the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender and led the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals. Despite the Flyers' loss to the Edmonton Oilers in seven games, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs' most valuable player, making him one of only five players to win the trophy in a losing effort.^{[note 1]} Injuries in the middle of his career contributed to a drop in his playing ability; as a result, he was traded on three occasions in the off-seasons between 1992 and 1994 to the Quebec Nordiques, the New York Islanders and then back to the Flyers. Upon his return to Philadelphia, Hextall regained confidence and form, recording Goals Against Averages (GAA) below 3.00 in each of his five subsequent seasons – the lowest of his career. He retired from the NHL at the end of the 1998–99 season.

Hextall 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. The following season, he became the first to score in the playoffs, by shooting the puck into the Washington Capitals' empty net. His mobile style of play, in which he provided support to his defencemen by coming out of the goal area to play the puck was revolutionary, and inspired future generations of goaltenders, such as Martin Brodeur. He was also known for being 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 the number of penalty minutes recorded by a goaltender in the NHL.

Early life[link]

Ron Hextall was born on May 3, 1964 in Brandon, Manitoba, the third and youngest child of Bryan and Fay Hextall.^[2] His family were closely associated with hockey. His grandfather, Bryan Hextall, had an 11-year NHL career with the New York Rangers, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1969.^[3] His father, known as Bryan Hextall, Jr., played in the NHL for 10 seasons, most notably for the Pittsburgh Penguins,^[4] and his uncle, Dennis Hextall, played 14 seasons of NHL hockey, not staying with any one club for longer than five years.^[5] During his youth, Hextall saw his father and uncle often roughed up by the Philadelphia Flyers, whose aggressive style of play for much of the 1970s gave the team the name "Broad Street Bullies". Hextall later reflected that during this period he "hated the Flyers."^[2]

Because of his father's career, Hextall's education was far from stable; each year began at Brandon, and once the hockey season commenced in October, he moved to a school nearer to where his father was playing. At school, he achieved B and C grades, putting in the minimum amount of effort, but his mind remained on hockey, and specifically goaltending. "Everybody else would be working and I'd be drawing pictures of Tony Esposito and Jimmy Rutherford," he recalled.^[2] Hextall came to mostly enjoy the constant moving, later saying "I got to hang around NHL rinks. What more would I have wanted?"^[2]

Although both his father and grandfather played as forwards, his father was happy for him to play in goal, but insisted that he try other positions to improve his skating: Bryan believed his son would have made a good defenceman. Hextall's mother thought her son's love for hockey exceeded that of her husband's teammates and believed it would drive him to achieve his aim of goaltending in the NHL.^[2] Each summer, Hextall received training at the hockey school at which his father taught, but the hockey programs in Pittsburgh and Atlanta were sub-standard, and meant that during his teenage years, he was behind many of his fellow players. He describes himself as "[not] what you would call real polished" in his first year of junior hockey, aged 17.^[2]

Playing career[link]

Junior hockey[link]

Hextall began his junior hockey career with the Melville Millionaires in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL).^[6] In his solitary season with the club, he played 37 games with a goals against average (GAA) of 6.57.^[7] In one game that season, against the Prince Albert Raiders, Hextall faced 105 shots, and made 84 saves, a performance described as brilliant by the Regina Leader-Post. Although the Millionaires lost 21–2, the reporter noted that if it was not for Hextall, the Raiders could have scored "34 or 35".^[8] Millionaires teammate Mark Odnokon praised his performance, particularly the way "he lived up to his responsibilities and stayed in there until the end."^[9] In 2009, Hextall was inducted as one of the inaugural members of the SJHL Hall of Fame.^[6]

Hextall returned to Brandon for the 1981–82 season, playing for the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Western Hockey League (WHL).^[7] He played 30 regular season games for the Wheat Kings, during which he recorded a GAA of 5.71. The Wheat Kings reached the playoffs but were swept four games to none (4–0) in the first-round by the Regina Pats. Hextall played in three of the games, but completed only two and had a GAA of 9.32.^[7] His team was regarded as a poor one at the time by critics and Hextall had to battle in each game. Flyers' scout Gerry Melnyk said he could understand why many teams did not rate Hextall: "There were teams who thought he was loony."^[2] Melnyk claimed it was these attributes which he was attracted by, and he felt that Hextall could fit in well with the Flyers.^[2] Subsequently, the Flyers chose Hextall in the sixth round of the 1982 NHL Draft, 119th overall.^[10]

After his selection, Hextall remained with Brandon for two further seasons. He played 44 games in 1982–83, recording a GAA of 5.77 during a season in which the Wheat Kings did not qualify for the playoffs. The following year was his most successful in the WHL: a GAA of 4.29 across his 46 regular season games, which included 29 wins – more than in the previous two seasons combined. He played in ten of the twelve playoff games, recording five wins and five losses, with a GAA of 3.75.^[7] During the 1983–84 season, Hextall set a record for the most penalty minutes accumulated by a goaltender, being assessed for 117 minutes during the regular season.^[11]

Professional hockey[link]

Hextall arrived at the Philadelphia Flyers training camp in 1984 with the expectation of playing in the NHL. However, the Flyers subsequently sent him to their farm team in the International Hockey League (IHL), the Kalamazoo Wings. Although disappointed,^[12] Hextall was now playing at a higher level than at WHL and made his debut in professional hockey.^[13] He played 19 games for Kalamazoo, recording six wins and a GAA of 4.35. During the season, he moved to the Flyers' other farm team; Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), where he played 11 times, with four wins, and a GAA of 3.68.^[7]

In the following season, Hextall remained with Hershey, appearing in 53 games during the 1985–86 season. He recorded 30 wins and the lowest GAA average of his career to that point, 3.41. The Bears finished the regular season as league leaders, and won the John D. Chick Trophy as the South Division Champions.^[14] Hextall lived up to his aggressive reputation in the Conference final, played against the St. Catharines Saints, fighting three different members of the opposition side during a single bench-clearing brawl.^[15] The Bears advanced to the Calder Cup final, having beaten the New Haven Nighthawks 4–1 and the St. Catharines Saints 4–3. In the final, they faced the Adirondack Red Wings, who won the championship by four games to two.^[16] Hextall played 13 games in the playoffs, of which his team won five, and his GAA was 3.23. He was named as the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award winner, as the AHL's outstanding rookie player.^[17] Looking back on his time in the AHL, Hextall reflected that despite his initial disappointment at not being selected to play for the Flyers straight away, "the two years that I spent in the American League got me to the point where I was sure I could be a No. 1 goaltender at the NHL level."^[2]

Philadelphia Flyers[link]

First three seasons[link]

After his performances in the AHL, Hextall was invited to the Flyers' training camp as a long-shot. His play in four exhibition games convinced Flyers' coach Mike Keenan to call Hextall up to the NHL, and to play him in the opening game of the season, against the Edmonton Oilers. Hextall conceded a goal from the first shot he faced in the game, but allowed no further shots past him, leading his side to a 2–1 victory. Hextall continued to display the aggressive nature with which he had always played, swinging his stick at Brad Smith and Troy Murray early in his first NHL season. Despite these swipes, Hextall claimed at the time that, "I used to be worse, I've learned to control my temper."^[18] Two months after making these comments, Hextall was involved in a fight with opposing New Jersey Devils goaltender Alain Chevrier. Having lost to the Devils, the Flyers wanted revenge for Steve Richmond's punch on Kjell Samuelson at the end of the game; Hextall targeted Chevrier in a fight labelled by Chico Resch as "like a heavyweight against a lightweight."^[19] Hextall and seven other players were fined $300 each for their part in the brawl.^[20]

Hextall's play in his rookie year in the NHL saw him awarded both the Vezina Trophy and the pictured Conn Smythe Trophy.

In 66 regular season games during his rookie year, Hextall posted a GAA of 3.00, and recorded 37 wins. His was awarded the Vezina Trophy for the most outstanding goaltender by the NHL general managers,^[21] but he was second in the voting to Luc Robitaille for the Calder Memorial Trophy, awarded to the "player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition".^[22][23] Hextall led the Flyers to top their Conference, and win the Prince of Wales Trophy.^[24] The Flyers progressed to face the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Finals, having beaten the New York Rangers 4–2, the New York Islanders 4–3, and the Montreal Canadiens 4–2.^[25] Following their series victory over Montreal, Flyers captain Dave Poulin identified Hextall as the team's leading performer.^[26] In the fourth game of the Finals, Hextall received two penalties, first a ten-minute misconduct penalty for "expressing his displeasure at the fourth Oiler goal," and later a five-minute penalty for slashing Kent Nilsson. In the latter incident, Hextall had received a slash from Glenn Anderson for which there was no call from the referees, and Hextall sought revenge by striking the back of Nilsson's knees. After the game Hextall expressed remorse for striking the wrong player but not for his action:

"If somebody slaps you in the face, you're going to slap him back, it's not like he gave me a touch to jar the puck. What's he going to do next, break my arm? I'm sorry it was Nilsson and not Anderson I hit, but I just reacted. At the time, it seemed the right thing to do."^[27]

The performance of Hextall in the next game tied the series and forced a seventh game; at the end, the Flyers team surrounded Hextall in congratulation and the Oilers player Kevin Lowe said that Hextall "held them in it".^[28] Between the sixth and seventh games, the Oilers' forward Wayne Gretzky described Hextall as "probably the best goaltender I've ever played against in the NHL"^[29] Edmonton won the final game of the series to take the Stanley Cup. Robin Finn, writing in The New York Times, said that the team won the title "without their trademark, those endless waves of madcap scoring", primarily due to the "heroics of Hextall".^[30] Flyers team-mate Rick Tocchet said that when he realised his side were going to lose, his "first thought was to feel sorry for Ronny Hextall, because he did everything he could to get us here and keep us in it."^[30] Hextall was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy for the most valuable player in the play-offs,^[31] becoming only the fourth player from a losing side to be awarded the trophy.^[30] During the off-season, Hextall received an eight-game suspension for the start of the 1987–88 season after his slash on Nilsson. Speaking on behalf of the NHL, Brian O'Neill said that: "There is no justification for any player to swing his stick in retaliation and this is especially the case for a goaltender whose stick, because of its weight, can cause serious injury."^[32]

The Flyers had a difficult start to the 1987–88 season, partly attributed by Keenan to the absence of Hextall.^[34] Hextall returned to the Flyers line-up against the New York Rangers, and made over 40 saves in a 2–2 tie.^[35] Just over a month later, Hextall became the first goaltender to shoot at goal and score in the NHL when he scored an empty net goal towards the end of a game against the Boston Bruins.^{[note 2]} The Flyers led 4–2 which prompted the Bruins to pull their goaltender in favour of an extra attacker. The puck was dumped into the Philadelphia zone by the Bruins, and Hextall picked it up without any players near him; his shot fired into the air, bounced and rolled into the net.^[37] Hextall had targeted becoming the "first NHL goaltender to score a true goal" over a year earlier,^[18] and, speaking after the game, commented that: "I knew I could do it. It was a matter of when."^[37] Despite his early season suspension, and a shoulder injury late in the season which made him miss five games,^[38] Hextall played 62 of the 67 games for which he was available during the regular season. He recorded 30 wins, and a GAA of 3.50, slightly higher than during his rookie year.^[7] Hextall struggled in the playoffs: he was replaced in successive games of the series against the Washington Capitals having conceded four goals in each.^[39] In the final two games of the series, which the Capitals won 4–3, Hextall gave up a further 12 goals, and completed the playoffs with a GAA of 4.75.^[7]

In each of his first two seasons, Hextall accumulated 104 penalty minutes during the regular season,^[40] the first time that a goaltender had collected over 100.^[7] In the 1988–89 season, he broke his own record, being assessed for 113 penalty minutes,^[40] the most by an goaltender in an NHL season (as of 2010).^[41] Hextall completed the 1988–89 regular season with 30 wins, the third consecutive season in which he had recorded so many, and the first time a goaltender had managed to record 30 wins in each of their first three seasons in the NHL.^[42] The Flyers finished fourth in the Patrick Division, and qualified for the playoffs.^[43] They faced the Washington Capitals in the first round, and the teams shared the first four games. The Flyers won the fifth, despite being 5–4 down in the third period. Flyers' defenceman Mark Howe credited their victory to Hextall. Late in the game, the Capitals pulled their goaltender, and Hextall scored the second goal of his career. The puck was shot into the Flyers' left defensive zone by Scott Stevens, and Hextall went around the back of his net, controlled the puck and shot at goal. He became the first goaltender to score a goal in the NHL playoffs.^[44] The Flyers won 8–5, and went on to win the series 4–2, which Joe Sexton of the New York Times attributed primarily to Hextall's return to form.^[45]

Against the Penguins in the Patrick Division Final, Hextall's performances were mixed: he under-performed early in the series, and in game five was swapped out of the net and then reinstated twice during a 10–7 defeat for the Flyers. Hextall faced 17 shots in the game, conceding nine of the Penguins goals. After the game, he denied being out of control, despite having assaulted one of the officials and chasing Rob Brown around the ice. He said, "I like to think I'm strong mentally. Hey, if I was as out of control as people say I am, I wouldn't be in the National Hockey League."^[46] The Penguins coach, Gene Ubriaco, agreed with Hextall's assessment, and believed the goaltender lost control intentionally: "He uses a loss of control to his advantage, in a way. He's the extreme example of controlled violence. And they [the Flyers] live and die with it."^[46] The Flyers won the next game to force a decider, but Hextall was ruled out of the contest with a first degree sprain of the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his right knee.^[47] Hextall's injury kept him out of the first three games of the series against the Canadiens, during which the Canadiens took a 2–1 lead. He returned for the fourth game, but could not prevent his side losing 3–0.^[48] The Flyers won the following game to extend the series to six games, but lost the next game 4–2, and were eliminated. Hextall displayed his violent side during the final minutes of game six, skating out of his crease to attack Chris Chelios. Hextall claimed that the attack was in retaliation for Chelios' hit on Flyer Brian Propp in game one,^[49] when Chelios caught Flyer Propp with a "flying elbow" to the side of the head, rendering him unconscious.^[50] Hextall was given a 12-game suspension for his actions, at the beginning of the 1989–90 season.^[51] Following the announcement of the suspension, Hextall stated his disappointment, and added that his intention was to fight rather than hurt Chelios.^[52]

Contract rebel and injury troubles[link]

Prior to the 1989–90 season, Hextall became unhappy that his eight-year, $4 million contract was only earning him $325,000 a year, and hired a confrontational agent, Ritch Winter, to renegotiate his contract. The Flyers refused to deal with the agent, and at a tearful press conference, Hextall declared his contract invalid and announced that he would not take part in the team's training camp. After negotiations about which neither side revealed details, Hextall returned to practice with the team on October 20, 42 days later.^[2][53] Hextall suffered a slight groin pull during his first game back,^[54] and in his second, he hurt his left hamstring. Just under a month later, while playing for the Hershey Bears in an attempt to establish his fitness, he was carried off the ice after once more hurting his groin.^[55] In total that season, Hextall appeared nine times; once for the Bears in the AHL, and eight times for the Flyers. In the NHL, he recorded a GAA of 4.15, the highest he averaged during any single season of the NHL.^[7]

Hextall continued to be plagued by groin injuries during the next two seasons, twice straining his left groin muscle in the 1990–91 season.^[56] The Flyers' orthopaedist, Dr. Arthur Bartolozzi, suggested a possible reason for his series of injuries:

"He is in motion anticipating the shot before the guy even hits the puck. So he's already on the ice or doing a split or anticipating the shot well before it's made. That's probably what makes him a great goaltender. But it's also what may predispose him to injury."^[57]

In 1990–91, Hextall appeared in 36 NHL games, less than half of those played by the Flyers that season. He recorded 13 wins, with a GAA of 3.13.^[7] For the second successive year, the Flyers failed to qualify for the playoffs. Early the following season, Hextall received the third significant suspension of his career, missing six games for slashing Detroit forward Jim Cummins during a pre-season game.^[58] Suspension, further injuries, and a lack of form meant Hextall appeared 45 times for the Flyers. He recorded 16 wins during the season, resulting in his lowest win percentage in the NHL, 35.56%.^[7]

Quebec Nordiques[link]

In the 1992 off-season, Hextall was part of the trade which brought Eric Lindros to the Philadelphia Flyers. Lindros, who had been picked first overall by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1991 entry draft, had refused to play for Quebec during the 1991–92 season, forcing the club's owner Marcel Aubut to trade him.^[59] While negotiating to get the best possible deal, Aubut traded Lindros to both the Flyers and the Rangers, meaning an arbitrator had to rule which club should receive him.^[60] During the ten days between the trades being made and the arbitrator's ruling, there was a lot of speculation about which Flyers' and Rangers' players were involved in the potential trades.^[59][60] Hextall was among the players mentioned, something which he was unhappy about. Speaking through his agent, Hextall admitted to being "scared to death" about the possibility of moving with his family to the French-speaking area.^[61] On July 30, the arbitrator ruled in favour of the Philadelphia Flyers, and Hextall was traded to Quebec, along with five other players, two first round selections (in 1993 and 1994), and $15,000,000 cash for Lindros.^[7]

In the New York Times preview of the Adams Division for the 1992–93 season, Hextall is described as "inconsistent and injury-prone", while the players gained in the Lindros trade are collected dubbed as "good players but no superstars."^[62] Hextall regained some of the confidence he displayed during his first years in Philadelphia,^[63] and although a strained thigh muscle kept him out towards the end of the regular season,^[64] he helped the Nordiques to reach the playoffs for the first time since 1987.^[65] Quebec were eliminated 4–2 by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round, during which Hextall was praised as being "at the top of his game".^[66]

New York Islanders[link]

After only one season at the Nordiques, Hextall was traded to the New York Islanders in return for Mark Fitzpatrick during the off-season, a move made because the Nordiques could only protect one goalie for the expansion draft and instead of losing him choose to trade him to Long Island. The two teams also traded first round draft picks. The move was a surprise for Hextall, who had settled in well in Quebec with his family. Don Maloney, the Islanders' General Manager, described the trade as "too good to pass up".^[67] The trade was praised by the New York Times as possibly "the best in the league over the off season".^[68] Hextall had a poor beginning to his career as an Islander, conceding 23 goals in 14 periods at the start of the season, resulting in his replacement prior to the third period against the New Jersey Devils in mid-October. During that game, in which the Islanders were playing at home, Hextall was jeered by the crowd, something to which he had become accustomed during his time with Philadelphia.^[69] In contrast to the fan's derision, Hextall's team-mates backed him, taking some of the blame themselves, and expressing their belief in their new colleague. Steve Thomas suggested that Hextall was "one of the best goalies in the league, easily in the top five or 10," while coach Al Arbour dismissed dropping Hextall, saying that "We're not playing well in front of the goaltender and he can only be as good as the guys in front of him."^[70] Any thoughts that Arbour might have had of replacing Hextall as the team's number-one goaltender were limited by the play of his back-up, Tom Draper, who recorded a GAA of 4.23 in the seven NHL games he played that season.^[71] This, coupled with the lack of experienced goaltenders at the club's IHL affiliate, the Salt Lake Golden Eagles,^[72] resulted in Hextall starting 20 games in a row until Jamie McLennan was called up from the Golden Eagles.^[73]

The break, and challenge, that Hextall was afforded by McLennan's call-up helped him to recover his form, and in February, he made consecutive shutouts against the Ottawa Senators and Washington Capitals.^[74] He recorded another shutout in his next home game, against the Flyers,^[75] and was shortly thereafter named as the NHL's player of the week.^[76] During the regular season with the Islanders, Hextall recorded a career-best five shutouts, and a GAA of 3.08, the best since his rookie year.^[7] Maloney described Hextall's time with the team as having "a slow start and a disastrous finish".^[77] The Islanders reached the playoffs, but were swept 4–0 by their rivals, the New York Rangers. Hextall played three of the four games, conceding 16 goals for a GAA of 6.08, the worst average of his NHL career by some distance.^[7][77] After the season had concluded, Maloney said that he believed that only two Islanders players had distinguished themselves during the 1993–94 season, with one of those being Jamie McLennan. He also praised Hextall's play during his long sequence of starts,^[78] but five months later, Maloney traded Hextall back to Philadelphia. He described the move as being two-pronged: it would appease the fans and prevent the derisory calls when the team were struggling, and it would give McLennan a chance to establish himself as the number-one goaltender. Hextall, along with a sixth round draft pick was traded to the Flyers in return for goaltender Tommy Söderström.^[79]

Return to Philadelphia[link]

In his first season back in Philadelphia, Hextall played 31 games, recording his lowest GAA in a season to that point, 2.89.^[7] The Flyers reached the playoffs for the first time in six years.^[80] After defeating the Buffalo Sabres in the first round, the Flyers faced the New York Rangers in the second. Following the Rangers sweep of the Islanders the previous season, the Rangers' fans chanted "We Want Hex-tall!" during their game-six victory in the first round. The Flyers' coach, Terry Murray dismissed the chants, stating that "emotionally he's really under control." The New York Times supported this belief, claiming that "this isn't the same Ron Hextall they remember so fondly".^[81] The Flyers won the first two games of the series, and at Madison Square Garden, Hextall had a quiet game in which he even acted as a calming influence to team-mates Kevin Haller and Dmitri Yushkevich, a turnaround from the aggressiveness he had displayed earlier in his career.^[82] The Flyers swept the Rangers 4–0 and advanced to the Conference Final against the New Jersey Devils, to whom they lost 4–2.^[83] Hextall's statistics in the playoffs were his best since his rookie year: he recorded ten wins with a GAA of 2.81.^[7]

For the first time in three seasons, Hextall was not traded during the off-season, and remained with the Flyers for the 1995–96 season.^[7] During the regular season, Hextall improved on his figures from the previous year, passing 30 wins for the first time since 1988–89. His GAA of 2.17 was both the best in the NHL that year,^[84] and the best of Hextall's career.^[7] In the playoffs, Hextall played in all twelve of the Flyers' games, a 4–2 first round victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning followed by a 4–2 defeat to the Florida Panthers. His GAA of 2.13 was his lowest recorded in any post-season.^[7] He continued to perform well over the next two seasons, passing 30 wins again in 1996–97, and adding another nine shutouts to the four he had made in 1995–96. Over his first five seasons in the NHL, Hextall only made one shutout, while in his final six seasons, he achieved the feat on nineteen occasions.^[7] The Flyers progressed to the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals, though Hextall only appeared in eight playoff games, finishing seven of them. Throughout the season and the playoffs, the uncertainty in goal resulted in Hextall and Garth Snow swapping places regularly.^[85] Snow started nine of the ten games during the first two rounds,^[86] but Hextall replaced him in game two of the Conference Final, and remained the starting goaltender for the remainder of the series. A loss against the Detroit Red Wings in the first game of the Stanley Cup finals resulted in coach Murray switching back to Snow for the second game.^[87] Hextall returned for games three and four, but the Flyers were swept 4–0 by the Red Wings.^[88]

In his final two playing seasons, both spent at the Flyers, Hextall made fewer appearances; he played 46 games in 1997–98, and 23 the following year. He maintained a sub-three GAA in each year, repeating the achievement in each of his final five seasons in the NHL having failed to do so in the previous eight seasons.^[7] At the end of 1998–99, Hextall was waived by the Flyers,^[89] and after going unclaimed in the expansion draft, he announced his retirement on September 7, 1999.^[90]

International career[link]

Hextall's first international recognition came when he was named as part of Team Canada's squad for the 1987 Canada Cup. During a practice session, he chopped Sylvain Turgeon's arm with his stick during a scrimmage, claiming that the defenceman was too close to the goal. Turgeon missed the tournament with a fractured arm; Hextall was back-up to Grant Fuhr and did not play a single game.^[7] He later represented Canada in the 1992 World Championships, playing five games to record one win and a GAA of 2.86 as Canada were eliminated in the quarter-finals.^[7]

Playing style[link]

Martin Brodeur admired and adopted Hextall's mobile style.^[91]

Hextall brought a new style of goaltending to the NHL, providing support to his two defencemen due to his willingness to come out of the net and play the puck.^[91][92] He was known for his excellent puck-handling ability.^[13] In Hextall's time, goaltenders would limit themselves to stopping the puck behind the net, make short push passes, or at most clear the puck out of the zone with "clumsy" backhands.^[33] He distinguished himself by using his stick as a defenceman would; for example, he was capable of starting a counterattack, easily lifting the puck or bouncing it off the glass. Hextall's puck-handling ability meant that it was inadvisable to try a dump and chase strategy of sending the puck in a corner, regaining it, and establishing an attack in the offensive zone, because Hextall would invariably get to the puck first and clear it out of his zone towards a waiting player in the neutral zone.^[93] He was described by former NHL player Peter McNab as the "original outlet pass goalie".^[33]

While playing junior hockey, Hextall's coaches advised him that he would not reach the NHL if he continued to move the puck. Not everyone agreed; NHL goaltender Darren Pang described feeling as if "he had just witnessed Superman flying out of a phone booth" when he saw Hextall's puckhandling ability in a minor league game.^[94] Former NHL goaltender Johnny Bower, when scouting for the Toronto Maple Leafs in Brandon, remarked that Hextall would at times let in soft goals, and doubted if he would reach the NHL; Hextall retained a tendency to let in occasional weak goals throughout his career.^[94] Hextall claims his adventurous style stemmed from his youth, when he played on outdoor ice rinks with a skater's stick, rather than the heftier goaltender's stick. Martin Brodeur modelled his own play on that of Hextall, saying "I love the fact that he was playing the puck. He was one of the first goalies that came out and played the puck. He was a little rough for my liking, but it was entertaining. The playing of the puck was the big thing."^[91] Hextall's mobility provided extra passing opportunities for his defencemen: when killing a penalty they would frequently pass the puck back to him, relieving some of the pressure on his team. He is described on the Hockey Hall of Fame's Legends of Hockey website as being "perhaps the game's most mobile goalie of all time."^[7]

Frank Orr, a columnist in the Toronto Star, suggested that Hextall's aggressive nature, which resulted in three suspensions of six or more games during his NHL career, was an intentional part of his game designed to protect him. He theorized that because Hextall's style of play frequently took him out of his goal crease, the threat of physical violence lessened the chances of him being challenged by an attacker when out of position.^[95] In the 1993 playoff series between the Montreal Canadiens and Hextall's Nordiques, the Canadiens' coach Jacques Demers designed a plan to disrupt Hextall's play after Montreal had lost its two first games to Quebec. He noted that Hextall would be off his game if he were disturbed or bumped.^[96] Montreal then won four straight games to win the series in six games. Demers felt that Hextall's emotional play lessened his effectiveness; while acknowledging him as a "great competitor", he felt that "he didn't reach the level of a Grant Fuhr or a Martin Brodeur [because] he lost his cool if you got in his face."^[96]

Rogie Vachon, who served as the General Manager of the Los Angeles Kings during the early part of the Hextall's playing career, praised his goaltending ability, but felt that his aggressive conduct "shouldn't be in hockey and I think it tarnishes his image, too. He can play. He doesn't need that (stuff)."^[97] His view was shared by many, leading Hextall to be tagged as one of the most "revered and reviled" players in the league.^[97] Former NHL goaltender John Davidson commented that Hextall "thrived" on being a villain; he further described him as a "great character", and noted that "when he came to town, fans would want to race to the arena to boo him."^[33]

Post-retirement[link]

Upon his retirement from playing in 1999, Hextall immediately joined the Philadelphia Flyers' set-up as a Professional Scout. He was promoted to Director of Professional Player Personnel three years later, and was considered by the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame to be a key factor in the success experienced by the Flyers during the early 2000s, when they won the Atlantic Division three times, and reached the Eastern Conference Finals on two occasions.^[98] In June 2006, Hextall moved to the Los Angeles Kings to take on the role of Vice President and Assistant General Manager. In addition, Hextall also serves as the General Manager of the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL, the Kings’ primary affiliate.^[98]

Personal life[link]

Hextall married Diane Ogibowski, a former figure skater,^[18] and the pair have four children; Kristin, Brett, Rebecca, and Jeffrey.^[98] Brett Hextall was drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes as a sixth-round pick (159th overall) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. He was signed to an entry-level contract with the team in April 2011, and if he plays in the NHL will become the second fourth-generation player in NHL history, after Blake Geoffrion.^[99]

Awards and honours[link]

Records[link]

NHL[link]

• Most career goals by a goaltender, including playoffs – 2 (tied with Martin Brodeur)^[101]
• Most penalty minutes by a goaltender in a single season – 113 (1988–89)^[102]

Philadelphia Flyers[link]

• Most career games played by a goaltender – 489^[41]
• Most career wins – 240^[41]
• Most career playoff wins – 45^[41]
• Most career points by a goaltender – 28^[41]
• Most career penalty minutes by a goaltender – 476^[41]

Career statistics[link]

Regular season[link]

Post season[link]

International[link]

Notes and references[link]

Notes

References