| |
 Perfection was the goal Father Time finds another goalie
Posted: Tuesday September 07, 1999 10:05 AM
VOORHEES, N.J. (AP) -- Ron Hextall understood all too clearly. He is 35 years old, and it was time to leave hockey. The player who helped send Philadelphia to the Stanley Cup Finals 12 years ago, when he was the league's best goalie, retired Monday and will become a scout for the Flyers. "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 during a news conference at the Flyers' training camp. "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 said he had been offered a deal to play with Calgary, but chose the job with the Flyers. He cited ongoing hip problems and family concerns for not wanting to leave Philadelphia. 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 goaltenders 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. The team waived Hextall July 1, and since no team claimed him the Flyers must buy out the final year of his contract. He was 10-7-4 with a 2.53 goals-against average last season and has 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, then traded to Quebec in the seven-player deal in which the Flyers acquired Eric Lindros on June 20, 1992. Hextall was later traded to the New York Islanders, playing one season before being dealt back to the Flyers in 1994.
| |||||||||||||||||
Copyright © 1999 CNN/SI. A Time Warner Company. Terms under which this service is provided to you.
| |||||||||||||||||
