Hexy: History and the Hall

How great is fame? Or, rather how great does a goalie have to  be to make it to the Hockey Hall of Fame?

I recently read that Ron Hextall is entering his first year of eligibility. Ron is up there among my favorite athletes to have watched in my lifetime. The default adjective for him has always been fiery, and it’s been well-deserved. He’s a favorite of a lot of lunkhead Philly fans who appreciate fights more than skill, but Hexy had that too. He finished up with 296 wins. It wasn’t so long ago that 300 was considered a magic number for getting into the Hall, but I don’t think that’s the case any more. If I recall accurately, Calgary needed a goalie and offered Hextall a contract for 1999-2000 but Hextall turned them down and hung up the skates. So, in my mind at least, he could have reached 300 if he wanted it. Should he be in the Hall of Fame? Probably not; No Stanley Cup is a big monkey in this case.  Shame, as there was nobody who battled harder for one.

That doesn’t mean I’ll ever forget:

• Banging the pipes
• Hex (P) Towels
• Jumping Chris Chelios
• Scoring on the Bruins
• The original Vic stick
• #27
• Leaving it all on the ice against the Oil in 87

Hexy was one of a kind. I hope he gets a few votes, at least. Here’s a few trips down memory lane:

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