Bryan Aldwyn Hextall (July 31, 1913 – July 25, 1984) was a Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two o ...

forward who played for the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its ho ...

in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

(NHL). Considered one of the top wingers of the 1940s, he led the NHL in goal scoring twice and in points once. Additionally, he was named a first-team All-Star three times, and a second-team All-Star once. Hextall scored the overtime winning goal that clinched the 1940 Stanley Cup for the Rangers. He is the father of one of hockey's greatest families, as his sons Bryan Jr. and

Dennis Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius. The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is someti ...

, and grandson Ron all had lengthy NHL careers. Bryan Sr. was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1969.

Playing career

Born in Grenfell, Saskatchewan in 1913, Hextall grew up in Poplar Point, Manitoba. He played his first hockey there, winning the Manitoba juvenile championship in 1929–30. He played junior hockey with the Winnipeg Monarchs in 1931–32 before switching to the Portage Terriers with whom he won the

Manitoba Junior Hockey League The Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Manitoba and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The MJHL consists of thirteen teams all based ...

scoring title in 1932–33. Hextall began his professional career in 1933–34 with the Vancouver Lions of the North West Hockey League (NWHL). He played three seasons in Vancouver, leading the NWHL in scoring with 27 goals in 1935–36. He moved onto the

Philadelphia Ramblers The Philadelphia Ramblers were a minor professional ice hockey team based in the Philadelphia Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Ramblers played for six seasons during the infancy of the American Hockey League from 1935 to 1941. Histo ...

of the International-American Hockey League the following year, again leading the league with 27 goals. The

brought Hextall up for three games in 1937, and he made the team full-time in 1937–38. A left-handed shooter, Hextall played his "off wing" – right wing – at a time before it was common practice. He scored at least 20 goals seven times in his career, mainly while playing on the Rangers' top line with Phil Watson and Lynn Patrick. Hextall led the NHL in goal scoring and was named a first-team All-Star for the first time in 1939–40. He was one of the Rangers' top players during the 1940 Stanley Cup Final against the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Divi ...

. Hextall scored a

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against the Leafs and added an assist to lead the Rangers to a come from behind victory in game two of the series, and scored the overtime winning goal in the sixth game that clinched the third Stanley Cup championship in Rangers history. The Rangers would not win another for 54 years. A second All-Star selection followed in 1940–41 as Hextall again led the NHL in goal scoring and finished in a tie for second in overall points. He led the league in points in 1941–42; his total of 56 standing seven better than second place. Additionally, he was named to the first All-Star team for the third consecutive season. Hextall scored career highs in goals, 27 and points, 59, in 1942–43 and was again named a post-season All-Star, this time on the second team. In addition to being a top scorer, Hextall was also durable. He appeared in 340 consecutive games for the Rangers between 1937 and 1944. His streak came to an end in 1944 when Canadian war authorities denied him a permit to cross into the United States. The Rangers' attempts to regain his services were unsuccessful, Unable to play in the NHL, Hextall regained his amateur status and played senior hockey briefly with the St. Catharines Saints in the

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's senior division. The conclusion of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

allowed Hextall to return to the Rangers in 1945–46, however his return was short-lived. He was hospitalized with a liver ailment, an illness that ruled him out of the season after just three games, and led to fears it would end his career. Hextall overcame doctors expectations, appearing in all 60 games for the Rangers in 1946–47. After a final season in the NHL in 1947–48, Hextall split the 1948–49

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season between the Cleveland Barons and

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before announcing his retirement. Hextall was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1969, and is an honoured member of the

Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame The Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum is a hall of fame and museum for ice hockey in Manitoba, located on the main level of the Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg. It was established in 1985, when the first honoured members were named ...

. Additionally, the Manitoba hall named him to its all-century second All-Star team.

Off the ice

He was the first of

three generations ''3 Generations'' (also released in some markets as ''About Ray'') is a 2015 American comedy-drama film directed by Gaby Dellal and written by Nikole Beckwith and Dellal. The film stars Elle Fanning, Naomi Watts, Susan Sarandon, Tate Donovan and Sa ...

of Hextalls in the NHL. His sons Bryan Jr. and

both had long careers, and his grandson Ron was a longtime goaltender in the league and the current

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all ...

of the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have play ...

. Hextall battled circulation problems in his lower legs following his retirement, an ailment that ultimately led to the amputation of both legs below the knee in 1978. Artificial legs allowed him to maintain his hobby of hunting. He died of a heart attack at his home of Poplar Point, Manitoba in 1984.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hextall, Bryan 1913 births 1984 deaths Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey left wingers Cleveland Barons (1937–1973) players Hockey Hall of Fame inductees Ice hockey people from Saskatchewan Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame inductees National Hockey League scoring leaders (prior to 1947–48) New York Rangers players North West Hockey League players Ontario Hockey Association Senior A League (1890–1979) players People from Grenfell, Saskatchewan Philadelphia Ramblers players Portage Terriers players Stanley Cup champions Washington Lions players Winnipeg Monarchs players