Cafe Noire: Happy Ron Hextall Day!!!!

(photo courtesy of sportsencyclopedia.com)

Last night's game against Atlanta is really nothing to get excited about. The Flyers continued to dominate the Thrashers (BTW, what is a thrasher? A bird? Some sort of rodent?), winning 3-2 with the game-winner coming from Steve Downie. This gives the O&B 24 wins out of 30 against Atlanta, who for some reason can't seem to beat Antero Nittymaki at home. As of today, the Flyers are sitting in first place in the Atlantic with 65 points, although with the way this season is going, don't expect it to stay that way. This may be like 2006, when the Devils, Flyers, and Rangers all finished within a point of each other in the standings (NJ won the division on a better win total). I think the same scenario is shaping up this year, just with Pittsburgh in the mix as well.

Anyway, enough about that. Tonight the Flyers honor perhaps one of the best goaltenders in the history of the franchise (I say one of since the best goalie to wear orange and black is Bernie Parent) when #27 Ron Hextall is inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame. Now, I don't remember Parent since I wasn't born when the Flyers won back-to-back Cups in the 1970's. I barely remember Pelle Lindbergh, who was Parent's heir apparent before he died in a car crash. So for me, Ron Hextall was the first goalie I can actually recall seeing live. And to be honest, Ron Hextall is the reason I'm a Flyers fan today. He was fearless, he was the ultimate team leader, he may have been psychotic. For me and many other kids growing up around here in the 80s, Hexy was the player we all imitated, even down to the ritualistic clanging of the goalposts with our sticks before the game, just like Ron did. Hextall wasn't like your typical goalie who just stayed in the crease and kept his head down. He would handle the puck and start the rush with a well-placed pass. He would challenge anyone who came near his net. And, getting back to the possible psychotic episodes, he wouldn't hesitate to kill someone who pissed him off. Just ask Chris Chelios, who still curls into the fetal position when he hears the name Hextall.

And did I mention...HE SCORED A GOAL. TWICE!!! The best part about that is that Hexy called into 610 WIP, our sports radio station in Philly, and predicted that he would do it. The guy called his shot. That's like Babe Ruth calling his homer in the All-Star game at Wrigley. How many hockey players, let alone goalies, have the stones to do that today? None, I tells ya.

Here's the goal: