December 8, 1987: The 1st NHL Goalie to Score a Goal

December 8, 1987: The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Boston Bruins, 5-2 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia. Scoring for the Flyers are Brian Propp, on a power play at 6:58 of the 1st period; Peter Zezel, on a power play at 5:38 of the 3rd period; Zezel again, on another power play, at 14:40 of the 3rd; Propp again, at even strength, at 17:33 of the 3rd; and Ron Hextall, at even strength, at 18:48 of the 3rd.

Hextall was the Flyers' goaltender. It was the 1st time an NHL goaltender had ever shot the puck and scored.

Born in 1964 in Brandon, Manitoba, he was the son of New York Rangers Hall-of-Famer Bryan Hextall, the son of former Pittsburgh Penguins star Bryan Hextall Jr., and the nephew of former Minnesota North Stars player Dennis Hextall. Ron made his debut for the Flyers in the 1986-87, following the death of All-Star goalie Pelle Lindbergh in a drunken car crash the preceding season.

He immediately became one of the best goalies in the game, helping the Flyers reach the Stanley Cup Finals. Although they fell in 7 games to the Edmonton Oilers, Hextall made some amazing stops, especially in Game 6. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Of the 5 players from losing teams to receive it, 4 have been goalies, including Hextall. He was also awarded the Vezina Trophy as the top goalie. Oddly, he did not receive the Calder Memorial Trophy as Rookie of the Year: That went to Luc Robitaille of the Los Angeles Kings.

Through that season, only one NHL goaltender had ever been credited with a goal. On November 28, 1979, Billy Smith of the New York Islanders was credited with a goal when Rob Ramage of the Colorado Rockies (the team that became the New Jersey Devils 3 years later) tried to pass the puck back, forgetting that his head coach, the infamous Don Cherry, had pulled goalie Bill McKenzie for an extra attacker, and the puck went into his own net.

Under the rules of soccer, the goal would have been "credited" to Ramage as an "own goal"; under the rules of ice hockey, the goal was credited to the last player on the other team to have touched the puck, and that was Smith. Under these same circumstances -- and, barring a true goalkeeping "howler," it can only happen when the goalie is pulled for an extra attacker -- these goalies have been credited with goals that were really own goals:

* Damian Rhodes of the Ottawa Senators, January 2, 1999, when the Devils pulled Martin Brodeur, and Lyle Odelein scored an own goal.

* Martin Brodeur himself, February 15, 2000, when the Flyers pulled Brian Boucher, and Daymond Langkow scored an own goal.

* Mika Noronen of the Buffalo Sabres, February 14, 2004, when the Toronto Maple Leafs pulled Trevor Kidd, and Robert Reichel scored an own goal.

* Chris Mason of the Nashville Predators, April 15, 2006, when the Phoenix Coyotes pulled David LeNeveu, and Geoff Sanderson scored an own goal.

* Cam Ward of the Carolina Hurricanes, December 26, 2011, when the Devils pulled Johan Hedberg, who was filling in for Brodeur, and Ilya Kovalchuk scored an own goal.

* And Brodeur again, March 21, 2013, when the Hurricanes pulled Dan Ellis, and Jordan Staal scored an own goal.

But on December 8, 1987, with the Flyers leading the Bruins late, and Bruins coach (and former player) Terry O'Reilly having pulled Reggie Lemelin (himself a former player in the Flyers' organization, although he didn't reach the NHL with them), despite already being down by 2 goals, Hextall made a save, and flung the puck the length of the ice. It didn't go in, but one of the Flyer broadcasters said, "He could score a goal." A few seconds later, he got another chance to do so, and converted it, becoming the 1st NHL goalie to do so legitimately.

He also became the 2nd, the 1st to do it twice, and the 1st to do it in the Playoffs. It was April 11, 1989, in the 1st round, against the Washington Capitals. Bryan Murray pulled Pete Peeters (the goalie when the Flyers reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 1980), and, again, Hextall flung the puck the length of the ice, and it went in. The Flyers won the series, and advanced to the Prince of Wales Conference Finals, where they lost to the Montreal Canadiens.

Other goalies to do it:

* Chris Osgood of the Detroit Red Wings, March 6, 1996, when the Hartford Whalers pulled Sean Burke.

* Martin Brodeur, April 17, 1997, when the Montreal Canadiens, his hometown team, pulled Jocelyn Thibault at the end of a Playoff game in Montreal. The Devils won the series, before losing to their arch-rivals, the New York Rangers, in the next round. So Brodeur is the all-time leader in goals by a goalie, with 3, 1 of them as close to legit as a goalie can get. Hextall is the only other man with 2.

* Jose Theodore of the Montreal Canadiens, January 2, 2001, when the New York Islanders pulled John Vanbiesbrouck.

* Evgeni Nabokov of the San Jose Sharks, March 10, 2002, when the Vancouver Canucks pulled Peter Skudra.

* Mike Smith of the Phoenix Coyotes, October 19, 2013, when the Red Wings pulled Jimmy Howard. And...

* Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators, January 9, 2020, when the Chicago Blackhawks pulled Corey Crawford.

Total: 12 goalies, 7 actually doing it themselves.

Philadelphia is the home of fictional boxer Rocky Balboa, but Hextall's hockey story has been really rocky. In spite of his achievements, his relationship with the Flyers has been back-and-forth. In 1992, he was traded to the Quebec Nordiques, along with prospect Peter Forsberg, as part of the deal to get the rights to superstar-in-waiting Eric Lindros. Forsberg ended up having the kind of career that Lindros should have had.

The Flyers brought Hextall back, and he and Lindros combined to lead the Flyers to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1995. But at the end of Game 5, with the series tied, Claude Lemieux made a wobbly 65-foot shot that most goalies should have stopped, but Hextall never saw, and the Devils went on to win their 1st Stanley Cup.

In 1997, Hextall and Garth Snow became a goaltending tandem, and they reached the Stanley Cup Finals. But the Red Wings won the 1st 2 games in Philadelphia, with Snow started it Game 2 instead of Hextall, and the Wings completed the sweep in Detroit, with Hextall back in the net. A Wings fan held up a sign: "HEY HEXTALL YOU AND SNOW GET PULLED MORE THAN A U-HAUL!"

Hextall retired after the 1998-99 season, and became a scout for the Flyers. In 2006, he joined the Kings as assistant general manager, and in 2012, in that role, finally received his 1st Stanley Cup ring. Since 2014, he has been the Flyers' GM.

Another grandchild of Bryan Hextall Sr., a niece of Bryan Jr. and Dennis, and a 1st cousin of Ron, Leah Hextall has been a hockey broadcaster for several networks. And Ron's son, Brett Hextall, played a few years of minor-league hockey, but didn't make the majors.

There have been a few 3-generation NHL families, but, as yet, no 4-generation NHL families. Almost qualifying is the Morenz-Geffrion family: Howie Morenz's daughter married Bernie Geoffrion, and their son and grandson played in the NHL. But "Boom-Boom" was the son-in-law, not the son, of "The Statford Sreak," so that doesn't count.

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December 8, 1987 was a Tuesday. These other NHL games were played that day:

* The New York Islanders lost to the Montreal Canadiens, 3-2 at the Nassau Coliseum.

* The Hartford Whalers beat the Quebec Nordiques, 5-4 at the Colisée de Québec.

* The Calgary Flames beat the Washington Capitals, 5-4 at the Capital Centre in the Washington suburb of Landover, Maryland.

* And the Minnesota North Stars beat the Vancouver Canucks, 3-2 at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver.

Baseball was out of season. Football was in midweek. These NBA games were played that day:

* The New York Knicks beat the Washington Bullets, 116-92 at Madison Square Garden.

* The New Jersey Nets lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, 98-81 at the Brendan Byrne Arena at the Meadowlands.

* The Detroit Pistons beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 127-117 at the Silverdome in the Detroit suburb of Pontiac, Michigan.

* The Indiana Pacers beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 103-101 at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis.

* The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Chicago Bulls, 109-96 at the Chicago Stadium. In spite of the defeat, Michael Jordan led all scorers on the night with 33 points.

* The Houston Rockets beat the Sacramento Kings, 106-97 at The Summit in Houston. (The arena has since been converted into the Central Campus of the Lakewood Church, Dr. Joel Osteen's "megachurch.")

* The San Antonio Spurs beat the Utah Jazz, 105-100 at the HemisFair Arena in San Antonio.

* The Atlanta Hawks beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 90-79 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.

* And the Seattle SuperSonics beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 107-96 at the Seattle Center Coliseum.

June 7, 1997: The Red Wings End a 42-Year Drought

Steve Yzerman

June 7, 1997: The Detroit Red Wings beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 2-1 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, and complete a 4-game sweep of the Finals, for their 1st Stanley Cup in 42 years.

After winning 4 Cups in 6 years from 1950 to 1955, they reached the Finals again in 1956, 1961, 1963, 1964 and 1966, but lost every time. Then, under the misleadership of Bruce Norris, son of their guiding force James Norris, they made the Playoffs in only 2 of the next 17 seasons. Moving from the Olympia Stadium to the Joe Louis Arena in 1979 didn't help. Norris selling the team to Mike Ilitch in 1982 began to turn things around, but it still took a while to rebuild. In 1988, they won their Division, and reached the Conference Finals.

They began building a superteam, around high-scoring center Steve Yzerman, who would go on to serve as Captain longer than any player in NHL history; Swedish forward Nicklas Lidstrom; and "The Russian Five": Defensemen Viacheslav Fetisov and Vladimir Konstantinov, centers Sergei Fedorov and Igor Larionov, and left wing Vyacheslav Kozlov.

Larry Murphy had previously won 2 Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Mike Vernon 1 with the Calgary Flames, and Joey Kocur 1 with... uh, let's move on. But for legends of the game like Yzerman, Lidstrom and Fetisov, winning a Cup in Detroit would be the first.

With former Montreal Canadiens coach Scotty Bowman leading them, the Wings reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 1995, but were upset in a 4-game sweep by the New Jersey Devils. After a little tinkering, they reached the Western Conference Finals in 1996, but lost to the Colorado Avalanche.

After just a little more tinkering by general manager Jim Devellano, they got back into the Stanley Cup Finals in 1997, playing the Philadelphia Flyers. The 1st 2 games were in Philadelphia, and the Wings won both of them by a score of 4-2.

Game 3 at "The Joe" was a wipeout, 6-1. Ron Hextall, who starred in defeat for the Flyers in the 1985 and '87 Finals, was traded away to Quebec for Peter Forsberg, and had been reacquired, was pulled in favor of Garth Snow. In the stands during Game 4, a fan held up a sign that said, "Hey Hextall: You and Snow get pulled more than a U-Haul!"

Lidstrom scored in the 1st period, Darren McCarty in the 2nd. Despite an Eric Lindros goal in the 3rd, the Wings hung on, and had their 1st Cup. The hard part was dodging all the octopus that fans were throwing onto the ice.

Vernon was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the Playoffs. In his 14th season with the Wings, Yzerman finally received the Cup. Wings legend Gordie Howe was on hand, and said of Yzerman, "I'm just so dang happy for the kid, it's unbelievable."

Just 6 days after the clincher, Konstantinov and team massage therapist Sergei Mnatsakonov were badly hurt in a limousine crash, giving the team the motivation it needed to win a 2nd straight Cup.

UPDATE: In 1988, the Flyers established a team Hall of Fame. As of the 2025-26 season, from their 1997 Stanley Cup Finalists, they have elected Ron Hextall, John LcClair, Eric Lindros, Eric Desjardins and Rod Brind'Amour. Each has also been elected to the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.

UPDATE: The Red Wings do not yet have a team Hall of Fame, but they do retire numbers. From their 1997, 1998 and 2002 Stanley Cups: 5, defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom; 19, center Steve Yzerman; and 91, center Sergei Fedorov. Lidstrom was still there for their 2008 Cup winners.

Each of those has also been elected to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. So have goaltender Chris Osgood, defensemen Mark Howe (son of Red Wings legend Gordie) and Vladimir Konstantinov, left wing Brendan Shanahan, head coach Scotty Bowman, executives Jim Devellano and Ken Holland, team owners Mike and Marian Ilitch, and broadcaster and former star Mickey Redmond. Center Henrick Zetterberg arrived after the 2002 Cup, but played on the 2008 Cup winners, and has also been elected to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.

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June 7, 1997 was a Saturday. Football was out of season. The NBA Finals were between Games 3 and 4, and the Chicago Bulls would beat the Utah Jazz in 6 games. And these Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 2-0 at Yankee Stadium. David Wells pitched 8 innings of 4-hit shutout ball, and Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect 9th. The Yankees runs came on a double by Charlie Hayes and a single by Mark Whiten. Derek Jeter went 0-for-2 with 2 walks.

* The New York Mets lost to the Cincinnati Reds, 10-5 at Cinergy Field (formerly Riverfront Stadium) in Cincinnati.

* The Montreal Expos beat the Chicago Cubs, 5-0 at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Carlos Pérez pitched a 7-hit shutout, outpitching Terry Mulholland.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Boston Red Sox, 9-5 at Fenway Park in Boston.

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Oakland Athletics, 3-1 at the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre) in Toronto.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 9-2 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Seattle Mariners, 3-1 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Ken Griffey Jr. went 0-for-4. Alex Rodriguez went 1-for-4.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles, 1-0 at the new Comiskey Park (now Rate Field) in Chicago. Harold Baines singled Dave Martinez home with the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning. Roberto Hernández became the winning pitcher, the last 4 South Side pitchers to complete an 11-inning 9-hit shutout.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Anaheim Angels, 6-1 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. 

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Texas Rangers, 10-4 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

* The Florida Marlins beat the Colorado Rockies, 7-5 at Coors Field in Denver.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Houston Astros, 5-4 at Qualcomm Stadium (formerly San Diego Stadium and Jack Murphy Stadium). Scott Livingstone singled Tony Gwynn home in the bottom of the 10th inning. Gwynn and Wally Joyner had hit home runs. Rickey Henderson went 2-for-4 for the Padres.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* And the Atlanta Braves beat the San Francisco Giants, 5-2 at Candlestick Park (then named 3Com Park at Candlestick Point) in San Francisco. Barry Bonds went 0-for-4.