Leah Hextall is a Canadian sports journalist and ice hockey play-by-play broadcaster who made history as the first woman to call play-by-play for a nationally televised NHL game in 2020. She is also the first woman to hold that role as part of a national TV broadcast for ESPN, starting from the 2021-22 NHL season. But did you know that she is also related to a former NHL star and current general manager? Here is the truth behind Leah Hextall’s hockey family and how she is related to Ron Hextall.
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Leah Hextall’s Hockey Heritage
Leah Hextall was born in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, around 1981. She comes from a sports-oriented family with a strong hockey heritage. Her grandfather is Bryan Hextall, a National Hockey League (NHL) Hall of Famer who played for the New York Rangers and won the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player in 1942. He also led the league in scoring three times and was a three-time All-Star.
Leah’s uncle, Dennis Hextall, is also a retired professional hockey player who played for several NHL teams, including the Minnesota North Stars and the Detroit Red Wings. He was known for his physical and aggressive style of play and amassed over 2,000 penalty minutes in his career. He also served as the president of the NHL Players’ Association from 1979 to 1981.
Another uncle of Leah’s is Bryan Hextall Jr., who was a forward in the NHL and spent most of his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He scored over 200 goals and 500 points in his career and was a two-time All-Star.
Ron Hextall: Leah’s Cousin and Hockey Mentor
Ron Hextall is Leah’s cousin and one of the most influential figures in her hockey career. Ron was a goaltender who played for 13 seasons in the NHL, primarily for the Philadelphia Flyers. He was known for his aggressive and risk-taking style of play, often leaving his crease to handle the puck or engage in fights with opposing players. He was also one of the first goaltenders to score a goal by shooting the puck into an empty net, which he did twice in his career.
Ron won the Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goaltender and the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP in 1987, despite losing in the Stanley Cup Final. He also won the William M. Jennings Trophy twice for allowing the fewest goals in the league. He was a four-time All-Star and is considered one of the best goaltenders of all time.
Ron retired as a player in 1999 and became a coach and executive in the NHL. He served as an assistant general manager for the Flyers and the Los Angeles Kings, winning the Stanley Cup with the latter in 2012. He then became the general manager of the Flyers from 2014 to 2018, before joining the Pittsburgh Penguins as their general manager in 2021.
Ron has been a mentor and supporter of Leah’s broadcasting career, encouraging her to pursue play-by-play announcing and giving her advice on how to improve her skills. He also helped her get access to some NHL games to practice her calling. Leah has said that Ron is one of her heroes and that she is proud to share his name.
Leah Hextall’s Broadcasting Career
Leah Hextall graduated from the Columbia Academy of Radio, Television and Recording Arts in Vancouver with a diploma in radio and television broadcasting in 2003. She worked for various media outlets in Canada, including CTV Winnipeg, The Sports Network, Rogers Sportsnet, and Penny Lane Entertainment Group. She also hosted a segment called “Hextall on Hockey” on AM radio station 680 CJOB in Winnipeg, where she discussed various issues within the hockey world, including sexism and social injustices.
Leah moved to Boston, Massachusetts, in 2012 to work for New England Sports Network (NESN) as a host for NESN Sports Today. She also reported on major sporting events such as the Red Sox 2013 World Series, Bruins 2013 Stanley Cup Final, and the Boston Marathon.
In 2016, Leah became interested in expanding her skill set and becoming a play-by-play announcer for ice hockey, recognizing the lack of women in that role. She was encouraged by legendary NHL broadcaster Mike “Doc” Emrick and former Hockey Night in Canada color commentator Cassie Campbell-Pascall, both of whom she had worked with while in previous hosting roles.
Leah began refining her announcing skills by calling games for various leagues and tournaments, including the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL), the Western Hockey League (WHL), and the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Championship. She also worked as an ice-level reporter for ESPN at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
In March 2020, Leah made history as the first woman to call play-by-play for a nationally televised NHL game as part of Sportsnet’s first all-female broadcast team. She called the game between the Calgary Flames and the Vegas Golden Knights, alongside Campbell-Pascall and Christine Simpson.
In May 2021, Leah was hired by ESPN as a play-by-play announcer and reporter for the NHL on ESPN broadcast team, starting from the 2021-22 NHL season. She became the first woman to hold that role as part of a national TV broadcast. She also works on select games for ESPN.
Leah Hextall is a trailblazer and a role model for aspiring female broadcasters in the hockey world. She is also a proud member of a hockey family that includes her cousin Ron Hextall, one of the greatest goaltenders of all time. She is not only related to Ron Hextall, but also inspired by him.
