| Dennis Hextall | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | April 17, 1943 Poplar Point, Manitoba, Canada |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb) |
| Position | Left Wing |
| Shoots | Left |
| Played for | Los Angeles Kings New York Rangers California Golden Seals Minnesota North Stars Detroit Red Wings Washington Capitals |
| Playing career | 1967–1980 |
Dennis Hextall (born Dennis Harold Hextall on April 17, 1943) is a former professional hockey forward who spent most of his career in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Minnesota North Stars and the Detroit Red Wings.
He is the son of Bryan Hextall, the brother of Bryan Hextall, Jr., the uncle of goaltender Ron Hextall and the grand-uncle of Brett Hexall.
Playing Career[]
Dennis played two years at the University of North Dakota followed by brief stints in the EHL, CSHL, and American Hockey League.
He broke into the NHL with the New York Rangers during the 1968 playoffs. On June 9, 1969, he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings along with Leon Rochefort in exchange for Real Lemieux.
Dennis played for Los Angeles for 28 games until he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens on January 23, 1970 in exchange for Dick Duff. While in Montreal, he played for the team's AHL team, the Montreal Voyageurs for 29 games.
On May 22, 1970, he was traded to the California Golden Seals in exchange for cash and he played for them for 78 games.
On May 2, 1971, Dennis was traded to the Minnesota North Stars in exchange for Joey Johnston and Walt McKechnie.
Dennis played five seasons with the Minnesota North Stars and on February 27, 1976, he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for Bill Hogaboam and Los Angeles' second-round choice in the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft where he played for the organization for four seasons.
On February 7, 1979, he signed to the Washington Capitals as a free agent where she stayed with the team in his final two seasons and retired with 681 games under his belt.
In his thirteen NHL seasons, Dennis recorded a total of 153 goals, 350 assists, 503 points and 1398 penalty minutes.
Post-Playing Career[]
Currently, Dennis is currently on the board of directors of the Detroit Red Wings alumni team and is active in its efforts to raise money for children's charities in Metro Detroit. He is also the coaching director for the Victory Honda AAA hockey club.
In September of 2009, he was named the President and Commissioner of the International Hockey League, a mid-level minor hockey league based in the northern Midwestern United States.
He also became a “Honoured Member” of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.
Career Statistics[]
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1967–68 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 51 | 15 | 33 | 48 | 114 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 12 | ||
| 1967–68 | New York Rangers | NHL | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1968–69 | New York Rangers | NHL | 13 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 60 | 21 | 44 | 65 | 179 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 1969–70 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 28 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Springfield Kings | AHL | 10 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Montreal Voyageurs | AHL | 29 | 10 | 19 | 29 | 126 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 29 | ||
| 1970–71 | California Golden Seals | NHL | 78 | 21 | 31 | 52 | 217 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 33 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 49 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 19 | ||
| 1971–72 | Cleveland Barons | AHL | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 78 | 30 | 52 | 82 | 140 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 16 | ||
| 1973–74 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 78 | 20 | 62 | 82 | 138 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 80 | 17 | 57 | 74 | 147 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 59 | 11 | 35 | 46 | 93 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 17 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 71 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 78 | 14 | 32 | 46 | 158 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 78 | 16 | 33 | 49 | 195 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | ||
| 1978–79 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 20 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 26 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 15 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL Totals | 681 | 153 | 350 | 503 | 1398 | 22 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 45 | ||||
Accolades[]
- WCHA Second All-Star Team (1965)
- WCHA First All-Star Team (1966)
- AHL Second All-Star Team (1969)
- Played in NHL All-Star Game (1974 and 1975)
- “Honoured Member” of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.