Hextall played his junior hockey for the Brandon Wheat Kings, where he developed a blend of toughness and scoring ability, not unlike that of his father's. A season with the Kitchener-Waterloo Beavers lead to a 21-game run with the New York Rangers in 1962. He found himself standing on the blueline, where his father had stood a generation before, looking across at Beliveau, Harvey, Plante and the Richards.

But Hextall was judged to be in over his head. So he was dispatched to the minors for a seven-year test to determine just how hungry he was to make it back to the NHL. Hextall had a big appetite.

In 1969, the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Hextall and set him loose on the NHL for five seasons. He soon established himself as a fighter who could pot a respectable share of goals in between bouts.

In 1974, he was placed on waivers -- a move that precipitated brief stints with Atlanta, Detroit and Minnesota before he retired from the NHL in 1976.

Hextall stayed on with the North Stars as a scout for one season before returning home to Manitoba.

Courtesy of the Hockey Hall of Fame