We featured Dennis Hextall recently on Vintage Hockey Cards Report recently. It only seems fair to now feature his brother Bryan Hextall Jr. (from this point forward in the article we’ll drop the Jr.) now. Of course, both are sons of Bryan Hextall Sr., member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Bryan is the father of long time NHL goalie Ron Hextall.
A victim of time with some pretty mediocre hockey teams in the 1970’s, Hextall was never a Stanley Cup champion. Never even close. However, in the minors, leading up to his National Hockey League career, he was part of consecutive championships in the AHL and WHL.
Junior and Minor Pro
NHL Career
Hockey Card Collection
Rookie Card
Career Stats
Bryan Hextall – Junior and Minor Pro
Like brother Dennis, Bryan Hextall played his junior hockey with the Brandon Wheat Kings, then in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. He played three years with the team from 1958-59 to 1960-61. In his rookie season, Hextall was sixth in the league with 42 points. It was a sign of things to come.
In 1959-60, the Wheat Kings finished first overall in the five team MJHL. Bryan placed tied for fifth in the league with 47 points and was named a Third Team All-Star. The Wheat Kings won the Turnbull Cup with a win over the Winnipeg Rangers in the final. They then lost to the Edmonton Oil Kings in the Abbott Cup final in a series that went the full seven games.
Once again in 1960-61, the Wheat Kings finished first overall in the MJHL. Hextall finished fourth in the league with 57 points. Brandon was then upset in the Turnbull Cup final to the Winnipeg Rangers. He then joined up with the Rangers for the Abbott Cup playoffs with Winnipeg losing to the Edmonton Oil Kings. He then joined the Oil Kings as they faced Toronto St. Michael’s in a losing cause in the Memorial Cup final.
From 1961-62 to 1968-69, Hextall played mostly in the minors. The exception was a 21 game stint in the NHL with the New York Rangers in 1962-63. Over those years, he appeared on teams in the EPHL, AHL and WHL.
He began to really come into his own with the 1966-67 Vancouver Canucks in the WHL. The Bert Olmstead coached team lost in the final to the Seattle Totems. Don Simmons starred in net for the Totems and Hextall finished tied for tenth in the league with 42 assists.
The following year, he moved to the American Hockey League and the Rochester Americans for the 1967-68 season. A different side of Bryan came out of the wood work. Previously not a frequent visitor to the penalty box, Hextall finished fifth in the AHL in 1967-68 with 134 penalty minutes. He also tied for ninth in the league with 47 assists. The Amerks captured the Calder Cup championship, taking out the Quebec Aces in the final.
His final year in minor pro came in 1968-69, returning to the Vancouver Canucks in the WHL. Over 70 regular season games, Hextall scored 22 and assisted on 56 for 78 points while collecting 104 PIM. Bryan placed fourth for assists, ninth for points and tenth for penalty minutes. The Canucks took the championship, defeating the Portland Buckaroos in the final.
Bryan Hextall – NHL
Between 1962-63 and 1975-76, Bryan Hextall appeared in 549 regular season National Hockey League games with the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Atlanta Flames, Detroit Red Wings and Minnesota North Stars. Over that time, he scored 99 goals na d assisted on 161 for 260 points. Falling far behind his brother Dennis, Bryan accumulated 738 minutes in penalties.
Bryan Hextall Collection
His time in the Stanley Cup playoffs was limited to 18 games. Most of those games came in 1969-70, his first full season in the NHL, when the Penguins won their opening round series before falling in the second round. All his numbers are pretty respectable considering he didn’t get his big break until he was in his late 20’s.
After his short stint with the Rangers in 1962-63, Hextall had a glimmer of hope in 1967, taken in the 19th round of the NHL Expansion Draft by the Oakland Seals, 113th overall. By October 12, 1967, the Seals traded him and J.P. Parise to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Gerry Ehman. Oakland and Toronto were two teams that owned him but never put him in a game.
The Pittsburgh Penguins picked up Bryan from Toronto and his career was launched. With the Penguins, he was twice a 20 goal scorer with 20 in 1971-72 and 21 in 1972-73. In that 1972-73 season, Hextall also reached a career high for points with 54, leading the team.
After ending up with the Atlanta Flames, Bryan was shipped to the Detroit Red Wings on June 5, 1975 in exchange for Dave Kryskow. His time in Detroit was short as he was then traded on November 21, 1975 to the Minnesota North Stars for Rick Chinnick.
Bryan Hextall – Rookie Card
The Bryan Hextall rookie card appears as number 154 in the 1969-70 O-Pee-Chee NHL hockey card set. He is shown as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the card comes with a pair of uncorrected errors. First, the back of the card claims he played for Buffalo in the AHL. He never played for the Bisons but did come from the Rochester Americans. Second, his career NHL stats are blank but, as we know, he did play 21 games with the New York Rangers in 1962-63.
Hextall’s final card is included in the 1976-77 O-Pee-Chee NHL set. He is shown with the Minnesota North Stars. Bryan played his final NHL game in 1975-76 and would not play during that 1976-77 season.
Bryan Hextall Career Stats
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1958-59 | Brandon Wheat Kings | MJHL | 30 | 19 | 23 | 42 | 15 |
| 1959-60 | Brandon Wheat Kings | MJHL | 29 | 22 | 25 | 47 | 33 |
| 1960-61 | Brandon Wheat Kings | MJHL | 31 | 22 | 35 | 57 | 54 |
| 1961-62 | Kitchener-Waterloo Beavers | EPHL | 56 | 22 | 23 | 45 | 48 |
| 1962-63 | Baltimore Clippers | AHL | 50 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 26 |
| 1962-63 | New York Rangers | NHL | 21 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 1963-64 | Baltimore Clippers | AHL | 54 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 39 |
| 1964-65 | Baltimore Clippers | AHL | 71 | 13 | 30 | 43 | 46 |
| 1965-66 | Vancouver Canucks | WHL | 41 | 8 | 20 | 28 | 37 |
| 1966-67 | Vancouver Canucks | WHL | 61 | 14 | 42 | 56 | 60 |
| 1967-68 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 72 | 24 | 47 | 71 | 134 |
| 1968-69 | Vancouver Canucks | WHL | 70 | 22 | 56 | 78 | 104 |
| 1969-70 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 66 | 12 | 19 | 31 | 87 |
| 1970-71 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 76 | 16 | 32 | 48 | 133 |
| 1971-72 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 78 | 20 | 24 | 44 | 126 |
| 1972-73 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 78 | 21 | 33 | 54 | 113 |
| 1973-74 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 37 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 39 |
| 1973-74 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 40 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 55 |
| 1974-75 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 74 | 18 | 16 | 34 | 62 |
| 1975-76 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 21 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 29 |
| 1975-76 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 58 | 8 | 20 | 28 | 84 |
| NHL Totals | 549 | 99 | 161 | 260 | 738 |