MANCHESTER, NH – The Los Angeles Kings, the parent club of the Manchester Monarchs, have named Ron Hextall as Assistant General Manager for the Kings and General Manager of the Monarchs, Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi announced today.

“I am honored and extremely excited to be a part of the Los Angeles Kings organization,” said Hextall.  “I look forward to working closely with Dean Lombardi and the entire Kings staff toward the ultimate goal of bringing a Stanley Cup to Los Angeles.  It was a difficult decision considering my history with the Flyers organization, but moving forward with my career I thought it was the best move for myself and my family.”

Said Lombardi: “Having worked with Ron the last few years in Philadelphia, I am extremely pleased that he is joining us here in Los Angeles.  He was an integral part of the Flyers’ success the past several seasons, and we expect him to be a leader in our efforts with the Kings as we build a strong and successful franchise here for years to come.  Ron represents a unique blend of a former player who excelled at a high level and in his post playing career has shown a tireless commitment toward learning the personnel and operations functions of a franchise.  Most importantly he has a sharp mind and there is no doubt in my mind that he is a rising star in the management field.”

Hextall, 42, enjoyed a stellar 13-year NHL career as a goaltender for the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders and Quebec Nordiques that was highlighted by his rookie 1986-87 season with the Flyers when he was awarded the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender and the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player in the Stanley Cup Finals.  He was also named to both the NHL All-Rookie and NHL First All-Star Teams that season.

He has spent the last four years as the Director of Pro Hockey Personnel for the Flyers, the club he holds numerous franchise goalie records, including an NHL-record 113 penalty minutes in 1988-89.  He joined the Flyers front office in 1999 as a Pro Scout and he was elevated to his most recent position in 2002.  In his front office positions with the Flyers, Hextall has been instrumental in the club’s great success the past seven seasons, which includes three Atlantic Division titles and two trips to the Eastern Conference Finals (losing to eventual Stanley Cup Champions both times) while the club averaged nearly 102 points per season. 

With the Kings, Hextall’s job responsibilities include assisting Lombardi in all facets of the Kings Hockey Operations department, including contract negotiations and player personnel, and overseeing the organization’s top prospects.  With Manchester, he will serve as General Manager and oversee that organization’s hockey operations department.

A native of Brandon, Manitoba, he is the third Hextall to play in the NHL following his father, Bryan, Jr., and his grandfather, Hall of Famer Bryan, Sr.  He played in 608 regular season games and recorded a 296-214-69 record including 23 shutouts, a 2.97 goals-against-average and a .895 save percentage, and in 93 playoff games he was 47-43 with two shutouts.  In the 1987 playoffs, he helped lead the Flyers to 15 wins and won the Conn Smythe Trophy despite losing to the Edmonton Oilers in seven games.  At the conclusion of Game Seven, Hextall became just the fourth player in the then 23-year history of the Trophy to win the award while being a member of the losing team in the Finals. 

Hextall, known for being one of the first goalies to regularly leave the goalmouth and play the puck with his stick and for creative and unique designs on his goalie mask, also participated in the Stanley Cup Finals in 1997.  In 1987, he became the first NHL goaltender in history to score a goal by shooting the puck into the net and in 1989 he became the first goalie to score a goal in an NHL playoff game.

Are you a resident in Monarchs Country?  Season ticket packages for the 2006-07 Monarchs season are on sale now.  Visit www.monarchshockey.com or call (603) 626-7825 for more information on the team’s Full-Season, Half-Season and 10-Game ticket packages.