On this day 27 years ago, Felix Potvin and Ron Hextall brought everyone to their feet
It's almost unbelievable that it's been 27 years since Leafs goaltender Felix Potvin went berserk on Philly's Ron Hextall in a game between the Leafs and Flyers. 1996 was a long time ago, but fans still remember the infamous tilt like it was yesterday. Hextall, feared around the league for his temper, took exception to Potvin joining a scrum at the final buzzer and made the long skate down the ice, hoping to teach Potvin a lesson. What ensued was possibly the greatest goalie fight of all time.
When the puck dropped for the final face off of the game, Tie Domi and Wendel Clark paired off with Flyers tough guys Daniel Lacroix and Scott Daniels. When Hextall and Potvin began throwing haymakers, all of them stopped their scraps to watch. To the surprise of everyone, Potvin not only held his own, but won the fight in decisive fashion.
As it turns out, Potvin had been taught to box by his father growing up. Evidently that little detail wasn't in the pre-game scouting report. Hextall left the ice bloodied and bruised while Potvin added to his already impressive legacy in Toronto. Goalie fights are quickly becoming a thing of the past, sadly. Whether it's the equipment making it more difficult or netminders not wanting to skate 200 feet for a glorified wrestling match, we're seeing less and less of them. That's part of what makes the Potvin-Hextall fight even more timeless and why fans that saw it unfolding live still remember it to this day.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 10 | 160 ANSWERS On this day 27 years ago, Felix Potvin and Ron Hextall brought everyone to their feet Was Potvin's fight against Hextall back in '96 his most famous moment in Toronto? | ||
| Yes | 86 | 53.8 % |
| No | 41 | 25.6 % |
| Maybe the top moment in his career! | 33 | 20.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
