Flashback Friday

Every Friday we will be adding one of our favorite hockey videos from over the years. Some might be painful, some might be dirty, but they all have a story behind them that we will share that make them downright awesome and great to watch over and over again.

Growing up in Toronto it’s hard not to be a Leaf fan. Being a young goalie and growing up with the team, you see your idols playing and want to be like them. I really feel sorry for young goalies the last few years that now have the same playing style as Vesa Toskala.

When I was a kid I would always try and play like the guys I saw on TV. When I was 9 I loved Allan Bester mostly because we were the same height. I even made foam goalie pads for ball hockey and painted them just like Ken Wregget’s.

Then along came some skinny kid nicknamed the Cat. It was in the 1991-92 season that Felix Potvin was first called up for a few games and played well. And that is when I started playing like him. Paddle low so nobody could score on the ice and would make the shooter try and go glove. Thank god I had a good glove hand.


Despite his play, he was sent back down because the Leaf’s still had Grant Fuhr playing full time. I can remember playing in a hockey tournament in Providence, Rhode Island. It was also my first time flying some where for hockey, and we had to sell mini pizzas as a fundraiser just to get there. It just so happened that the St. John's Maple Leafs were playing the Providence Bruins the weekend my hockey team was there for the tournament.

We had a hotel right next to the rink and my coaches joked around that the Baby Leafs were staying in our hotel. We didn’t believe them until I went to play some arcade games in the lobby area and there of course was Felix Potvin playing Street Fighter with another player. I was star struck and couldn’t talk. He was the coolest video gaming playing guy I ever saw. And he was kicking ass at Street Fighter playing with Ryu.

Which brings us to this famous goalie fight. I think when we all saw Ron Hextall heading down the ice we thought Felix was doneski.

November 10th 1996
Toronto Maple Leafs vs Philadelphia Flyers
Felix Potvin Vs Ron Hextall

I don’t know how the good people at hockeyfights.com have this fight as a draw.

Yes, Hextall was throwing a lot of wild and crazy punches. But Felix landed some nice uppercuts and Hextall was left bleeding all over the place after the fight.