Hextall: Brodeur's legacy not in danger

Former Flyers great Ron Hextall tells The Star-Ledger no matter what New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur decides to do from here as an unrestricted free agent, his legacy is safe.

“Everybody is different. I know some people worry about a legacy. Marty Brodeur is going to have a legacy no matter what happens,” Hextall told The Star-Ledger.

“I don’t care if he goes somewhere else and has the worst season of his career. It doesn’t matter. He’s not going to ruin his legacy. If he still has the burn to play, the desire to play, and he’s still healthy, all the credit to him.”

Hextall had a hard time deciding if he wanted to retire as a player.

“I did, but I knew my body was telling me it was over,” Hextall recalled. “Was it hard? Yeah, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I didn’t want to do it. I did have an opportunity to go somewhere and I didn’t because of my body. But when I got asked to go somewhere I thought about it for a month. I started working out.

“It was hard to leave. It’s what you do. I hate to say it, but it’s kind of who you are, as well. It’s a difficult decision. At some time we all come to that point.”

Source: Rich Chere, Star-Ledger