The first of three NHL generations of Hextalls played his entire 11-season NHL career with the New York Rangers and is best known for scoring the overtime goal that won the Stanley Cup in 1940, the last NHL title they would win until 1994.

But Hextall was more than just a one-year Stanley Cup Playoff hero. He led the NHL in goals in 1939-40 and 1940-41, won the scoring title in 1941-42 and was an NHL First-Team All-Star selection in all three seasons.

Hextall was born in Grenfell, Saskatchewan, but grew up in Poplar Point, Manitoba, where he played hockey for the first time. He turned pro with the Vancouver Lions of the North West Hockey League in 1933-34 and played three seasons there, then joined Philadelphia of the International-American Hockey League in 1936-37 and led all scorers with 27 goals.

The Rangers brought Hextall to the NHL for three games in 1936-37 and he became a regular the following season, scoring 17 goals as a rookie. He began a string of six 20-goal seasons in 1938-39, then led the NHL with 24 in 1939-40 and 26 in 1940-41. Hextall was among the first left-shooting right wings and found that playing his off-wing gave him a better shooting angle.

He scored perhaps the biggest goal in Rangers history at Maple Leaf Gardens on April 13, 1940. In Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, Hextall beat Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Turk Broda at 2:07 of overtime to give the Rangers a 3-2 victory and their third Stanley Cup championship since entering the NHL in 1926. They did not win another for 54 years.

Hextall led the NHL in 1941-42 with 56 points (24 goals, 32 assists); no member of the Rangers has won an undisputed scoring title since then. He improved on those numbers in 1942-43, finishing with NHL career highs in goals (27) and points (59). But after scoring 21 goals and finishing with 54 points in 1943-44, Hextall's NHL career came to a temporary halt when Canadian war authorities denied him a permit to enter the United States.

He returned to the Rangers in 1945-46 but was limited to three games by a liver ailment. Hextall was healthy again in 1946-47 and scored 20 goals for the seventh time. He dropped to eight goals in 1947-48, played one more season in the American Hockey League and retired with 367 points (187 goals, 180 assists), and 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in 37 playoff games.

Hextall was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1969. He was 70 when he died July 25, 1984.

His sons, forwards Bryan Jr. and Dennis, each had lengthy NHL careers. His grandson, goalie Ron Hextall, was voted winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1987 and won 296 games during a 13-season NHL career.