The grandson of Hockey Hall of Fame forward Bryan Hextall Sr., Ron made an immediate impact as a rookie in 1986-87, going 37-21 with six ties for the Philadelphia Flyers to win the Vezina Trophy as the League's top goaltender.

During the Stanley Cup Playoffs that season, Hextall went 15-11 with a 2.76 goals-against average and .908 save percentage to help the Flyers advance to the Cup Final, where they lost in seven games to the Edmonton Oilers. However, despite the loss, Hextall was still awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the playoffs, becoming the fourth player on the losing team in NHL history to win the award.

As a rookie 1986-87, Hextall also set an NHL record among goaltenders by taking 104 penalty minutes, a total he would tie in 1987-88 and top 1988-89 (113). However, he won at least 30 games in each of those seasons, making him the first goalie in NHL history to win at least 30 games in each of his first three seasons.

Hextall also quickly became known for eagerness to play the puck. On Dec. 8, 1987, he became the first goalie in NHL history to score a goal by shooting the puck into the net when he picked up a dump-in and shot it the length of the ice against the Boston Bruins.

On April 11, 1989, Hextall scored again, this time becoming the first NHL goalie to score a goal in a Stanley Cup Playoff game when he shot the puck into an empty net against the Washington Capitals.

However, Hextall missed most of the 1989-90 season because of injuries, and neither he nor the Flyers were the same during the following two seasons. As a result, Hextall was traded to the Quebec Nordiques on June 30, 1992, as part of the package in the Eric Lindros trade.

In Quebec, Hextall rebounded in 1992-93, winning 29 games to help the Nordiques qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 1987. Still, because the Nordiques could protect only one goalie in the 1993 NHL Expansion Draft, they traded him to the New York Islanders on June 20, 1993.

The following season, Hextall won 27 games and helped the Islanders make the playoffs, but he was traded for the third time on Sept. 22, 1994. This time, however, it was back to the Flyers.

The return to Philadelphia was a success for Hextall, who won 17 games during the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season, and tied Chris Osgood for the NHL lead with a 2.17 GAA the following season.

In 1996-97, Hextall won 31 games during the regular season before helping the Flyers advance to the Cup Final, where they were swept by the Detroit Red Wings.

However, Hextall dipped to 10 wins two seasons later, in 1998-99, while backing up John Vanbiesbrouck, and he announced his retirement on Sept. 6, 1999. He finished 296-214 with 69 ties, a 2.98 GAA, .895 save percentage and 23 shutouts. In the playoffs, he was 47-43 with a 3.03 GAA, .897 save percentage and two shutouts.

Hextall remained with the Flyers as a scout and later became an executive with the Flyers and Los Angeles Kings.