Leah Hextall

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Leah Hextall
Personal information
NationalityCanadian
Born (1980-06-11) June 11, 1980 (age 41)
Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
OccupationSports journalist, play-by-play broadcaster
Years active2003–present
Websiteleahhextall.com

Leah Hextall (born June 11, 1980[1]) is a Canadian sports journalist and ice hockey play-by-play broadcaster. In March 2020, she became the first woman to call play-by-play for a nationally televised NHL game as part of Sportsnet’s first all-female broadcast team.[2] Hextall had previously made history as the first woman to call an NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship game, for ESPN at the 2019 tournament.[3][4]

Broadcast career[]

Hextall graduated from the Columbia Academy of Radio, Television and Recording Arts in Vancouver with a diploma in radio and television broadcasting in 2003. She worked for CTV Winnipeg from 2005 to 2012, and for the New England Sports Network (NESN) as host of NESN Sports Today from 2012 to 2014.[5] In 2014, she joined Sportsnet as the studio host for regional Calgary Flames game broadcasts.

After being let go in 2016 amid larger organizational changes at Sportsnet, she became interested in expanding her skill set and, recognizing the dearth of women in play-by-play announcing in ice hockey, became invested in pursuing play-by-play. Encouraged by legendary NHL broadcaster Mike "Doc" Emrick and the first female colour commentator on Hockey Night in Canada, Cassie Campbell-Pascall, both of whom she had worked with while in previous hosting roles, she began refining her announcing skills.[6] Her television debut calling play-by-play was a four-game set of Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) games in January 2018. She returned to the role for the CWHL in January 2019, notably using the non-standard term "defencewoman" to refer to the defensive players.[7] During that period, Hextall called games on the side, generally for free, including for the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League (WHL).[8]

Hextall has a segment called "Hextall on Hockey," which airs weekly on the AM radio station 680 CJOB in Winnipeg and is rebroadcast by a number of stations across Canada.[9] The under two-minute segments are united by the theme of ice hockey and, while the most frequent topic is the Winnipeg Jets, Hextall has used the segment to highlight issues within the hockey world, including sexism and other social injustices.[10][11]

In May 2021, the New York Post reported Hextall had been signed by ESPN to the NHL on ESPN broadcast team as a play-by-play announcer and to "other posts" for the upcoming 2021–22 NHL season.[12] The hiring, later confirmed by The Athletic, makes her "the first woman to hold [a play-by-play] role as part of a national TV broadcast."[13]

Personal life[]

Hextall's great-grandfather Bryan Sr. was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1969, her grandfather Bryan Jr. played 10 seasons as a centerman, and her cousin Ron played 13 years in the NHL as a goaltender and won the Vezina Trophy in 1987, mostly for the Philadelphia Flyers. He is in the Flyers' Hall of Fame and later served as their general manager, and was hired by the Pittsburgh Penguins on February 9, 2021 as their new general manager.[14][15]

Outside of hockey, she hosted events at the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba annual general meeting in 2017 and served as a communications staffer for Brian Pallister's government in Manitoba between 2017 and 2020.[16][17]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Leah Hextall Wiki Bio: Married, Husband, Net Worth, Birthday, Dad, Parents, Instagram, Education". Edailybuzz.com. April 4, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  2. ^ Salvian, Hailey (March 6, 2020). "A new voice: How Leah Hextall is breaking barriers in the NHL broadcast booth". The Athletic. Retrieved December 10, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ Finn, Chad (March 26, 2019). "Former NESN anchor will become the first woman to call the NCAA tournament". Boston.com. Retrieved December 10, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ Hextall, Leah (March 29, 2019). ""How does it feel to be the first woman to call a men's NCAA Division I Hockey tournament game?"". ESPN. Retrieved December 10, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ Finn, Chad (November 9, 2012). "NESN adds Leah Hextall as newest reporter". The Boston Globe. Retrieved December 10, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ Sadler, Emily (March 10, 2020). "Behind the scenes on a historic day in NHL broadcasting". Sportsnet. Retrieved January 9, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ Thompson, Sam (January 22, 2019). "In defence of 'defencewoman': Leah Hextall on changing terminology in hockey". Global News. Retrieved December 10, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ Shewchuk, Devon (October 30, 2020). "The call heard 'round the hockey world". Brandon Sun. Retrieved December 10, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ Thompson, Sam (March 27, 2019). "CJOB's Leah Hextall set to become first woman to call U.S. men's college hockey finals". Global News. Retrieved January 23, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ Hextall, Leah (August 27, 2020). "Hextall on Hockey: players can lead the way on fighting racism". CJOB (Radio broadcast). Retrieved January 23, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ Hextall, Leah (January 5, 2021). "Hextall on Hockey: Where's the women's tournament?". CJOB (Radio broadcast). Retrieved January 23, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ Marchand, Andrew (May 17, 2021). "ESPN signs Leah Hextall in historic NHL play-by-play hire". New York Post. Retrieved May 22, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ "Leah Hextall to make history as ESPN's new NHL play-by-play voice: Source". The Athletic. Contributions from Richard Deitsch. May 17, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link) CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ Larkins, David (January 25, 2014). "20 Questions with Leah Hextall". Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved December 10, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ "Penguins name Ron Hextall as GM, Brian Burke as President of Hockey Ops". Pittsburgh Penguins. February 9, 2021.
  16. ^ "Pallister hires sports broadcaster Leah Hextall". Winnipeg Free Press. November 29, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ "Pallister makes 'difficult changes' in communications staff". Winnipeg Free Press. July 29, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
Retrieved from ""