Flyers' Hextall knows value of varying opinions
/New Flyers GM Ron Hextall relayed an anecdote, via The Philadelphia Daily News, from over a decade ago.
Hextall was a pro scout for the Flyers and was asked an opinion about an important player transaction with then-assistant GM Paul Holmgren.
"I said, 'Homer, I don't think it's a good move,' " Hextall recalled. "I kind of felt bad, because I was young, just a year or so into it, and I'm thinking, 'Oh, boy.'
"He looked at me and said, 'You know, that's reasonable.' I was kind of like, 'I don't mean to...,' but he said, 'You know what, if every mind thought the same, there's no reason to have everybody.' It was a great lesson for me at the time: You have to speak your mind. You have to tell your boss or people around you what you think. It's communication."
Hextall carried that mindset forward.
"Typically, in the end, it's going to be my decision," he said. "But I'll be talking to scouts and personnel people and Homer and other people. In the end, again, it's my decision. But if you're not using your resources and your people, you're probably not doing a better job."