Peter Zezel

On Dec. 8, 1987, Ron Hextall was in the middle of his second season in the NHL and the opportunity presented itself in a game against the Boston Bruins at the Spectrum. To that point, no goaltender had actually fired a shot on an empty net and scored a goal.

When the Flyers and Oilers met in the Stanley Cup Final in 1987, what ensued was a battle of wills that featured two epic comebacks and nearly saw the Flyers top a legendary team in a seven-game war, quite possibly the best Stanley Cup Final ever to take place. Even the greatest player in the league called Flyers netminder Ron Hextall the toughest he ever faced.