Flyers officially name Hextall general manager, promote Holmgren to president
The Philadelphia Flyers released a statement on Wednesday announcing the promotion of Ron Hextall to general manager and Paul Holmgren to team president.
Flyers chairman Ed Snider showered Hextall with praise in the written statement, calling him "one of the league's bright young stars on the management side," while also lauding Holmgren's ability to make Philadelphia a perennial contender.
Hextall helped the Los Angeles Kings capture a Stanley Cup as assistant general manager before returning to Philadelphia - where he played most of his career - to assist Holmgren last season. He called the promotion "my dream job" at a press conference announcing the changes.
"Not only did I reach my goal of being a general manager, I got my dream job [at the #Flyers]." -GM Ron Hextall pic.twitter.com/uEEzNGX9as
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) May 7, 2014
“I'm extremely excited about this new opportunity to manage the Philadelphia Flyers,” Hextall said in the statement. “I look forward to working closely with Paul in our new hockey structure and working towards our ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup.”
Holmgren jokingly suggested Hextall's devotion to the Flyers extended to an uncomfortable degree, causing Snider to do a double-take during the press conference:
Homer: Ron likes having the Flyers logo on his chest. I think he's got one on his ass, too.
Snider: What did you say?
— Dave Isaac (@davegisaac) May 7, 2014
Holmgren is also excited about his new role and looks forward to "unifying the business side with the hockey side and pushing the Flyers to new levels both on the ice and off," according to the statement. He clarified those remarks at the press conference, saying hockey decisions are now Hextall's department.
Holmgren: "All hockey decisions fall on Ron. No question. Just to dispel any doubt."
— Frank Seravalli (@DNFlyers) May 7, 2014