Leah Hextall is a Canadian sports broadcaster, journalist, moderator, and play-by-play commentator best known for her work covering hockey.
She has built a career across some of the biggest sports media organizations in North America, including CTV Winnipeg, NESN, Sportsnet and ESPN.
She is particularly notable for breaking barriers in hockey broadcasting, becoming the first woman to call play-by-play for a nationally televised NHL game.
Hextall’s career is also closely connected to one of hockey’s most recognizable families. Her grandfather, Bryan Hextall, was a Hockey Hall of Fame player who starred for the New York Rangers. Her uncles Bryan Hextall Jr. and Dennis Hextall also played in the NHL.
At the same time, her cousin Ron Hextall enjoyed a long career as an NHL goaltender before becoming a hockey executive.
Despite growing up surrounded by professional hockey, Hextall did not pursue the sport as a professional player.
Instead, she found her route into the NHL through journalism, production and broadcasting. Today, she is part of ESPN’s NHL coverage and continues to work as a broadcaster, reporter, speaker and moderator.
Leah Hextall Biography
Leah Hextall comes from one of Canada’s most notable hockey families. Her grandfather was Bryan Hextall, the former New York Rangers forward who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1969.
He played 11 NHL seasons and won the Stanley Cup with the Rangers. Her family connection to professional hockey does not stop there.
Her uncles, Bryan Hextall Jr. and Dennis Hextall, both played in the NHL. Together, their careers covered more than 20 seasons.
Her cousin Ron Hextall was an NHL goaltender who spent most of his playing career with the Philadelphia Flyers. He won the Vezina Trophy in 1987 and later became a hockey executive, serving as general manager of both the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Leah’s father, Randy Hextall, was not an NHL player, but he was hugely influential in her relationship with hockey. He helped teach her the game and remained one of her biggest supporters throughout her broadcasting career.
Randy died suddenly on July 12, 2019, aged 66. His obituary identifies Leah and her sister Lindsay as his daughters.
Hextall later revealed that her father had been the person she most wanted to call after learning she would be making her NHL play-by-play debut.
She also wore her grandfather’s Hockey Hall of Fame ring during that historic broadcast. The ring had passed from Bryan Hextall to Randy and then to Leah.
That moment represented three generations of the Hextall family connected through hockey. Hextall graduated from the Columbia Academy of Radio, Television and Recording Arts in Vancouver in 2003.
Her education provided the foundation for a career that eventually moved beyond traditional journalism into live sports broadcasting.
Hextall spent years developing her skills through reporting, hosting, production and smaller broadcasting assignments.
That gradual progression became an important part of her story because she had to establish herself as a broadcaster before receiving opportunities to call major hockey games.
Career
Leah Hextall’s professional career began in news and sports journalism before she moved deeper into sports broadcasting.
She worked for CTV Winnipeg from 2005 to 2012, gaining experience as a reporter and broadcaster.
She then moved to the United States and worked for NESN, where she hosted NESN Today from 2012 to 2014.
In 2014, Hextall joined Sportsnet, where she worked as a studio host and reporter for Hockey Night in Canada.
She eventually shifted her focus toward play-by-play broadcasting. Her career path was not completely straightforward.
In 2016, Hextall was let go from Sportsnet during organizational changes. She used the setback to rethink her career and eventually pursued play-by-play more seriously.
Her official biography describes the period as a major turning point in her professional life. She also moved into politics and communications, working for the Manitoba government during the late 2010s.
An official Manitoba government employment document confirms her appointment as a Creative Communications Specialist in 2017.
That experience gave her another set of communication skills that later complemented her broadcasting career.
Play by Play Broadcaster
Hextall began seriously pursuing hockey play by play in 2016. She started getting live experience through smaller hockey assignments, including Manitoba Moose games and eventually Canadian Women’s Hockey League games.
Her first CWHL play-by-play work came in 2018. The opportunity was significant because it gave Hextall the chance to develop her voice as a play-by-play broadcaster rather than remaining primarily a studio host or reporter.
She also worked her way into the Manitoba Junior Hockey League and other assignments, building experience before receiving opportunities on larger national broadcasts.
Hextall has described the early stages of her play-by-play career as demanding. At one point, she called Manitoba Moose games alone from a booth, gaining experience while speaking to what she jokingly described as a nonexistent audience.
Those smaller assignments ultimately helped prepare her for the biggest breakthrough of her career.
Leah Hextall Made History With ESPN in 2019
Before making NHL history, Hextall broke another major barrier. In 2019, she became the first woman to call play-by-play for an NCAA Men’s Division I Ice Hockey Championship game for ESPN.
The achievement was important because men’s college hockey had traditionally featured male voices in the play-by-play role.
Hextall’s performance helped establish her credentials as a broadcaster capable of handling major men’s hockey events.
It also placed her in a stronger position when opportunities to call NHL games began to emerge.
NHL History in 2020
The biggest breakthrough of Hextall’s career came on March 8, 2020. She called the Vegas Golden Knights versus Calgary Flames game for Sportsnet as part of an all-female broadcast team featuring Hextall on play-by-play, Cassie Campbell Pascall as analyst, and Christine Simpson as reporter.
The broadcast was historic. Hextall became the first woman to call play by play for a nationally televised NHL game.
An all-female production team also produced the broadcast. The significance of the moment went beyond Hextall herself.
Sportsnet organized the broadcast as part of its International Women’s Day programming, creating a major platform to showcase women working in hockey broadcasting and production.
Hextall’s father had died only months earlier, making the moment particularly emotional for her. She later explained that she wore her grandfather’s Hockey Hall of Fame ring during the broadcast because it had been passed down through her family.
The moment effectively connected the Hextall family’s hockey history with Leah’s own contribution to the sport.
Leah Hextall Joined ESPN
Hextall joined ESPN’s NHL broadcast team in 2021. ESPN’s official biography states that she joined the network’s broadcast team in 2021 and serves as a commentator for selected NHL games.
She also works as a reporter for NHL coverage. Her hiring followed ESPN’s return to NHL coverage under a historic seven-year media rights agreement beginning with the 2021 to 2022 season.
ESPN described Hextall as one of the voices contributing to its play-by-play coverage alongside established broadcasters including Sean McDonough, Steve Levy, John Buccigross and Bob Wischusen. Her appointment also made another milestone possible.
ESPN’s First All-Female NHL Broadcast Team
In January 2022, Hextall, Cassie Campbell Pascall and Linda Cohn made history as ESPN’s first all-female NHL broadcast team. Hextall handled play-by-play, Campbell Pascall provided analysis, and Cohn worked as the rinkside reporter for the Arizona Coyotes versus Montreal Canadiens game.
It was another important moment in Hextall’s career because it demonstrated that her 2020 breakthrough was not an isolated event. She had become part of a broader transformation in hockey broadcasting.
Hextall has repeatedly spoken about wanting women to have more opportunities in sports media. She has also discussed the importance of normalizing women in traditionally male-dominated broadcasting roles rather than treating every appearance as an unusual event.
Women in Sports Broadcasting
Hextall’s significance extends beyond the games she calls. She has become an advocate for women seeking opportunities in sports media and has spoken publicly about the obstacles women can face in the industry.
Her official website describes her as a broadcaster, speaker, and moderator and highlights her work encouraging more women to enter traditionally male-dominated spaces.
She has also spoken openly about harassment and the pressure that can come with being a woman in sports broadcasting. Her story has therefore become about more than reaching the NHL booth.
It is also about building a career after setbacks, creating opportunities and encouraging broadcasters who may not traditionally see themselves represented in sports media.
Husband
Hextall keeps much of her personal life away from the public spotlight. She does not regularly make her romantic life part of her public profile.
There is no reliable public source confirming that she is married, and there is also no authoritative source that establishes a current husband or partner.
For that reason, claims that Hextall is married or definitively single should be treated cautiously.
Her publicly documented family story focuses much more heavily on her parents, sister, and famous hockey relatives, as well as the influence her father had on her career..
Leah Hextall Net Worth
Leah Hextall’s net worth is estimated at $5 million. She has had a long professional career spanning journalism, television, sports broadcasting, corporate communications, and government communications.
Her professional history includes work for CTV Winnipeg, NESN, Sportsnet and ESPN, as well as communications work outside the sports industry.
Her earnings over time remain unknown because Broadcasters’ individual ESPN compensation is generally not publicly disclosed.
