ESPN announcer Leah Hextall caught between war of words on NHL benches

Pat Maroon and Wayne Simmonds were in a smack talk-off, and Leah Hextall was right in the middle of it.

As ESPN was broadcasting Lightning vs. Maple Leafs, Hextall was perched between the two benches as the two sides started chirping back and forth. Hextall, being the pro broadcaster she is, explained what was happening to the audience in real time.

“It keeps going. Simmonds, Maroon. Simmonds, Maroon. Here we go,” Hextall said, pointing to each side as they traded barbs.

At one point, Maroon, a 33-year-old forward on the Lightning, asked Simmonds how many Stanley Cup championships he’s won. Maroon has won two with Tampa, and a third with the St. Louis Blues.

Simmonds, also 33, had stops with the Kings, Flyers, Predators, Devils and Sabres before landing in Toronto, and the Stanley Cup has thus far eluded him in his career.

Hextall comes from a royal hockey family. Her grandfather, Bryan Hextall Sr., is a Hall of Famer who was a major contributor for the Rangers in their 1940 Stanley Cup conquest. Her uncle, Bryan Hextall Jr., played 10 years in the league in the 1960s and 1970s. Her cousin, Ron Hextall, played goalie for 13 years for the Flyers, Nordiques and Islanders.

She remarked that Leafs-Lightning “would be a good first round [playoff series] if we get that, boys.”