"What you like about Hexy is he learned it from the grassroots up," Lombardi said after Hextall's promotion was announced. "This is a guy who had no problem getting in his truck and driving 4 hours to go to a minor league game or a junior game. So, he clearly paid his dues, and then he came out here, learned closer to the management style. So you couldn't have a guy who was better ready. He's kind of the [Dallas Stars GM] Jimmy Nill route, the former player who then learns the business as much as they can before they get in that seat, because the reality is nobody understands what it's like to be in that seat before they're in it. It's totally different from the outside perspective. But, that said, there's a method to training yourself to be ready for everything."