 After going unclaimed in the 1999 NHL Expansion Draft, longtime goaltender Ron Hextall was waived by the Flyers on July 1 for the purpose of buying out the final season of his contract.Hextall cleared waivers and announced his retirement on September 6, 1999.Longtime broadcaster Gene Hart, who was awarded the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award in 1997, died from a variety of illnesses on July 14.