By Rob Riches, Sports Talk Philly contributor 
Charles Barkley's been a hot topic in the sports world lately, but for once, it's not for the basketball analysis that he typically provides.
One of the most beloved basketball figures to come through Philadelphia, 'Sir Charles' has also established himself as a big-time hockey fan. Even though the NBA Finals are in full-swing, Barkley has made time to stop by and check out some of the thrilling Stanley Cup Final action in Nashville — while also proclaiming another beloved Philly figure as his favorite all-time player. From CSNPhilly's Enrico Campitelli:
"I started following hockey actually in Birmingham, Alabama," Barkley said. "They had a team called the Bulls back in the day. That was my first recollection of hockey. Then when I got to Philadelphia, my favorite hockey player of all time is Ron Hextall. I got to know him and Eric Lindros going to a bunch of Flyers games. Then Mike Wilbon, one of my mentors, takes me to the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Blackhawks the last few years."
Pretty interesting that despite the 1992 trade that sent him to the Phoenix Suns, and later closing out his career in Houston, Barkley still continued to keep tabs on what was going on with the Flyers. Hextall caught wind of Barkley's quote, and expressed his mutual respect.
"I laughed when I heard that," Hextall told reporters today. "We had a bit of a relationship back in the day. He was at a lot of our games obviously. There's a mutual respect there. I certainly liked the way Charles played — a hard game, very emotional, gave it all he had out on the court."
If there's anybody in Philly who knows a thing or two about playing an emotional, hard game, it's Hextall. Not sure if the Flyers' general manager has similar thoughts on Barkley's role in the classic 1996 documentary Space Jam, though.
Barkley had the chance to speak with NBC and Hockey Night in Canada during Game 4 on Monday, which saw Nashville take down Pittsburgh, 4-1. He also held court with other legends like Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey in a pregame press conference.
[H/T CSNPhilly.com]
