Ron Francis
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| Position | Centre |
| Shot | Left |
| Nickname(s) | Ronny, Ronny Franchise, The quiet superstar |
| Height Weight |
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg/14 st 4 lb) |
| Pro clubs | Hartford Whalers Pittsburgh Penguins Carolina Hurricanes Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Nationality |  Canada |
| Born | March 1, 1963 , Sault Ste. Marie, ON, CAN |
| NHL Draft | 4th overall, 1981 Hartford Whalers |
| Pro career | 1981 – 2004 |
| Hall of Fame, 2007 | |
Ronald "Ron" Francis (born March 1, 1963 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada), is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centerman who played 23 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Hartford Whalers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs. He now serves as the Hurricanes' Assistant General Manager and Director of Player Development.
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[edit] Playing career
Francis was drafted by Hartford Whalers in round 1 (#4 overall) in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. He was a model of consistency, averaging more than a point a game in over 1700 games in 23 seasons. His three Lady Byng Trophies attest to his gentlemanly conduct on and off the ice. Francis stands second all-time in career assists behind Wayne Gretzky with 1,249, fourth in career points (1,798), third in games played (1,731), and twenty-first in career goals (549).
Francis played almost 10 seasons with the Whalers, setting nearly every offensive record in franchise history. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 with Ulf Samuelsson for Zarley Zalapski and John Cullen; his trade from the Whalers to the Penguins was considered a coup for Pittsburgh, where he centred a formidable second line behind Mario Lemieux's first line. At the same time, it is considered to be one of the most one-sided trades in NHL history; the players acquired never even approached the numbers Francis produced, and both had gone elsewhere by 1993.
Francis returned to his original organization as a free agent for 1998–99, signing with the Carolina Hurricanes (who had moved from Hartford the previous season). He spent the next 5.5 seasons padding his franchise records. He still ranks first all-time in Whalers/Hurricanes history in points, goals, assists and games played; his 1,175 points with the franchise are double that of the runner-up, Kevin Dineen. He captained the Hurricanes to the 2002 Stanley Cup final where they lost to the Detroit Red Wings.
Francis finished his career with a brief stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs, traded there by the Hurricanes in March 2004 to allow him one last run at the Stanley Cup. He retired from the NHL before the 2005–06 season and assumed a position with the Raleigh Youth Hockey Association [1].
He won 2 Stanley Cups, the first in 1990–91 and the following season in 1991–92 with the Pittsburgh Penguins. His best season was 1995–96 when he had 119 points; that season, he led the league in assists with 92. The previous season, he also led the league in assists with 48 over the strike-shortened half-season schedule. His Whalers number #10 was raised at the Hartford Civic Center on January 6, 2006 (though not officially retired, the Whalers organization no longer existing to retire it), along with Ulf Samuelsson's #5 and Kevin Dineen's #11. Additionally his Hurricanes #10 jersey was retired by the Carolina organization on January 28, 2006.
On June 28, 2007 he was selected to enter the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot. He was formally inducted on November 12, 2007.
[edit] Achievements
- 1983- played in NHL All-Star Game
- 1985- played in NHL All-Star Game
- 1990- played in NHL All-Star Game
- 1991- Stanley Cup (Pittsburgh)
- 1992- Stanley Cup (Pittsburgh)
- 1995- Alka-Seltzer Plus Award
- 1995- Frank J. Selke Trophy
- 1995- Lady Byng Trophy
- 1996- played in NHL All-Star Game
- 1998- Lady Byng Trophy
- 1998 Honorary doctorate degree from Lake Superior State University
- 2002- Lady Byng Trophy
- 2002- King Clancy Memorial Trophy
- 2007- Inducted into the NHL Hockey Hall of Fame
[edit] Career statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1980–81 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | OMJHL | 64 | 26 | 43 | 69 | 33 | 19 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 34 | ||
| 1981–82 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | OHL | 25 | 18 | 30 | 48 | 46 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1981–82 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 59 | 25 | 43 | 68 | 51 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1982–83 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 79 | 31 | 59 | 90 | 60 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1983–84 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 72 | 23 | 60 | 83 | 45 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1984–85 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 80 | 24 | 57 | 81 | 66 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1985–86 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 53 | 24 | 53 | 77 | 24 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1986–87 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 75 | 30 | 63 | 93 | 45 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 1987–88 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 80 | 25 | 50 | 75 | 87 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 | ||
| 1988–89 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 69 | 29 | 48 | 77 | 36 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1989–90 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 80 | 32 | 69 | 101 | 73 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 8 | ||
| 1990–91 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 67 | 21 | 55 | 76 | 51 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1990–91 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 14 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 21 | 24 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 24 | ||
| 1991–92 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 70 | 21 | 33 | 54 | 30 | 21 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 6 | ||
| 1992–93 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 84 | 24 | 76 | 100 | 68 | 12 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 19 | ||
| 1993–94 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 82 | 27 | 66 | 93 | 62 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 1994–95 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 44 | 11 | 48 | 59 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 4 | ||
| 1995–96 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 77 | 27 | 92 | 119 | 56 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 4 | ||
| 1996–97 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 81 | 27 | 63 | 90 | 20 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1997–98 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 81 | 25 | 62 | 87 | 20 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 1998–99 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 82 | 21 | 31 | 52 | 34 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1999–00 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 78 | 23 | 50 | 73 | 18 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2000–01 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 82 | 15 | 50 | 65 | 32 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2001–02 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 80 | 27 | 50 | 77 | 18 | 23 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 6 | ||
| 2002–03 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 82 | 22 | 35 | 57 | 30 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2003–04 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 68 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 14 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2003–04 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 12 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | ||
| NHL Totals | 1731 | 549 | 1249 | 1798 | 979 | 171 | 46 | 97 | 143 | 95 | ||||
[edit] See also
- List of NHL statistical leaders
- List of NHL players
- List of NHL seasons
- List of NHL players with 1000 points
- Notable families in the NHL
- List of NHL players with 500 goals
[edit] References
- Ron Francis's biography at Legends of Hockey
- Ron Francis's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mark Johnson |
Hartford Whalers captains 1985-90 |
Succeeded by Randy Ladouceur |
| Preceded by Mario Lemieux |
Pittsburgh Penguins captains 1995 |
Succeeded by Mario Lemieux |
| Preceded by Mario Lemieux |
Pittsburgh Penguins captains 1997–98 |
Succeeded by Jaromir Jagr |
| Preceded by Keith Primeau |
Carolina Hurricanes captains 1999-2004 |
Succeeded by Rod Brind'Amour |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by Wayne Gretzky |
Winner of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy 1995 |
Succeeded by Paul Kariya |
| Preceded by Sergei Fedorov |
Winner of the Frank J. Selke Trophy 1995 |
Succeeded by Sergei Fedorov |
| Preceded by Scott Stevens |
Winner of the NHL Plus/Minus Award 1995 |
Succeeded by Vladimir Konstantinov |
| Preceded by Paul Kariya |
Winner of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy 1998 |
Succeeded by Wayne Gretzky |
| Preceded by Shjon Podein |
Winner of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy 2002 |
Succeeded by Brendan Shanahan |
| Preceded by Joe Sakic |
Winner of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy 2002 |
Succeeded by Alexander Mogilny |
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