Ron Francis
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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' Director of Player Development, a role that he assumed in November 2006.
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[edit] Playing career
Francis was drafted in the 1st Round, 4th overall by the Hartford Whalers in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. Francis 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 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. Francis returned to his original organization as a free agent for 1998-99, signing with the Carolina Hurricanes, and 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.
He won 2 Stanley Cups, the first in 1990-91 and the following season in 1991-92 with Pittsburgh. 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) and his Hurricanes #10 jersey was retired by the Carolina organization on January 28, 2006.
[edit] Achievements
- 1983- played in NHL All-Star Game
- 1985- played in NHL All-Star Game
- 1990- played in NHL All-Star Game
- 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
- 2002- Lady Byng Trophy
- 2002- King Clancy Memorial Trophy
- The only player in NHL history to be named to captain two separate franchises (Hartford/Carolina and Pittsburgh) each in two separate periods.
[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
| 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 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 Mario Lemieux |
Pittsburgh Penguins captains 1997-98 |
Succeeded by Jaromir Jagr |
| 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 |
| Preceded by Keith Primeau |
Carolina Hurricanes captains 1999-2004 |
Succeeded by Rod Brind'Amour |
Categories: 1963 births | Canadian ice hockey players | Carolina Hurricanes players | Frank Selke Trophy winners | Hartford Whalers draft picks | Hartford Whalers players | King Clancy Memorial Trophy winners | Lady Byng winners | Living people | National Hockey League first round draft picks | National Hockey League 100-point seasons | National Hockey League players with retired numbers | Ontario sportspeople | People from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario | Pittsburgh Penguins players | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds alumni | Stanley Cup champions | Toronto Maple Leafs players
