Emile Francis

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Emile 'The Cat' Francis (born September 13, 1926 in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada) is a former player, coach, and general manager in the National Hockey League, most notably with the New York Rangers.

Francis got his start in the NHL with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1947. From 1948 to 1952, he was the back-up goaltender for the New York Rangers. He finished out his career on a number of minor league teams in the AHL and WHL including the Vancouver Canucks.

In 1945 Francis was the first goaltender to use a first baseman’s glove with a cuff added to protect his hand and wrist. Previosusly, goalies wore the same padded gloves as their teammates.

Francis would become the coach of the OHA's Guelph Royals before landing the head coaching job with the Rangers from 1965 to 1975. He then joined the St. Louis Blues and had two separate head coaching stints with them. He was then General Manager of the Hartford Whalers from 1979 until 1988.

On Sunday, September 30, 2007, Francis' wife, Emma Francis, was reported missing after dropping Emile off at the Palm Beach International Airport for a flight to New Jersey. Neighbors reported not seeing Emma Francis return home after driving to the airport. She was found safe in a local hotel on October 2, 2007.^[1]