Ron Francis

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.

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.

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.

Career statistics

                                  Regular Season    Playoffs 
Season  Team                    Lge   GP   G   A   Pts  PIM  GP  G  A  Pts PIM     
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   10  1  2  3   4 
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/Pittsburgh     NHL   81  23  64   87   72   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 
1995    Pittsburgh Penguins     NHL   44  11  48   59   18   12  6  13 19  4 
1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins     NHL   77  27  92   119  14   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/Toronto        NHL   80  13  27   40   14   12  0  4  4   2
                  
                   NHL Totals       1731 549 1249 1798 979  171 46 97 143 95

References

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php3?pid%5B%5D=1767

Ron Francis | Ron Francis | Ron Francis

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Ron Francis

Playing career

Achievements

Career statistics

See also

References