Ronald Michael Francis Jr. (born March 1, 1963) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

. He is the

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

of the

Seattle Kraken The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle. The Kraken compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and began play during the league's 2021–22 season. ...

that inaugurated its first season in 2021. Drafted fourth overall in the

1981 NHL Entry Draft Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Fr ...

, Francis played 23 seasons in the NHL for the

Hartford Whalers The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to ...

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...

, and

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

. Upon retiring from professional ice hockey in 2004, Francis stood second all-time in career assists (1,249), behind only

Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...

; fifth in career points (1,798); third in games played (1,731); and 27th in career goals (549). In 2014, Francis was named as the general manager for the Hurricanes, replacing

Jim Rutherford James Earl Rutherford (born February 17, 1949) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender and front office executive. He is the president of hockey operations of the Vancouver Canucks. Prior to his position with the Canucks, Rutherf ...

, who had been with the franchise ever since the team's move to

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. Two years before, Francis had become a minority owner of the team as part of the five-man investor group, Playmakers Management. In March 2018, he was promoted to the president of hockey operations role. His Hurricanes contract was terminated on April 30, 2018. On July 18, 2019, he was hired as the first general manager of the Seattle Kraken. In 2017, Francis was named one of the hundred greatest NHL players in history.

Playing career

As a youth, Francis played in the 1975 and 1976

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament (french: Tournoi international de hockey pee-wee de Québec) is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, ...

s with a

minor ice hockey Minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from cla ...

team from

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Sault Ste. Marie ( ) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is at the St. Mary's River on the Canada–US border. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay. The Ojibwe, the indigenous Anishinaabe inhabitants of ...

. Francis was drafted by the

in the first round, fourth overall, of the

. He was a model of consistency and durability, averaging more than a point a game in over 1,700 games in 23 seasons, and (not counting the lockout-shortened 1994–95 season) averaging just under 77 games played a season. His three Lady Byng Trophies attest to his gentlemanly conduct on and off the ice. Francis stands second all-time in career assists behind

with 1,249, fifth in career points (1,798), third in games played (1,731), and twenty-sixth in career goals (549). Francis played almost ten seasons with the Whalers, serving as captain for almost six and setting nearly every offensive record in franchise history. He was traded to the

on March 4, 1991 with

Ulf Samuelsson Ulf Bo Samuelsson (born March 26, 1964) is a Swedish-American former professional ice hockey defenceman who formerly served as assistant coach of the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League. He played several seasons in the NHL with the Har ...

and

Grant Jennings Grant Curtis Jennings (born May 5, 1965) is a former National Hockey League defenceman. Career Jennings played Midget AAA for the Notre Dame Hounds of Wilcox, Saskatchewan and then moved onto play Junior A hockey in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey ...

, in exchange for Jeff Parker,

Zarley Zalapski Zarley Bennett Zalapski (April 22, 1968 – December 10, 2017) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played from 1987 to 2010. Playing career Zalapski's career started with the Fort Saskatchewan Traders of the Alberta Junior Hock ...

, and

John Cullen Barry John Cullen (born August 2, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Hartford Whalers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning. He was a stan ...

. The trade became a coup for Pittsburgh, where he centred a formidable second line behind

Mario Lemieux Mario Lemieux (; ; born October 5, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played parts of 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins between 1984 and 2006, and he assumed ownership of the f ...

, as the Penguins won their first

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

less than three months later. The threat posed by the Francis-centered second line, formidable in its own right, often required opposing teams to throw their best defenseman against two lines, instead of zeroing in on Lemieux's line, thus creating more opportunities for both top lines. Francis was also known as one of the best face-off men in the NHL in this period, in both the offensive and defensive ends. In power-play and empty-net situations, his key face-off wins often led to Penguin goals. Francis was indispensable the following year, as Pittsburgh repeated as champions, in leading the team during the absence of Lemieux in the 1992 playoffs – and in scoring the Cup-clinching goal against the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...

. At the same time, the trade that brought him to Pittsburgh is considered to be one of the most one-sided trades in NHL history (though ''

The Hockey News ''The Hockey News'' (''THN'') is a Canadian-based ice hockey magazine. ''The Hockey News'' was founded in 1947 by Ken McKenzie and Will Cote and has since become the most recognized hockey publication in North America. The magazine has a readers ...

'' suggested that Hartford had gotten the better end of the trade at the time); the players Hartford acquired never approached the numbers or impact Francis produced there or with Pittsburgh. Francis would spend seven seasons in Pittsburgh, captaining the team twice, and becoming the first Penguin to win the

Selke Trophy The Frank J. Selke Trophy, or simply the Selke Trophy, is awarded annually to the National Hockey League forward who demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game. The winner is selected by a poll of the Professional Hockey W ...

in 1995. Francis returned to his original organization as a free agent for 1998–99, signing with the

(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. At the time of his retirement, his 1,175 points were more than double those of then-runner up

Kevin Dineen Kevin William Dineen (born October 28, 1963) is a Canadians, Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. , Dineen is the head coach of the Utica Comets in the American Hockey League (AHL). Dineen previously served as the head coach ...

. He captained the Hurricanes to a surprise appearance in the

2002 Stanley Cup Finals The 2002 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2001–02 season, and the culmination of the 2002 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested by the Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings and the ...

and scored the winning goal for the Hurricanes in overtime of Game 1, before losing to the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

in five games. Francis finished his career with a brief stint with the

, traded there by the Hurricanes in March 2004 to allow him one last run at the

. He retired from the NHL before the 2005–06 season and assumed a position with th
Raleigh Youth Hockey Association

Management career

In June 2011, Francis assumed the position of director of hockey operations with the Carolina Hurricanes before later being named general manager of the team in 2014. On March 7, 2018, Francis was named president of hockey operations by new Hurricanes' majority owner Thomas Dundon. His Hurricanes contract was terminated on April 30, 2018. On July 18, 2019, Francis was named the first general manager of the

Personal life

Francis was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. He is second cousins with

Mike Liut Michael Dennis Liut (born January 7, 1956) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Liut played for the Cincinnati Stingers of the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1977 to 1979 and for the St. Louis Blues, Hartford Whalers, a ...

. Francis is married to the former Mary Lou Robie, a native of

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...

whom he met in Hartford during his tenure with the Whalers. They married in 1986 and have three children: Kaitlyn (b. 1991), Michael (b. 1993), and Connor (b. 1996). Francis is considered a popular sports figure in Hartford, Pittsburgh and Raleigh, and is also noted for his humanitarian and charity work. Francis also has the distinction of being the first ice hockey player inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.

Awards and achievements

Francis won two

s, in 1990–91 and the following season, with the

. Statistically, his best season was 1995–96, when he recorded 119 points; that season, he led the NHL in assists, with 92. The previous season, he had not only led the League in assists with 48 over the lockout-shortened, half-season schedule, but became the first player to win both the

Frank J. Selke Trophy The Frank J. Selke Trophy, or simply the Selke Trophy, is awarded annually to the National Hockey League forward who demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game. The winner is selected by a poll of the Professional Hockey W ...

and the

Lady Byng Trophy The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, formerly known as the Lady Byng Trophy, is presented each year to the National Hockey League "player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of ...

in the same season. Francis' Whalers number 10 jersey was raised at the

Hartford Civic Center Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

on January 6, 2006 (though not officially retired, the Whalers organization no longer existing in Hartford to retire it), along with

's number 5 and

's number 11. Additionally, his Hurricanes number 10

jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

was retired by the Carolina organization on January 28, 2006. He was also pictured in the Pittsburgh Penguins Ring of Honor that formerly circled the upper level of the

Pittsburgh Civic Arena The Civic Arena, formerly the Civic Auditorium and later Mellon Arena, was an arena located in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Civic Arena primarily served as the home to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the city's National Hockey League (NHL) ...

. On June 28, 2007, Francis was selected to enter the

Hockey Hall of Fame , logo = Hockey Hall of Fame Logo.svg , logo_upright = 0.5 , image = Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto.jpg , caption = The Hall's present location on Yonge Street since 1992 , map_type = , former_name = , established = 1943 , location = 30 Y ...

in his first year on the ballot. He was formally inducted on November 12, 2007. *

NHL All-Star Game The National Hockey League All-Star Game (french: Match des Étoiles de la Ligue Nationale de Hockey, links=no) is an exhibition ice hockey game that is traditionally held during the regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL), with many o ...

–

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

champion –

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

NHL Plus-Minus Award The NHL Plus-Minus Award was a trophy awarded annually by the National Hockey League to the ice hockey "player, having played a minimum of 60 games, who leads the league in plus-minus statistics." It was sponsored by a commercial business, and it ...

–

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

– 1995. *

– 1995,

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

King Clancy Memorial Trophy The King Clancy Memorial Trophy is a sports award given annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and who has made a significant humanitarian contribution to his community. The ...

– 2002 * Inducted into the

in 2007 * Currently in 5th place of all-time regular season NHL point leaders with 1,798 points * Currently in 28th place of all-time regular season NHL goals with 549 goals * Currently in 2nd place of all-time regular season NHL assists with 1,249 assists * Currently in 4th place on all-time NHL regular season games played with 1,731 games

Transactions

*June 10, 1981: Drafted 4th overall by the

in the

. *March 4, 1991: Traded to the

, along with

and

, in exchange for

, Jeff Parker, and

. *July 13, 1998: Signed a four-year, $20.8 million contract as a free agent with the

. *July 29, 2002: Re-signed with Carolina to a two-year, $11 million contract. *March 9, 2004: Traded to the

in exchange for Toronto's 4th round selection in the 2005 Draft (later traded to the

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...

, Columbus selected

Jared Boll Jared Rittenhouse Boll (born May 13, 1986) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for nine seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets organization before closing out his career after two se ...

). *September 14, 2005: Announced his retirement from the NHL after 22 seasons.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

*
Carolina Hurricanes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Francis, Ron 1963 births Living people Canadian ice hockey centres Canadian people of Italian descent Carolina Hurricanes captains Carolina Hurricanes coaches Carolina Hurricanes executives Carolina Hurricanes players Frank Selke Trophy winners Hartford Whalers captains Hartford Whalers draft picks Hartford Whalers players Hockey Hall of Fame inductees Ice hockey people from Ontario King Clancy Memorial Trophy winners Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winners National Hockey League All-Stars National Hockey League first-round draft picks National Hockey League players with retired numbers National Hockey League general managers Pittsburgh Penguins players Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds players Sportspeople from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Seattle Kraken executives Stanley Cup champions Toronto Maple Leafs players Canadian ice hockey coaches