Ron Francis

Ron Francis was born on March 1, 1963 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. He played his junior hockey with the hometown Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and was drafted by the Hartford Whalers with their 1st pick, 4th overall in 1981. Francis began his NHL career in the 1981-82 season and would go on to be a pivot within the Hartford Whalers franchise. He provided consistent leadership and offense to a Whaler team that tasted some success thanks to Francis. He was named team MVP four times, became their captain in 1984 and held the Whalers record as their all time scoring leader. At the 1991 trade deadline, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins by along with Grant Jennings and Ulf Samuelsson for John Cullen, Jeff Parker, and Zarly Zalapsky.

Francis' addition helped the Penguins win their first Stanley Cup in 1991. He would prosper in Pittsburgh, helping them win another Cup the next season and scoring two 100+ point seasons. His stay in Pittsburgh ended in 1998 when he signed as an unrestricted free-agent with the Carolina Hurricanes. Francis continued to play with the Hurricanes until the 2003-04 season. At the trading deadline that year, he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs with the hope that Francis would be able to complete his great hockey career with a Stanley Cup victory. Unfortunately Ron and the Maple Leafs were bounced out of the playoffs in the second round by the Philadelphia Flyers. His long and successful career is sure to send him to the Hockey Hall of Fame after retirement.

Here is a summary of Ron Francis' NHL accomplishments;

Year    Team                 GP   G   A   Pts   Pim
1981-82 Hartford Whalers     59  25  43    68    51 
1982-83 Hartford Whalers     79  31  59    90    60 
1983-84 Hartford Whalers     72  23  60    83    45 
1984-85 Hartford Whalers     80  24  57    81    66 
1985-86 Hartford Whalers     53  24  53    77    24 
1986-87 Hartford Whalers     75  30  63    93    45 
1987-88 Hartford Whalers     80  25  50    75    87 
1988-89 Hartford Whalers     69  29  48    77    36 
1989-90 Hartford Whalers     80  32  69   101    73
1990-91 Hartford Whalers     67  21  55    76    51 
1990-91 Pittsburgh Penguins  14   2   9    11    21
1991-92 Pittsburgh Penguins  70  21  33    54    30
1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins  84  24  76   100    68 
1993-94 Pittsburgh Penguins  82  27  66    93    62 
1994-95 Pittsburgh Penguins  44  11  48    59    18 
1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins  77  27  92   119    56
1996-97 Pittsburgh Penguins  81  27  63    90    20 
1997-98 Pittsburgh Penguins  81  25  62    87    20 
1998-99 Carolina Hurricanes  82  21  31    52    34 
1999-00 Carolina Hurricanes  78  23  50    73    18 
2000-01 Carolina Hurricanes  82  15  50    65    32 
2001-02 Carolina Hurricanes  80  27  50    77    18 
2002-03 Carolina Hurricanes  82  22  35    57    30 
2003-04 Carolina Hurricanes  68  10  20    30    14 
2003-04 Toronto Maple Leafs  12   3   7    10     0 
NHL Totals                 1731 549 1249 1798   979   



Trophies
Frank J. Selke Trophy - 1 (1995)
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy - 3 (1995, 1998, 2002)
King Clancy Memorial Trophy - 1 (2002)


Championships
Stanley Cup - 2 (1991, 1992)

Team Pages:
Hartford Whalers / Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs

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