Ron Francis
Ron Francis
Ronald Michael Francis, Jr.is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre and the current general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League. Drafted fourth overall in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, Francis played 23 seasons in the NHL for the Hartford Whalers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs. Upon retiring from professional ice hockey in 2004, Francis stands second all-time in career assists, behind only Wayne Gretzky; fifth in career points; third in games played;...
NationalityCanadian
ProfessionHockey Player
Date of Birth1 March 1963
CountryCanada
I think any time you play your first NHL game, you remember that.
I think you always hope you can play forever, but you always realize that time will come... I was fortunate I was able to make a decision, move on and do it comfortably.
As a kid growing up in the little city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, I dreamed of one day playing in the NHL, but never did I expect it to be as much fun as it turned out to be.
It was a fun ride. I've enjoyed my time on the ice and I've enjoyed more and more people getting interested in the game of hockey.
You know there are so many people that have touched your life both on the ice and within your career in the NHL whether it be owners, GMs, coaches, players, trainers, all the way down. And that doesnt even account for all of the people that you encountered outside of the game that you met along this trip, too.
I played my age. Not bad.