Ronnie's Home

Ron Francis is now a 1st ballot Hockey Hall of Famer, an honor richly deserved. All of Francis's nicknames over the years, e.g., Ronnie Franchise, St. Ron, etc., exemplify how fans, media, and everyone in the NHL, loved Ron Francis. Francis seemed the rare player who was consistently beloved.

On the official website of the Pittsburgh Penguins, there is currently a picture of Francis wearing the captain's C on his Pittsburgh jersey. Francis left Pittsburgh many years ago, and he was honest about the reason he left. Yet Francis was always cheered when he returned to Pittsburgh. Fans who loved Francis when he was a Penguin still cheered the same classy player and person when he returned to the Igloo as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes.

Today, years after Francis's retirement, seeing that picture of Ronnie wearing a Penguins uniform and the captain's C still brings an automatic smile to my face. My smile is involuntary; it's not something I can help or withhold. I smile when I see Ron Francis.

Francis is well known for his exemplary work on and off the ice, but perhaps what I most remember about Francis's days in Pittsburgh (particularly after the Cups were won) are things that don't get spoken of as frequently. For years, in addition to winning faceoffs, scoring goals, and playing a complete game pretty much flawlessly, Francis was one of the key leaders of a Pittsburgh team that needed leaders. Later in his tenure with the Penguins, Francis did something he's never gotten enough credit for: he helped to ensure Jaromir Jagr was both a sane and productive player. One of my favorite Francis stories happened when Francis explained that Jagr couldn't do the thing he'd done that night (the thing had something to do with giving up, quitting on the bench, late in the game, in frustration). At the end of Ronnie's chat with Jags, Jagr thanked Francis for dressing him down--yes, seriously, Jagr thanked Francis for trying to help him to become a better player. But Ronnie Francis got reactions like that, from everybody, because that's who Ronnie Francis is.

For me, a lifelong Pittsburgh Penguins fan, saying the name "Ron Francis" will always bring a wave of good feelings, and a smile, to my face. Francis's statistics alone would have been enough to earn him induction to the Hall on his first try, but it's that positive reaction that everyone had to Francis that would have put him over the top on my ballot (if I had one; they don't--not yet--give bloggers ballots). Because Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, former teammates of Francis's, as well as his former opponents, as well as his coaches, as well as any media members, and plain old fans like me--our reaction to Ron Francis is the same. A smile and a feeling of gratitude that a man like Francis graced NHL rinks so successfully for so many seasons.

So to Ron Francis, St. Ron, Ronnie Franchise, to the former captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins, to the player who was the heart and soul of the Hartford/Carolina franchise, congratulations on an honor richly deserved. And for anyone who has the chance to visit Ronnie in his new home at Hockey's Hall of Fame in Toronto, here's to hoping you share in the smiles that spring to the faces of all those who had the privilege of enjoying Ron Francis's presence in the NHL for so many seasons.