A Lifelong Connection Brings Francis Back

When Ron Francis was inducted into the Penguins Hall of Fame last year, he joked about being inducted with Eddie Johnston, the GM who traded for him, and Craig Patrick, the GM who traded him away.

Now, he has officially rejoined the Penguins organization as Special Advisor, Hockey Operations, by Kyle Dubas, the GM who has known Francis his entire life. They both have deep roots in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and with the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds.

“Funny story, my mother, who is almost 91, was in Kyle's grandmother and grandfather's wedding party,” Francis said. “Kyle's grandfather coached me when I was nine and 10 years old, playing hockey, and I played against his dad growing up.”

They had almost worked together before on a few occasions. When Francis left the Carolina Hurricanes after 12 years in management, he nearly joined Dubas in Toronto. Francis eventually joined the Seattle Kraken in 2019 as their first General Manager in franchise history. When the Maple Leafs and Dubas parted ways, Francis tried bringing him out west. However, Dubas ultimately joined the Penguins. Three years later, he brought Francis on board after his tenure in Seattle ended.

“It finally worked out we could work together,” Francis said. “But as I said to him when he called, I know he's a man of integrity, I know he's a man of honesty, and that was important to me when I took this position.”

Dubas has deep respect and admiration for Francis and what he has accomplished in a life spent in hockey. As a player, Francis built a Hockey Hall of Fame career with four different teams. Twenty years post-retirement, Francis still ranks fifth in NHL history with 1,798 points and second with 1,249 assists, behind only Wayne Gretzky.

But his time with the Penguins had a particularly profound impact on Francis, as he found so much individual and team success, highlighted by Stanley Cup Championships in 1991 and ’92.

“Ron has a deep affinity for the city of Pittsburgh and the Penguins. He cherishes his time spent here as a player where he had tremendous success and is an outstanding ambassador for the Penguins and the city of Pittsburgh,” Dubas said.

“Ron’s playing experience, management experience, and familiarity with the Penguins and Pittsburgh will be a great benefit to our organization and all members of our management team. We look forward to having a person of Ron’s experience and character in our front office as we continue to work to build the Penguins back into a perennial Stanley Cup contender.”

In his new role, Francis is assisting the Penguins’ hockey operations leadership group with strategic planning, roster construction and optimization of all internal systems and processes to help further implement best practices within the organization. Francis will also provide expertise and counsel during key events. He was in town for the NHL Draft, Development Camp and free agency, and will return for training camp.

“Then the season goes along, it's spending time here in Pittsburgh with the big team and Wilkes-Barre, and maybe getting over with some of the prospects as well,” Francis said. “So, it sounds like Kyle is going to keep me fairly busy, which is good.”

When the news of Francis’ return broke, he got texts from several of his old teammates, including Mario Lemieux, Phil Bourque, Jay Caufield and Kevin Stevens, who are all present in various capacities. Francis said that when they all got together for Jaromir Jagr’s jersey retirement ceremony a few years back, they didn’t miss a beat.

“It was like it was back in the early 90s, everybody laughing and smiling and having a good time,” Francis said. “Those are special years in my life, and having those guys around the organization, a part of it, just makes it a lot easier for me to come back and transition into my role here.”

So does the feel of this town, which reminds Francis of his own upbringing in Sault Ste. Marie, where his father was a steelworker from the age of 18 until he was 59. He’s always felt a connection with Pittsburgh and the people here, which has been mutual.

“It’s funny, I got off the plane and catching a ride in town, it kind of felt like I was coming home,” Francis said. “I've had a lot of people just sort of see me on the street and shake my hand and welcome me back to Pittsburgh, which is always really gratifying. It was a fun part of my career here. We had a lot of success, a lot of good memories. I've always had a soft spot for the people of Pittsburgh and the fans of the Penguins, and it's great to be back as part of the organization.”