Emile Francis

Emile Percival Francis (September 13, 1926 – February 19, 2022), nicknamed "The Cat", was a Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and general manager in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Chicago Black Hawks and New York Rangers from 1946 to 1952. After playing minor league hockey until 1960, he became the Rangers' assistant general manager in 1962 and later general manager of the Rangers, St. Louis Blues and Hartford Whalers from 1964 to 1989. Francis led the Rangers to nine consecutive playoff appearances (1967–75), but could not help deliver a Stanley Cup championship in five decades as a player, coach, and executive.

Early life Francis was born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, on September 13, 1926. He was raised by his mother, Yvonne Francis, after his father died when he was eight years old. One of his uncles taught him how to play ice hockey. Francis enlisted in the Canadian military when he was 16, and enrolled in non-commissioned officers' school, with the option to attend the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario. However, as the Second World War just ended, he decided to return to hockey and went to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan instead. Francis also played baseball as a youth and would manage a team in North Battleford. He later recalled he accepted the position as he felt it "would give [him] more experience as far as handling people went, and all that."

Playing career Francis began his professional career in 1943–44 with the Philadelphia Falcons of the Eastern Hockey League. He later acquired his nickname "the Cat" while playing for the Moose Jaw Canucks of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League during the 1945–46 season, when a sportswriter described him as "quick as a cat". In the middle of the 1946–47 season, he was called up to play in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Black Hawks. He ultimately played 73 games with the franchise over those two seasons. Francis retired from playing after the 1959–60 season. Sought after for his leadership skills, Two years later, he was summoned to the Rangers and became assistant general manager, and in 1964, he took over as general manager, and then a year later assumed the coaching position as well. Although he coached a struggling team during his first season, Francis would remain behind the bench for ten seasons (except for brief moves to a solely front office position in 1968 and 1973), making the playoffs each year and leading his team to a loss in the 1972 Stanley Cup Finals. When NHL president Clarence Campbell announced he would retire in the mid-1970s, Francis was touted as a potential successor (John Ziegler ultimately replaced Campbell in 1977). He was instrumental in finding a local owner for the financially troubled franchise in the early 1980s, and he also returned to the bench for two separate head coaching stints. In 1983, Francis took a position with the Hartford Whalers, serving as general manager until 1988 and team president from 1988 until 1993. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982 under the builders category. He was conferred the Lester Patrick Trophy that same year, in recognition of his contributions to hockey in the United States.

Personal life Francis met his wife Emma while in Saskatchewan, where she was studying to become a nurse. They were married for 68 years, until she died in 2020.

Francis died on February 19, 2022, at the age of 95.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP W L T Min GA SO GAA GP W L T Min GA SO GAA 1941–42 North Battleford Beavers SJHL-N 4 0 4 0 240 34 0 8.50 — — — — — — — — 1942–43 North Battleford Beavers SJHL-N — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 1943–44 Philadelphia Falcons EAHL 14 — — — 840 78 0 5.57 — — — — — — — — 1944–45 Washington Lions EAHL 36 — — — 2160 243 0 6.75 8 1 6 1 479 57 0 7.12 1945–46 Moose Jaw Canucks SJHL-S 18 18 0 0 1080 55 0 3.06 4 4 0 0 240 8 1 2.00 1945–46 Regina Capitals WCSHL 1 — — — 60 5 0 5.00 — — — — — — — — 1945–46 Moose Jaw Canucks M-Cup — — — — — — — — 8 4 4 0 480 38 0 4.75 1946–47 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 19 6 12 1 1140 104 0 5.47 — — — — — — — — 1946–47 Regina Capitals WCSHL 32 — — — 1920 148 0 4.63 — — — — — — — — 1947–48 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 54 19 30 5 3240 183 1 3.39 — — — — — — — — 1947–48 Kansas City Pla-Mors USHL 7 3 2 2 420 24 1 3.42 — — — — — — — — 1948–49 New York Rangers NHL 2 2 0 0 120 4 0 2.00 — — — — — — — — 1948–49 New Haven Ramblers AHL 49 15 27 7 2940 203 4 4.14 — — — — — — — — 1949–50 New York Rangers NHL 1 0 1 0 60 8 0 8.00 — — — — — — — — 1949–50 New Haven Ramblers AHL 68 22 36 10 4080 246 1 3.62 — — — — — — — — 1950–51 New York Rangers NHL 5 1 2 1 260 14 0 3.23 — — — — — — — — 1950–51 Cincinnati Mohawks AHL 53 20 26 7 3280 167 2 3.05 6 3 3 — 360 18 0 3.00 1951–52 New York Rangers NHL 14 4 7 3 840 41 0 2.93 — — — — — — — — 1951–52 Cincinnati Mohawks AHL 51 24 22 5 3160 162 4 3.08 — — — — — — — — 1952–53 Vancouver Canucks WHL 70 32 28 10 4200 216 5 3.08 9 4 5 — 550 30 0 3.27 1953–54 Cleveland Barons AHL 65 37 28 0 3900 204 5 3.14 9 7 2 — 540 28 0 3.11 1954–55 Cleveland Barons AHL 57 28 26 3 3420 204 2 3.58 3 1 2 — 158 12 0 4.56 1955–56 Saskatoon Quakers WHL 68 27 33 8 4185 239 5 3.43 3 0 3 — 180 17 0 5.67 1956–57 Seattle Americans WHL 68 35 27 6 4167 214 4 3.08 6 2 4 — 358 20 0 3.35 1957–58 Vancouver Canucks WHL 67 18 47 2 4040 294 2 4.37 — — — — — — — — 1958–59 Spokane Spokes WHL 68 25 37 6 4150 269 1 3.89 4 1 3 — 240 16 0 4.00 1959–60 Spokane Comets WHL 68 19 46 3 4080 300 0 4.41 — — — — — — — — 1959–60 Seattle Totems WHL 1 1 0 0 60 2 0 2.00 — — — — — — — — NHL totals 95 32 52 10 5660 354 1 3.75 — — — — — — — — Source: Total Hockey

Coaching record Source: Total Hockey