When Ron Francis first joined the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991, someone had to set him straight and let him know how things went around these parts.
Bob Johnson, the affable coach of the club, had that task.
“When I got traded there, we did the morning skate,” Francis recalled last year. “After the morning skate, Bob Johnson asked me to stop by his office. So, I came by his office, and after some small talk, he said, ‘We have this kid here, he wears No. 66. He’s a pretty good player.’
“I said, ‘Yeah, where are you going with this Bob?’
“He said, ‘Well, he’s our No. 1 centerman.’
“I said, ‘Bob, I get it. I’m good. I just want to help this team win. Put me wherever you need me, and things will be good.’ ”
More than 35 years after Francis joined the Penguins via a blockbuster trade that changed the trajectory of the franchise, he is reuniting with the club in a front office role with the title of special advisor, hockey operations.
Per a release issued by the team, Francis “will assist 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, who, like president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas, is a product of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League, is one of the most prolific players in the history of the NHL with 1,798 career points, fifth-most in league history.
The most celebrated portion of his 21-year career came in a Penguins jersey.
On March 4, 1991, then general manager Craig Patrick orchestrated one of the most consequential trades in franchise history when he acquired Francis along with defensemen Grant Jennings and Ulf Samuelsson from the Hartford Whalers in exchange for forwards John Cullen and Jeff Parker, as well as defenseman Zarley Zalapski.
That transaction springboarded the Penguins to the franchise’s first two Stanley Cup titles in 1991 and 1992, with Francis scoring the championship-clinching goal in 1992.
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Over parts of eight seasons with the Penguins, Francis — considered one of the most complete, two-way centers and faceoff specialists in NHL history — thrived, posting 613 points (164 goals, 449 assists) in 533 career games.
When Mario Lemieux — that “No. 1 centerman” Johnson alluded to — retired for the first time in 1997, Francis aptly succeeded him as the Penguins’ captain for a single season in 1997-98.
After suiting up for the Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs before retiring in 2004, Francis, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007, embarked on his second career off the ice in a variety of roles with the Hurricanes, starting in 2006 as director of player development.
Francis, who was also a minority owner of the Hurricanes, eventually became general manager of that club for four years starting in 2014 before being fired from that role in 2018 (he eventually sold his shares in the club).
After briefly being involved in the real estate sector of Raleigh, N.C., Francis rejoined the hockey world in 2019 when he was appointed as general manager of the NHL’s expansion franchise in Seattle that eventually became known as the Kraken.
Beginning play in 2021, the Kraken have largely not been successful, only reaching the postseason once (2023) in five seasons. After being moved to the office of president of hockey operations in 2025, Francis and the Kraken agreed to mutually part ways April 8.
More than two months later, Francis is rejoining the team with which he enjoyed his greatest success.
His exploits with the Penguins earned him induction into the franchise’s hall of fame last year.
Upon receiving that honor, Francis expressed the connection he still had with Pittsburgh (and re-established Friday).
“I grew up in a steel town,” said Francis, a native of Sault Ste. Marie. “I know Pittsburgh is no longer a steel town business-wise, but that mentality of the people, the hard work and what they appreciate was very similar to me growing up, my dad being a steelworker.
“I loved the city. I loved the people. I thought we connected well. It really had a profound impact on me and my career.”
