Hurricane Ronnie takes Carolina by storm
by Jim Iovino,
Ace Reporter
Oh, these are most dreadful hockey times in the city of Pittsburgh.
First came the retirement of Mario Lemieux, an icon in the Steel
City, a man who saved ice hockey in Pittsburgh.
A year later, Pittsburgh Penguins fans have to deal with another key
loss for their hockey team. Ron Francis, the heart and soul of the
Penguin franchise since his arrival from Hartford in 1991, the man
used his leadership and skill to power the Pens to back-to-back
Stanley Cup titles in his first two years on the team, is gone.
For the first, and perhaps last, time in his career, Francis used
his leverage as one of the games greatest centermen at the
bargaining table. Instead of signing with Pittsburgh for less
money, the unrestricted free agent chose to test the free agent
waters and ended up in the land of the former Whale -- Carolina.
But no one can fault Francis for brushing aside team loyalty for
more money. Francis has been the epitome of team player ever since
he joined the league 17 seasons ago. He never complained about a
contract. He never held out for more money. He just showed up
every season and did what he was supposed to do - play offense,
defense and be the best leader that he could be.
Many thought Francis would put loyalty ahead of money once again
this year and re-sign with the Pens. But Francis finally realized
that his loyalty to the Pens and 50 cents would get him a bag of
chips. Had the Penguins really been appreciative of Francis'
service, they would have reworked his deal long before he could
have possibly left town. Francis didn't get a reasonable offer, so
he took his services elsewhere.
The Carolina Hurricanes, who rolled the dice last season in an
attempt to sign Sergei Fedorov to an offer sheet but lost out to
the Red Wings, made no mistake this time around. The former
Hartford franchise signed its long-time captain and leader in all
offensive categories to a four-year, $20.8 million deal that will
not only make the Hurricanes a stronger team on the ice, but will
hopefully fill some seats in the team's new arena, as well.
The addition of Francis was just one of a number of steps the Canes
made in an attempt to improve their position in the East. Carolina
signed high-flying defenseman Al Iafrate to a contract.
Unfortunately, Planet Al was forced to retire due to nagging
injuries before he even pulled on a red-and-white jersey. Iafrate
would have been a great fit with the Canes, especially on the power
play.
Hurricane management also tried to keep the nucleus of the existing
team intact by signing defensemen Glen Wesley, Sean Hill and Curtis
Leschyshyn to new deals. Combine the addition of Francis, the
return of an important core group of players and the promise of
young talent like Trevor Kidd and the Hurricanes look like a lock
for the playoffs.
Keeping intact a team that didn't make the playoffs the year before
doesn't sound like a great move. But despite the postseason
shutout, the Hurricanes have a solid foundation to build upon. The
first addition on to that foundation was Francis.
Last season the Canes were led offensively by Big Keith Primeau, who
kicked his game up a couple notches late in the season in an attempt
to make the playoffs. Primeau finally lived up to a lot of the hype
given to him in his early years in Detroit, as he scored 63 points in
81 games.
More than statistics, however, Primeau showed how much he has
matured in the leadership department. He took control of the Canes
during the stretch run and showed the heart and courage that had
been missing from the franchise since a guy named Francis during
the Whaler era.
The addition of Francis to the center position should only help
Primeau develop further into a complete player. Francis has a
knack for taking a guy who has plenty of talent but is rough around
the edges and turning him into a great player. Jaromir Jagr is the
best example of that. Primeau could turn out to be another.
Francis won't just do wonders for Primeau. His addition will help
the entire offense. Francis and Primeau give the Canes a great 1-2
punch up the middle, followed by an enigma named Jeff O'Neill who
could also benefit from the arrival of Francis.
The trio of centers will have a lot of guys to chose from as
linemates, including LCS heroes Sami Kapanen and Gary Roberts, a
couple solid goal-scorers in Ray Sheppard and Martin Gelinas and
some speedsters like Robert Kron and Nelson Emerson. Francis isn't
the fastest player in the league. Instead of using speed, he plays
smart and has good positioning. He also relies on his teammates to
help him out. Francis can pass with the best of them, so if he
finds a streaking winger, that guy better know how to find the back
of the net. Roberts has scored 50 in a campaign. The rest of the
wingers mentioned above have all scored at least 30 goals in one
season. They'll be counted on to do that again this year.
As for Francis, in all likelihood he won't be able to match the
numbers (87 points in 81 games) he put up last season in
Pittsburgh. He doesn't have Jagr to pass to, he won't get as much
playing time because Primeau is another capable center and, at 35
years of age, Francis has slowed down some over the years.
But what he has lost skill-wise, Francis has more than made up for
in leadership. And that could be his biggest contribution to the
Hurricanes. The Canes need a leader. They need someone to take
charge when things aren't going right. Francis is the man to do
it.
The people of Pittsburgh know all too well how important Ron Francis
was to their franchise. The Penguins were nothing before Francis
came to town and they'll be nothing now that he's gone.
Now it will be the fans down south, at least those who show up at
the games, who will get to see the valuable presence that Francis
can bring to a team.
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