- Penguins hired Hall of Famer Ron Francis as special adviser of hockey operations Friday
- Francis won two Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh and stepped down as Kraken GM in April
- Read below for what Kyle Dubas said about bringing the franchise icon back
Ron Francis is back where he won it all.
The Penguins hired the Hall of Famer as their special adviser of hockey operations on Friday, bringing a two-time Stanley Cup champion in Pittsburgh back into the organization.
Here’s the announcement from the team:
General manager Kyle Dubas leaned on Francis’s history with the city when he explained the hire.
“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 pointed to the rare mix Francis brings upstairs. “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,” he said.
Francis arrives fresh off a long run in Seattle. He stepped down as the Kraken’s general manager on April 9 after building the expansion club from the ground up as its first GM. The team reached the playoffs once in his five seasons.
Before Seattle, he spent 12 years with Carolina, including four as general manager from 2014 to 2018.
His playing résumé is what makes this a homecoming. Francis suited up for the Penguins from 1990 to 1998 and lifted the Cup in 1991 and 1992. He set his career high with 119 points in 1995-96 and took home the Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward in 1994-95.
Across 22 NHL seasons, Francis piled up 1,798 points, good for fifth all time in both assists and points. He went into the Hall of Fame in 2008 and landed on the league’s list of the 100 Greatest Players in 2017.
Pittsburgh’s front office keeps reshaping around an aging core, and Francis is the newest addition upstairs. The Penguins re-signed Evgeni Malkin earlier this offseason, and now they bring a familiar face back through the door.
