RON FRANCIS TO BE INDUCTED INTO THE HOCKEY HALL OF FAME

Inevitable, as it should be, it was announced today that the one, the only Ronnie Franchise is to be in the 2007 Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Class, along with Mark Messier, Al MacInnis, and Scott Stevens.

I was actually starting to barrack for Ron's induction to be next year instead of this year, due to the threat of this year's celebrations being heavily Messier-centric. BUT, I actually got to thinking: Ron will just be happy to come in and be inducted. And afterall, one of the reasons I like the man as much as I do is because he is not a gloryhound type like the other former NHLer mentioned in this paragraph. So yeah, let the gloryhound get the hype and everything...we know who the real class act is.

Many, many congratulations, Mr. Francis. I shall raise a glass of chianti in honor of thee this evening...

Current Music: "One Fine Morning" by Lighthouse on Little Buddy Radio

Ron Francis Among the Nominees For the 2007 Hall of Fame Induction Class

(Got a site update AND the rest of those pictures finally coming soon...been *very busy* with something that will revolutionize my trade bait. Stay tuned.)

As announced this past Tuesday, Ronnie is among those who will possibly be picked for the 2007 Hockey Hall of Fame Class. I'd post some content from the article, but there is so much talk of a certain egomaniac in hockeydom, that I'll just say click here at your own risk.

That said, while I have been barracking quite heavily at the linked Score Boards thread and in my other blog for Mr. Francis to get in this year, the more I think about it, the more I realize that his getting in next year instead may not necessarily be a bad thing. ESPECIALLY considering how that article oozes on and on about Mark Messier...and if that's *just* an article about the nominees, then there is absolutely no telling how heavy with "The Mess" this year's HHOF ceremony will be. o_O I fear it will be to the point that Ron, if he is nominated, along with Scott Stevens and Al MacInnis (my other picks for who *should* get in this year, anyway) will be highly overlooked with the potential Messier lovefest.

Current Music: "Shake It Up Tonight" by Cheryl Lynn on Little Buddy Radio

(sighs)

Well, pictures are a bit later than usual because my Canon CanoScan Scanner is not cooperating with my new compy, as I have feared. I *do* have some pictures via my digital camera, but I *really* wanted to post those in addition to the scans I need to do. Yeah...I'm picky like that. That said, I am doing the best I can...the wait may be worth it, 'cause if I win what I have my eyes/mind focused on eBay, a couple of rather hard to find Ronnie goodies may be coming soon.

Not to mention that I already have one hard to find Ronnie goodie on its way...all I'll say is that it also features one of the greatest coaches AND more interesting characters in NHL history, along with some other classic NHLers.

Last, but certainly not least, Mr. Francis remains hard at work as the Carolina Hurricanes' Director of Player Development, as evidenced by this article, about a Canes prospect from South Florida, and quotes featured in it...

"In February, Ron Francis, the former star NHL player who is the Hurricanes' director of player development, visited Notre Dame to scout defenseman Kyle Lawson, whom Carolina took in the seventh round in 2005. Francis was impressed with Babin and returned to watch him for a second consecutive night. Then Francis had two other scouts watch him. Everyone liked him.

"He caught my attention right away because he skates so well," said Francis, who compared him to veteran Hurricanes defenseman Bret Hedican."

"The way Noah skates and the way he handles the puck," Francis said, "that's what you're looking for in the new NHL."

Current Music: "Stone Free" by Eric Clapton

Happy Memorial Day!

Let us remember the soldiers who have fought for our being able to do things like my bringing you the following news...

...news that is only twenty-five days old...but, unlike our man of the hour, this blog is quite leisurely in its pace...

Ron Francis delivered a speech on the state of the youth hockey union at a semi-recent Raleigh Youth Hockey Association/Canes Youth and Amateur Hockey meeting...

"Here's the latest update with our local youth hockey programs from Paul Strand. Ron Francis took time to speak to the youth hockey community and will be very involved with the program. The fact that he is also a parent in the program will make it better from both sides. One of the biggest things our program will focus on will be player development. Colin Muldoon is one of the best coaches(I'm speaking from experience) and our kids are great hands. It won't be too long before we hear Raleigh NC at the Draft. We just need the Hurricanes to help build a few more rinks around the state."

"Another and perhaps the biggest highlight of the night was seeing and hearing a finely dressed Ron Francis delivering a speech to the audience of youth hockey supporters. Mr. Francis challenged the Raleigh youth board and membership, the RYHA AAA board and membership and CYAH to stand up and do what is right by the kids of North Carolina. That means to ensure the tryout process is fair, to ensure that our coaching and player development lives up to its billing and to provide a quality place for the kids to play. It was awesome to see the future Hall of Fame player take such a keen interest in the future of these organizations and youth hockey in general."

Always, ALWAYS good to see Ronnie involved with the youth hockey community, be it in my hometown/state or elsewhere. And I am very glad to see that his involvement with CYAH is going beyond his being at the press conference for the start of that branch for the Canes and Youth Hockey. With not only his children playing various sports, but also the fact that he has always been wonderful with young ones on and off the ice (as I have witnessed at various Canes practices and events, and even a few youth hockey deals during the 2004-05 NHL Lockout), Mr. Francis is a natural for getting heavily dedicated to youth hockey AND the development of possible future minor league, college, NHL, and/or international stars.

Current Music: "They Call It Home" by Amon Duul II (Featuring Robert Calvert)

Collection Update For May 7th and Site Update For May 10th, 2007

Alright...at long last, I finally have gotten a chance to mention that thing from eBay. As the title notes, it came this past Monday. No picture yet, but I hope to have one up at both here and my site sometime this weekend or early next week.

The new item...it's too cute...it is a little Ronnie in a white Carolina Hurricanes uniform!! Seriously, the toy's being a miniature one was a complete surprise to me. When I got the package at the UPS Store, I was surprised at how light it was, especially with my expecting the figure to be a normal sized one. And when I opened the box, I couldn't help but let out a little "Awwwww!!" upon first glance at the figure, made my Smiti Sports.

I find the tiny Ronnie figure so cute that I got my eyes peeled for another one on the Bay, so I can take it out of the package and have join my motley desk/office area posse of Full Demon Inuyasha, Captain Kirk, Spock, and Scotty in their transporter; Don Cherry and Blue, and an Egyptian hawk warrior (who's been MIA since my move from Wake Forest/Raleigh to Bluefield...but hopefully, I'll find him one day).

Also worth noting is a recent Internet find...an article at a random hockey news site talking about the still somewhat new CYAH venture with which the very, very busy Ron is involved. And it features some Ronnie quotes, to boot...

"Hurricanes Jump Into Youth Hockey

Peter Karmanos Jr, owner/governor and CEO of the Hurricanes, has 30 years of experience supporting youth hockey in his hometown of Detroit. His junior club, the Plymouth Whalers, was the first American club to play in the Ontario Hockey League. Eric Lindros, Mike Modano and Kevin Hatcher are all products of Karmanos’ Compuware hockey programs.

Now, Karmanos has decided to increase his youth hockey support in the Raleigh area, home to the Hurricanes.

In partnership with the Raleigh Youth Hockey Association (RYHA), Karmanos has formed Canes Youth and Amateur Hockey (CYAH), which will sponsor the top teams in the RYHA in some of the biggest tournaments in North America.

The affiliation with the Hurricanes, coupled with the presence of director of player development Ron Francis, a future Hockey Hall of Famer, is certain to boost hockey in North Carolina.

“That is, for me, a very exciting time,” Francis said, “because Peter Karmanos has done this many, many years in Detroit and in junior hockey. And to bring that expertise to the (Raleigh) area is only going to be great for the kids in the area.”

For Francis, the importance of youth hockey programs transcends the results on the ice. For him, the character-building experience is the greatest benefit the youngsters will receive.
“It’s great.” Francis said. “I was one of the fortunate ones to play youth hockey and make it to the NHL, but a lot of kids don’t have that opportunity. If you provide them with the right environment and give them the opportunity to experience the game, and give them valuable life lessons, it may not be the NHL, but whatever profession they so choose, they’ll have these lessons to take with them the rest of their life.”

The Hurricanes will outfit the Tier 1 teams with Carolina Hurricanes jerseys and strengthen youth programs such as the Street Stormers, in-school programs, college hockey, clinics and summer camps."

Current Music: "Some Like It Hot" by The Power Station

Collection Update For April 3rd and Site Update For April 5th AND Some Semi-Old Francis News

Thanks to a friend of mine, I had quite the surprise for my collection come in the form of a gift package I knew he was sending me, which arrived this past Tuesday (April 3rd). Inside that package, I discovered...

- A box of Fantastic Four bandages. (a small homage to the fact that I once was a huge Fantastic Four nut)

- A Soo Greyhounds puck.

- A canister of Tim Horton's hot chocolate powder.

- A copy of the Fire On Ice video, about the Pittsburgh Penguins' 1995-96 season, the best individual season Ron Francis ever had point-wise.

AND

- A 1980's-early 1990's ERA PITTSBURGH PENGUINS JERSEY!!!! :D

Still debating if I want to get a "Francis", "9" or "10", and a "Badger Bob", "Pens 25th Anniversary", and "NHL 75th Anniversary" (depending upon which season I want to honor) ironed/stitched on the jersey. Stay tuned...

I saw the Fire On Ice video a couple of nights ago...and before I proceed with my brief review, I want my friend to know, if he is reading this, that the video itself is a highly appreciated addition to my collection.

BUT, I cannot help but feel that the video's content left a bit to be desired...ESPECIALLY considering that it was overall a dynamite season for not only Ronnie and his line with Lemieux and Jagr, but also the Pens in general. The entirety of the video consisted of...

- Interviews with Craig Patrick, a couple of other members of the Penguins brass, and Tom Barrasso.

- Highlights upon highlights upon highlights out the wazoo.

- Troy Loney and Bryan Trottier "discussing" the highlights, after every five to ten minutes of said clips.

Highlights are great...but you need way more than those (and two former players chatting) to make for a decent video. Before this, I thought "One To Grow On", about the 1997-98 season, was a disappointment...but, at least that had player interviews AND insights into aspects of the Pens games and practices. Not to mention how OTGO did not have the low budget feel Fire On Ice somehow did.

So as of my writing this, my favorite team made video/DVDs are the 1993-94 Pittsburgh Penguin Highlights (Which actually gave insight into the players' home lives!! Not every day you come across that, people...) and Raising Canes (about the Carolina Hurricanes' 2001-02 season). And it is my opinion that whenever a hockey team wants to put together a season video/DVD, they *really* should look to those two as shining examples of the correct way of doing such a project.

All that said, the best parts of FOI were...

- The comparison of the Penguins to the steelworkers who helped Pittsburgh eventually grow into metropolis it is now.

and

- The two-three minute montage of highlights featuring Ron Francis when it was mentioned that the Penguins would, unfortunately due to a leg injury, not have his services for the 1996 Eastern Conference Final battle vs. the Florida Panthers.

Anyways...it should also be mentioned that thanks to finally obtaining a blank Soo Greyhounds puck, I now have the second of the four remaining team pucks I'd love for Ron to somehow sign. The other two being the Whalers and Penguins. I happen to have a 2001-02 Carolina Hurricanes puck that I got during the playoffs that season...and it happens to be my very first Canes collectible ever.

As you can guess, the autographed puck I do have is a Toronto Maple Leafs one...specifically from the 2001-02 season, the Leafs' 75th Anniversary one. That puck I happened to get at the Canadian pavilion in the World Showcase in Walt Disney World's Epcot right when I started to get into hockey, making it my very first hockey collectible ever. Funny story: The girl who sold me the puck was from Ottawa AND therefore a fan of the Senators, who were facing the Leafs in the 2002 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the time. We had a bit of fun ribbing each other over the fact that I liked the Leafs logo AND was pulling for the Hurricanes, who were to get either the Leafs or Sens if they surpassed the Montreal Canadiens (the other team puck you could buy from the kiosk, ironically enough) in the Second Round. The rest, as most know, was/is history... ;)

Oh yeah...I did mention in the title that there was some belated Ronnie news, didn't I? Well, there is.

Youth hockey in the Triangle area took a major step forward on Thursday with the formation of a new program that will increase accessibility to the sport while making it possible to compete at the highest level.

The program, Canes Youth and Amateur Hockey, is a partnership between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Raleigh Youth Hockey Association. The Hurricanes will sponsor the top teams in the RYHA, which will allow them to play at some of the biggest tournaments in North America. In addition, the team will also support the RYHA's house teams.

The affiliation with the Hurricanes, along with the help of former Hurricanes captain and future hall-of-famer Ron Francis, will support the rising amount of talent that is already being produced through youth hockey programs in the area.

"At the end of the day, what's really going to work out is the kids," said Francis, who is now the Director of Player Development for the Hurricanes. "The kids are really going to benefit from this, and really that's what youth hockey should be all about."

Before I happened upon that yesterday, I had heard about the Canes Youth and Amateur Hockey program's start about a couple of weeks ago, and thought about how such an association/idea has Ronnie's name all over it. And, I am quite glad to see that being much more than a mere hunch.

Also, besides updating the Multimedia page, I also added a couple of new links, Carolina On Ice and Jackie Manuel's Posse to here and the site's Links and Acknowledgements page.

Current Music: "Standing There" by The Creatures

Interview With Ron Francis Up @ the NBC 17 Carolina Hurricanes Blog

As promised, when NBC 17 got the interview up AND I saw it, the interview would get mentioned here.

That first link leads to the NBC 17 blog itself, since the blog doesn't have a way to link to separate entries, dagummit!

This link leads to NBC 17's sports video section...which features not only the Francis interview, but also other special interviews with a few other prestigious members of the Canes, of both the front office and playing kind.

Regarding the interview itself, it's good, as most Francis interviews are. ;) In this one, Ronnie gives insight into his job and working for the Canes. He also lets us know what the scoop is on those rumors of him becoming a player for the Canes again... ;)

Current Music: "Tossed Salad and Scrambled Eggs" by Gary Burton and Friends

New Links Added

Added a new link to the Carolina Hurricanes and Various Favorite sections of my chain...the NBC 17 Canes Blog and Strongbad E-Mail Archive (About time...right?), respectfully.

BTW, it should be noted that if we are to believe the NBC 17 Canes blogger, an interview with Ronnie regarding what he's up to nowadays is not too far away...

(Under "March 21, 2007: LaRose To the Rescue?".)

"Coming soon: Ever wonder what Hurricanes legend Ron Francis is up to these days? We’ll talk to him about “retirement” from the NHL and we’ll learn he’s not sitting in any rocking chairs or sipping drinks with umbrellas in them on the beach."

You know whenever that interview gets posted, I'll talk about and link to it here and on my Dieci site.

Current Music: "Afterglow" by Pamela Williams

How Did I Miss This?

Oh, that's right...I don't listen to 850 The Buzz 'cause of a little thing called not being in Raleigh anymore, at least for now. BUT, I do occasionally read other blogs, and happened upon this rather cool tidbit over at Bubba's Canes Country...

"I was listening to a Justin Williams interview on 850TheBuzz yesterday afternoon and he sounded very upbeat. He said that the team still feels very confident in what they can accomplish and they are close to putting things together. Of course they are as disappointed and frustrated as everyone else is about the loses, but there are no more excuses. They need to start winning hockey games. He said that they got a visit from Ron Francis after the game Tuesday night and the “Franchise” told them that they are in a similar situation that he was in with Pittsburgh back in 1992, the year after they first won the Cup. The Penguins barely squeaked into the playoffs, but ended up winning the Cup again that year. Isn’t it great to have one of the best players to ever play the game come into your locker room for some inspiration? If that doesn’t get the boys worked up, nothing will!"

Indeed, Bubba. No wonder the Canes have been doing quite well lately...perhaps I was just a little harsh in not calling the recent Devils/Canes game a "turning point".

Also worth mentioning is that Bubba also acknowledged Ron's presence in the 2006-07 Canes team photo.

As for new collectibles, there have been none lately...and not looking to be any for at least a little while.

Current Music: "Wild One" by Darius Rucker

Ron Francis To Be In the 2006-07 Carolina Hurricanes Team Photo

I knew Director of Player Development was a rather impressive job on the Carolina Hurricanes' front office totem pole, but didn't know how impressive until I saw this.

If you look at "IMG_8622", there our man of the hour is, sitting next to Cam Ward and listening to whatever the young netminder had on his mind.

Very needless to say, I will be picking up a 2006-07 Canes team photo poster, somehow, someway. In the meantime, I'll be adding the sucker to my Stuff Want List when I finally get around to updating my site, hopefully within the next couple of days.

Current Music: "Lunch Hour Wedding March" by Flim and The BBs