Emile Percival Francis was born on September 13, 1926 in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada. Singer Joni Mitchell lived there during her childhood. In 1945-46, he was playing as a goaltender for a Saskatchewan team, the Moose Jaw Canucks, and a sportswriter described him as "quick as a cat." He was "Emile 'the Cat' Francis" from then on.
In 1947, he made his NHL debut, with the Chicago Black Hawks. They weren't very good at the time, and in the 1947-48 season, he led the NHL in losses and goals against. But his experience as a baseball player led him to adapt a first baseman's mitt to be his catching glove. Once the NHL approved its use, it became the most common goalie glove of the era.
After that season, the Hawks traded him to the New York Rangers. From that point until 1952, he would bounce back and forth between the old Madison Square Garden and the Rangers' top farm team, first the New Haven Ramblers, then the Cincinnati Mohawks. He would end up playing just 22 games for the Rangers, and 95 in the NHL. Though he helped the American Hockey League's Cleveland Barons win the 1954 Calder Cup, most of his career was spent in the Western Hockey League, until he retired as a player in 1960.
He was invited to return to the Rangers' organization, and coached the Guelph Royals of the Ontario Hockey Association. In 1964, he became the Rangers' general manager; and in 1965, took over as both GM and head coach.
The Rangers had won the Stanley Cup in 1928, 1933 and 1940; and reached the Finals in 1929, 1932, 1937 and 1950. But over the next 16 seasons, they made the Playoffs only 4 times, winning a grand total of 6 games.
Francis rebuilt the team, featuring the GAG Line, or "Goal-A-Game": Center Jean Ratelle, right wing Rod Gilbert and left wing Vic Hadfield. Brad Park and Rod Seiling were 2 of the top defensemen in the NHL. And Eddie Giacomin was a Hall of Fame goaltender.
From 1966-67 to 1974-75, a 9-season stretch that included the move from the old Madison Square Garden to the new one in 1968, the Rangers made the Playoffs every year, reached the Stanley Cup Semifinals 4 times, and reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 1972, losing to the Boston Bruins in 6 games. With the growth of television, the Rangers became more popular than ever.
But in 1975, in only their 3rd season of play, the Long Island-based New York Islanders stunned the Rangers in the Playoffs. And the Ranger roster was aging. The 2 most controversial transactions in team history were about to occur.
On October 31, 1975, having handed the head coaching reins over to Ron Stewart but kept the GM's job, Francis waived Giacomin, and he was claimed by the Detroit Red Wings. As fate would have it, the Wings were the opponents in the Rangers' next home game, on November 2. All game long, the fans chanted, "Ed-DIE! Ed-DIE! Ed-DIE!" stopping only to cheer one of his saves, cheer a Wings goal, boo a Ranger goal, or to chant, "Kill the Cat!" at Francis. The Wings won, and it's been called the only time fans have left The Garden happy that the home team lost.
And then, on November 7, came "The Trade": Ratelle, Park and Joe Zanussi to the Bruins for Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais. Both teams' fans hated this trade. Park really hated it: A few years ago, he was asked when he got over it, he said he still hadn't. But Esposito was getting his playing time reduced by head coach Don Cherry (later the loud-suited bigoted analyst on CBC's Hockey Night In Canada), and demanded a trade. This was it.
Espo made things worse: He had always worn Number 7, and wanted it with the Rangers. Gilbert had been wearing it most of his career, and, while Espo had more career goals and assists, Gilbert was already the Rangers' all-time leading scorer (and still is), so he had every right to keep it. Espo switched to 77.
But now, Ranger fans were furious with Francis, with Stewart, and with Esposito. In January 1976, Garden management fired Francis, and the new regime built the Rangers around Esposito, creating the team that reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 1979.
Francis was hired as general manager of the St. Louis Blues, and got a 10 percent ownership stake. He briefly coached the team in 2 separate stints, and when it looked like the team might move -- ironically, to Saskatoon, only 80 miles or so from his hometown of North Battleford -- he found a buyer that kept the team in St. Louis. He then served as GM of the Hartford Whalers from 1983 to 1988, and as team president from then until 1993. Alas, he couldn't keep new ownership from moving them to North Carolina in 1997.
In 1982, Francis was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in the "Builder" category. That same year, the NHL gave him the Lester Patrick Award, named for a previous Ranger head coach and general manager, for service to hockey in America.
He and his wife Emma were married for 68 years, and had 2 sons, Bobby and Rick. Bobby Francis never played in the NHL, but coached the Phoenix Coyotes from 1999 to 2004, winning the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year in 2002, an award his father never won.
Emile Francis died this past Saturday, February 19, 2022, at the age of 95. At the time, he was, by far, the earliest living former coach of any New York Tri-State Area major league sports team. With his death, those titles are held by:
* Earliest living New York/New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets head coach: 1970, Lou Carnesecca, age 97.
* Earliest living New York Islanders head coach: 1972, Earl Ingarfield, 87.
* Earliest living New York Jets head coach: 1974, Charley Winner, 97.
* Earliest living New York Giants head coach: 1976, John McVay, 91.
* Earliest living New York Mets manager: 1977, Joe Torre, 81.
* Earliest living New York Rangers head coach: 1977, Jean-Guy Talbot, 89.
* Earliest living New York Knicks head coach: 1977, Willis Reed, 79.
* Earliest living New Jersey Devils head coach: 1982, Billy MacMillan, 78.
* Earliest living New York Yankees manager: 1986, Lou Piniella, 78.
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