Is the NHL giving short shrift to Ron Francis' career in Hartford/Carolina as he gets inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame tonight? I have to admit I didn't give it much thought over the weekend when I saw this screen shot from nhl.com that featured all four of the players who are going to be inducted as part of the class of 2007. After all, Francis played parts of seven seasons in Pittsburgh wining two Stanley Cups, something that would have to qualify as a highlight of his career.
Then again, it's hard to forget that he played 16 of his 23 seasons playing for Hartford/Carolina, something that was pointed out to me by Michael Peel, a long-time reader of Off Wing Opinion.
But then there's another little mistake that I couldn't help but catch. The following passage appears in the Francis HOF bio you can read at ESPN.com. It's by Scott Burnside:
Last season, he ran into Yzerman on the road. They chatted a bit, old Central Division foes whose teams often went toe to toe in the playoffs, whose careers crisscrossed a hundred times, maybe more.Then again, not really. Francis never played in the Central Division in his entire career and he only played against Detroit a total of 29 times in the regular season. The only time they played against one another in the playoffs came in 2002, when Carolina and Detroit met in the Stanley Cup Finals.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-12-2007 @ 3:57PM
YzermanZetterberg said...
What I really don't understand is why they put Messier in an Oilers jersey? Everyone who is anyone knows he played his entire career as a New York
Ranger! (Just ask Mr. Bettman, he'll straighten you out. He's a marketing -- and hockey -- genius!)
I am really at a loss to explain much that comes out of the NHL offices (or under its watchful eye) these days. Seriously, you would have to be pretty clueless to think Ron Francis earned the nickname
"Ronnie Franchise" playing in Pittsburgh alongside the likes of Mario, Jagr, etc. And the only semi-logical way I can possibly explain Mr. Burnside's Central Division faux pas is as some kind of
Freudian slip from someone who knows subconsciously that Detroit should be in the Eastern Conference.
Perhaps with the amazing revenue growth the NHL is experiencing, Bettman, Daly, et al have become so
giddy they forgot to hire fact checkers.
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11-12-2007 @ 4:02PM
Matt Saler said...
"Last season, he ran into Yzerman on the road. They chatted a bit, old Central Division foes whose teams often went toe to toe in the playoffs, whose careers crisscrossed a hundred times, maybe more."
And they say bloggers don't let the facts get in the way of a good story...
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11-12-2007 @ 4:39PM
James said...
What a bunch of silliness. What about the fact MacInnis played half of his career in Calgary and won the Conn Smythe/Stanley Cup there? Or Messier's 10-year turn in New York? Stevens even played nine years outside of New Jersey, most of which were pretty productive.
I don't think it matters a wit what jersey a guy's wearing on a photo on the NHL's website.
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11-12-2007 @ 4:58PM
YzermanZetterberg said...
James --
Obviously, you're right. It's just hard for me to pass up any opportunity to slam Gary Bettman. That being said, there's really no good excuse for the "Central Division" gaffe in Burnside's bio of Francis.
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