Hockey Hall of Famer and New York Rangers legend Emile Francis of North Battleford, Saskatchewan passed away on Saturday at the age of 95 according to Steven Ellis of The Hockey News. Francis played six seasons in the National Hockey League as a goaltender with the Rangers and Chicago Black Hawks from 1946 to 1952. He then went on to coach the Rangers for 10 seasons from 1965 to 1975, and was the Rangers general manager from 1964 to 1976.
The reason why Francis was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982 is because of his work as a head coach and general manager. As a coach, he had a record of 342 wins, 209 losses, and 103 ties for a winning percentage of .602. Francis also helped the Rangers reach the 1972 Stanley Cup Finals, where New York lost in six games to the Boston Bruins.
In addition to coaching the Rangers, Francis coached the St. Louis Blues for three years starting in 1976-77, and again from 1981 to 1983. He was also the Blues general manager from 1976 to 1983, and the general manager of the Hartford Whalers from 1983 to 1989.
As a goaltender, Francis had a record of 32 wins and 52 losses, 10 ties, and one shutout, along with a goals against average of 3.75. Francis’s lone shutout came in a 3-0 Black Hawks win over the Boston Bruins on February 11, 1948.
