Emile Francis: Good-Bye to the Cat

Emile Francis was not a Hall of Fame-caliber netminder. He played just 95 games over a six-season NHL career, and was a starter for only one of those campaigns, with the 1947-48 Chicago Blackhawks. He led the league that season with 30 losses.

That’s not really a surprise considering the North Battleford, Saskatchewan native stood a reported 5-foot-6 and weighed just 145 pounds. Sure, players were smaller in those days, but the net was still 24 square feet and his stature did not play in his favor.

To his credit though, Francis had lightning reflexes and feline flexibility that allowed him to play in the world’s top league at a point when it employed just six full-time goalies. That physicality also earned him one of the most memorable nicknames in NHL history: The Cat.

But while he didn’t merit an invite as a player, Francis eventually earned admission to the Hall as a builder for his work constructing the New York Rangers of the 1960s and ‘70s. It was a period that the franchise’s oldest fans remember as The Greatest Generation, and while his teams never captured the Cup, he was revered for salvaging a failed organization and making hockey matter again in New York.

Thoughts of Francis have been front of mind since his passing in February at 95. It was a death felt throughout the NHL.

“The New York Rangers and the entire hockey world are saddened to learn of the passing of Emile Francis,” team president and general manager Chris Drury said in a statement. “Emile’s passion and dedication to the Rangers organization and growing the game of hockey in New York City was second to none. ‘The Cat’ was a true pioneer and innovator, as well as the architect and coach of some of the greatest teams in Rangers history.

“Emile has meant as much to the Rangers as any person who has been part of the organization throughout its history.”

His loss is the latest in a tragic string for fans of that fabled era of Rangers hockey. Over the last two years, franchise heroes like Rod Gilbert, Harry Howell, Jim Neilson, and Bob Nevin have passed on.

Francis, though, was one of a kind. He was an innovator whose experiments with a first baseman’s mitt became the prototype of the present-day goalie catching glove. He created the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League to get more kids playing the game in New York.

But it was his work in the front office, and behind the bench, that made Francis a legend. He took over as GM of the Rangers in 1964, after spending a couple of years matriculating with New York’s junior affiliate in Guelph. Interestingly, it wasn’t simply his hockey background that earned him the job. It was baseball that made him a viable candidate.

Like most hockey players of his time, Francis had to make a living during the off season. He earned his keep playing ball back in Saskatchewan with the semi-pro North Battleford Beavers. The team won five championships in eight years, and Francis became a well-paid ringer who was recruited by other clubs for tournaments across Western Canada.

He became the team’s player/manager in 1950, leading the Beavers to three Western Canada League titles in a row. That success reportedly led to Francis being offered opportunities by three NHL clubs before he eventually signed on with the Rangers for the Guelph job.

From there it was a short jump to Broadway. After just two years in juniors, he was called up to serve as an assistant to GM Muzz Patrick. He replaced Patrick as New York’s GM in 1965. Just a year after taking the job he installed himself as the team’s coach. It was a move that earned Francis something that had eluded him as a player: a Rookie Card. He appeared, nattily dressed, in the 1966-67 Topps series (#21), one of six coaches to be included on the checklist.

The card was a happy pull for Rangers collectors as he began rebuilding the formerly sad-sack team into a powerhouse with a few savvy moves in both roles. His best might have been recognizing that Eddie Giacomin, then buried in AHL Providence, had the goods to be an NHL goalie. He sent four players, including goalie Marcel Paille, to Providence to bring him to New York and stuck with him a er a rough start. In time, Giacomin became one of the most popular Rangers ever. Drafting Brad Park second overall in 1966 was another franchise changer.

As coach, he united Gilbert with Jean Ratelle and Vic Hadfield to form the GAG (Goal A Game) Line, one of the most celebrated trios in NHL history.

His teams made the Stanley Cup playoffs in nine consecutive seasons from 1966-67 to 1974-75, including four straight semifinal appearances and a trip to the Final in 1972. Francis is the Rangers’ all-time leader in wins, games coached, and points percentage. He’s also the franchise leader in playoff wins (34) and games (75).

Collecting Francis provides a link to that time when the Rangers were at their peak of popularity in that crowded sports market.

“I grew up at that time loving the Rangers,” said collector Hal Andreesen. “(Francis) was as popular as any of the stars. Coaches were part of the fabric of the team back then, part of the identity. He was tough and smart. He was perfect for the city and perfect for the team.”

Andreesen treasures his PSA 8 NM-MT copy of Francis’ RC and has several more of his cards as well. “I got him to sign his 1974-75 Topps card in-person for me years ago, and I appreciate that card now more than ever,” he said. “He had a really nice signature…he always added ‘Cat’ to his autograph. It was his name as much as Emile was.”

Francis eventually appeared on more than 100 cards, almost all of which were issued after he signed a deal with In the Game in 2003 to be part of the company’s Original Six New York Rangers release. And while his advancing age prevented him from offering fresh autographs in years, his sticker signatures continued to appear in ITG and Leaf products through the 2021-22 season. In total, he was pictured on 11 memorabilia cards and 86 autograph cards, 24 of which were hard-signed.

But it doesn’t take a relic or a signature to make a Francis card worth owning.

“I looked at the cards I have of him just the other day when I heard the news (of his passing),” Andreesen said. “He transcended the game. He was part of New York. He was a tiny guy, but he was always larger than life. His time in New York coincides with my best hockey memories and I feel really lucky that I got the chance to tell him that.”