- Emile Francis
Emile "The Cat" Francis (born
September 13 ,1926 inNorth Battleford ,Saskatchewan ,Canada ) is a former player, coach, and general manager in theNational Hockey League , most notably with theNew York Rangers .Francis got his start in the NHL with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1947. From 1948 to 1952, he was the back-up
goaltender for theNew York Rangers . He finished out his career on a number of minor league teams in the AHL and WHL including theVancouver Canucks .In 1945 Francis was the first goaltender to use a first baseman’s glove with a cuff added to protect his hand and wrist. Previosusly, goalies wore the same padded gloves as their teammates.
Francis would become the coach of the OHA's
Guelph Royals before landing the head coaching job with the Rangers from 1965 to 1975. He then joined the St. Louis Blues and had two separate head coaching stints with them. He was then General Manager of theHartford Whalers from 1979 until 1988.On Sunday,
September 30 ,2007 , Francis' wife, Emma Francis, was reported missing after dropping Emile off at the Palm Beach International Airport for a flight to New Jersey. Neighbors reported not seeing Emma Francis return home after driving to the airport. She was found safe in a local hotel onOctober 2 ,2007 . [ [http://www.wpbf.com/news/14252755/detail.html Wife Of NHL Hall Of Famer Missing - West Palm Beach News Story - WPBF West Palm Beach ] ]ee also
*
List of members of the Hockey Hall of Fame
*Notable families in the NHL References
External links
*
*
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.