TORONTO (CP) - He spent most of his career in places like Hartford and Carolina and played second fiddle to Super Mario in Pittsburgh.
So perhaps it's fitting that 42-year-old Ron Francis retired Wednesday without a news conference or even a conference call.
"I always joked in years past that when that time came I would send a fax in from the Caribbean," Francis said in a phone interview. "And I actually booked a flight and went down to St. Kitts at the end of July and I talked to my agent and close friends and they said: `No, you can't do it from there."'
Still, a reporter had to track him down in Raleigh, N.C., to get his thoughts on a remarkable 23-season career that may have escaped the average hockey fan.
The native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., quietly ranks third all-time with 1,731 NHL games, second all-time in assists with 1,249 (behind only Wayne Gretzky) and fourth with 1,798 points.
"My personality is not one that goes out looking for that (publicity)," Francis said. "If anything, I probably bring a little bit of that on myself because I tend to shy away from that limelight. But it was never about that. It was about playing the game. And the thing I'm most proud of over the length of my career is probably the consistency. That is the best part."
Francis was indeed the model of consistency, putting up 20 seasons of 20 or more goals, a feat surpassed only by Gordie Howe. And he had 16 seasons of 70 or more points. He he was a complete player, as effective in the defensive zone (won a Selke Trophy as top defensive forward in 1995) as he was dangerous offensively, with gifted hands able to make the perfect pass but also find the top corner.
But again, who really knew?
"The (lack of) notoriety, that's for others to debate," said Francis. "I'm very satisfied with how my career went and I enjoyed the entire trip. I look back with no regrets."
His retirement comes on the heels of fellow sure-bet Hall of Famers Scott Stevens, Al MacInnis and Mark Messier. That could make for a heck of an induction class come November 2007.
"If that happens, I certainly want a picture of all of us for my own wall," joked Francis. "Those are all guys that obviously I played against for numerous years and numerous games and I look at all of them with enormous respect and appreciate the talent they had, the effort they put into it, and how they handled themselves on and off the ice.
"To be in that class is very special for me and something I'm very proud of."
Actually, with Igor Larionov retiring in April 2004, that makes five shoo-ins with only a maximum of four players allowed to be inducted per year. But that's a story for another day.
Francis leaves the game with two Stanley Cup rings, courtesy of his years in Pittsburgh. On March 4, 1991, he was shipped to Pittsburgh from Hartford along with Ulf Samuelsson and Grant Jennings in exchange for John Cullen, Jeff Parker and Zarley Zalapski. Three months later he had his first Cup ring.
"He meant a lot to us," Mario Lemieux said Wednesday in Pittsburgh. "When we traded for him in the early 1990s he gave us the opportunity to win the Cup right away. What a great leader for our team when he came here and a great ambassador for the game and a great two-way player.
"I'm glad I had the opportunity to play with him throughout my career and he was a great champion."
Longtime GM Craig Patrick, who pulled the trigger on the famous trade, said Francis gave the Pens a tremendous edge.
"He gave us something no other team had," Patrick said Wednesday. "We had a first line and a 1A line. He was tremendous for us."
Added Patrick: "He's a great talent first of all, but the thing that sticks out in my mind is his leadership ability. He came here, we had a lot of good leaders, but he stood out amongst them all. He was a great role model for all the young guys who played the game."
It's that kind of makeup that has many believing Francis won't leave the game for too long.
"Obviously he was a great player, but also a great person and very intelligent and knowledgeable about the game of hockey and I could see him as a president as a general manager of president somewhere down the road," said Lemieux.
Francis, who makes his home in Raleigh, N.C., agreed that could happen down the road.
"Certainly, I wouldn't be opposed to any of that if the right opportunity came along, I would certainly look at it," said Francis, before lightening the mood. "But right now I'm under contract to coaching 11- and 12-year-olds on a boys' hockey team this year - my son's team. Between the boys and hockey and my daughter, who's actively involved in volleyball at school, it's been nice to make it to all their practices and games and watch them. It's been fun being with them."
He was so busy being a father that he nearly forgot to tell us he was retiring. Truth is, the decision was made long ago.
"I had a pretty clear picture once the season was cancelled last year (in February)," Francis said. "So really in the last couple of months I was ready to announce this, but I've been pretty busy with the kids here. With everyone making their announcements, my agent called me and said we should get this thing official. So here were are."
From his first NHL game with Hartford in 1981 to his short stint at the end of the 2003-04 season with Toronto, Francis fondly recalls a career filled mostly with highs.
"Starting my career in Hartford was a lot of fun and spending 10 years there, I feel like I grew up there," he said. "And then going to Pittsburgh and winning the Cups, that was a tremendous experience. And I look back at my time here in Carolina and the run we had in 2002 might be one of the most incredible things that took place in my career. I don't think anybody really gave us a chance to be able to do what we did and that was impressive.
"And finally, as a kid growing up watching the Leafs, to have that opportunity at the end of my career was just a great experience even though it was brief."
He remained an elite player for a very long time, collecting 77 points just four years ago in Carolina and still putting up 40 points at age 40 in his final season.
"He's a very intelligent hockey player, No. 1, that's his biggest thing," former Penguins teammate Mark Recchi said Wednesday in Pittsburgh. "He made people better around him. He had a terrific competitive edge to him that kept him playing for a long time."
Former Carolina coach Paul Maurice, now head coach of the AHL's Toronto Marlies, echoed Recchi's comment.
"Later in his career, he was almost like another coach for us," Maurice said Wednesday at the Leafs' camp. "He would lead and we would follow."
Added Maurice: "He could get his point across without embarrassing any of his teammates. And he was famous for taking players out for dinner, especially the new guys. He never did anything to promote himself but the players in cities he played in loved him and the fans there loved him."
Canadian Press sportswriter Donna Spencer, in Pittsburgh, contributed to this story.