SunCityCarl
Hall of Famer
What's up with: Bobby Francis
Bob McManaman
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 28, 2005 12:05 AM
Then: Head coach of Coyotes from 1999-2004; winningest coach in team history with a 165-144-60-21 record; won Jack Adams Award as NHL's Coach of the Year in 2002. Now: Coaching Phoenix Junior Coyotes, a Double-A bantam traveling team, based in Scottsdale at the Alltel Ice Den. Family: Single. Father of three, son Ryan, 13, and daughters Kelley, 18, and Kristine, 17. What's in a name? He's still coaching the Coyotes, just at a much smaller level. Since getting fired in 2004 by General Manager Mike Barnett and Managing General Partner (and now coach) Wayne Gretzky, Francis is coaching one of the hottest youth teams in Arizona. His son Ryan skates on the same line as Barnett's son, J.T. "Last year, we won our share of tournaments (at the pee-wee level) and lost in the finals at the Silver Sticks (tournament in Port Huron, Mich.)," Francis said. Not coaching on skates: Francis, who had two years left on his contract when he was fired by the Coyotes, underwent major back surgery in the summer and hasn't been able to skate during his rehabilitation, which drives him nuts. "I tried it once and was done after about two minutes," he said. "You want to skate up to a kid and say, 'This is how it has to be done,' instead of sitting on the bench, blowing a whistle and saying, 'Come over here.' " Other opportunities: Francis turned down an offer to coach a professional team in Switzerland, where daughter Kelley is attending college. Two NHL teams have called about a consultant's job, and insiders think Francis may resurface with the Boston Bruins as an assistant to coach Mike Sullivan, whom Francis coached in Phoenix. "I can't skate right now, but I'll figure it out," he said. "I'll crawl out there if I have to." On Gretzky's Coyotes: "I think they've done a good job," Francis said. "Wayne and Mike and (senior vice president of hockey operations) Cliff (Fletcher) did a nice job preparing for when the lockout occurred and had a pretty good team in place. Cujo (Curtis Joseph) is one of the top three goaltenders in the league. I like their defense. And their forwards have a little bit of everything - speed, strength and finesse. But a lot of new people are in place, and it takes time to materialize. I think that's what you're seeing now." On youth hockey in the Valley: "The competition is great," he said. "Unfortunately, we end up having to go all over the country to get competition because nobody wants to play each other here. . . . You can't learn from winning all the time. It's how you learn from adversity that's the best lesson in life."
Bob McManaman
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 28, 2005 12:05 AM
Then: Head coach of Coyotes from 1999-2004; winningest coach in team history with a 165-144-60-21 record; won Jack Adams Award as NHL's Coach of the Year in 2002. Now: Coaching Phoenix Junior Coyotes, a Double-A bantam traveling team, based in Scottsdale at the Alltel Ice Den. Family: Single. Father of three, son Ryan, 13, and daughters Kelley, 18, and Kristine, 17. What's in a name? He's still coaching the Coyotes, just at a much smaller level. Since getting fired in 2004 by General Manager Mike Barnett and Managing General Partner (and now coach) Wayne Gretzky, Francis is coaching one of the hottest youth teams in Arizona. His son Ryan skates on the same line as Barnett's son, J.T. "Last year, we won our share of tournaments (at the pee-wee level) and lost in the finals at the Silver Sticks (tournament in Port Huron, Mich.)," Francis said. Not coaching on skates: Francis, who had two years left on his contract when he was fired by the Coyotes, underwent major back surgery in the summer and hasn't been able to skate during his rehabilitation, which drives him nuts. "I tried it once and was done after about two minutes," he said. "You want to skate up to a kid and say, 'This is how it has to be done,' instead of sitting on the bench, blowing a whistle and saying, 'Come over here.' " Other opportunities: Francis turned down an offer to coach a professional team in Switzerland, where daughter Kelley is attending college. Two NHL teams have called about a consultant's job, and insiders think Francis may resurface with the Boston Bruins as an assistant to coach Mike Sullivan, whom Francis coached in Phoenix. "I can't skate right now, but I'll figure it out," he said. "I'll crawl out there if I have to." On Gretzky's Coyotes: "I think they've done a good job," Francis said. "Wayne and Mike and (senior vice president of hockey operations) Cliff (Fletcher) did a nice job preparing for when the lockout occurred and had a pretty good team in place. Cujo (Curtis Joseph) is one of the top three goaltenders in the league. I like their defense. And their forwards have a little bit of everything - speed, strength and finesse. But a lot of new people are in place, and it takes time to materialize. I think that's what you're seeing now." On youth hockey in the Valley: "The competition is great," he said. "Unfortunately, we end up having to go all over the country to get competition because nobody wants to play each other here. . . . You can't learn from winning all the time. It's how you learn from adversity that's the best lesson in life."
