Ron Francis is turning the page.
After being demoted from general manager of the Hurricanes to president of hockey operations in March, then fired in April, Francis has taken a job with NAI Carolantic Realty dealing with commercial real estate investments.
“This will be a dramatic change from what I have been doing in hockey, there’s no question,” Francis told The News & Observer. “I do think a lot that you learn in hockey, and learn in sports in general, translates well to the business world in terms of communication, teamwork."
Francis spent November and December taking real estate classes and obtaining his brokerage license. He has not watched any Hurricanes games this season, in-person or on television.
Francis remains an investor in the ownership group of the Hurricanes and PNC Arena, Hurricanes Holdings LLC, and will remain involved financially until November 2019.
Francis told The News & Observer that he believed he could have “stayed in the game” and taken a front office job with another organization, but he wanted to keep his family in the Raleigh area.
“I’ve been in this area 20-plus years, been in this market and made a lot of good friends,” Francis said. “I’m excited about this opportunity.”
After being traded to Pittsburgh in the 1990-91 season, Francis spent seven full seasons in Pittsburgh. He ranks 15th all-time in games played for the franchise, with 523. He ranks 11th in goals (164), fifth in assists (449), and sixth in points (613).
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