Ron Francis, Hall of Famer

In honor of NaBloPoMO, I'll be attempting to post something every day in November. If you're not checking in every day, make sure you're catching all the posts!

I was planning on sitting down and writing something really in-depth and meaningful today since I was off from both jobs today, but I woke up with a killer cold - I'm hoping that's all it is atleast - and I've spent almost all day in bed. So I'm going to keep this very short and a little sweet.

First of all, while it's a little late, I want to thank everyone for all the great comments the past few days, especially on the On Being a Fan post. I do enjoy just talking into the wind, but let's not kid ourselves, it's good to know there are people on the other side of the internet reading and enjoying what I'm doing. You're all very much appreciated!

Second of all, I'd like to offer a quick congratulations to Ron Francis on his Hall of Fame induction. It's probably a stretch to say I was ever a Penguins fan since I was never in a situation where I could really watch the team but because of my connection to Pittsburgh (born there, parents raised there, often visited family there) I always had a soft spot for its teams. (Only sporting event to ever make me cry tears of grief? The 1992 NLCS, Pirates vs. Braves. I remember every single detail about that night night in crystal clear, full color.) For whatever reason, the few times I did see the Penguins play, it was always Ron Francis that caught my eye. He wasn't as gifted as Mario Lemieux and he wasn't as flashy as Jaromir Jagr, but there was something about his quiet consistency that appealed to me. He carried himself with a noticeable grace and always seemed like a gentleman off the ice. And yes, even to that young kid he was undeniably handsome (and still is). Everyone thinks about Ron Francis as a good hockey player but I think a lot of people are still surprised when they see just how good his career numbers were and I think he's gotten a bit of a short shrift compared to some of the other inductees this year. But being underrated was always part of Ron's charm and it's kind of amusing that that's continued even into retirement. The first hockey jersey I ever owned was a Penguins #10.

So here's an official Top Shelf glove tap and helmet nuzzle to you, Ronnie. While I wasn't really a full-on hockey fan until I moved to Buffalo and started watching the Sabres, you were there leaving little waves in my life during a very impressionable time. For that I'll always be grateful.