Hartford’s first round selection in the 1981 NHL Draft (4th overall), Ron Francis went on to an incredible NHL career that spanned 23 seasons in which parts of 16 of them were spent with the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes franchise. The franchise’s all-time points leader, Francis scored his first career NHL goal during a Whalers’ power play facing the Toronto Maple Leafs in just his second NHL game. After a clean faceoff win, Mark Howe unleashed a one-timer from the point, and the rebound found Francis crashing the net—where he buried it. The Hall of Famer completed his rookie season with an impressive 68 points in 59 games.