Ronnie Franchise Leaves Them Stunned
The third period brought no resolution, meaning the opening game of the 2002 Stanley Cup Final would go to overtime. After killing the final seconds of a late third-period penalty by Erik Cole, the Canes turned to their leader. After being drafted fourth overall by the Whalers in 1981, Francis was in the late stages of his second tour with the organization as its captain. At 38 years old, Francis led the team with 77 points, marking his most points since his final season in Pittsburgh in 1997-98.
Less than a minute into overtime, Jeff O'Neill tried to set up Sami Kapanen at the top of the crease. Being closely defended by Niklas Lidstrom, Kapanen couldn't finish it, but the puck found its way back to O'Neill, who sent the puck right back to the front of the net. O'Neill's pass landed on the stick of Francis as the captain beat Dominik Hasek with most of the net vacant.
The announcers were stunned and the crowd fell silent as Francis stood there with his arms high with the rest of the bench mobbing him. On the road against a veteran team with an unlimited amount of skill, the underdogs had come into the Motor City and shown that the Carolina Hurricanes weren't going to let the Red Wings walk all over them.