Ron Francis' road to another Stanley Cup final goes through the NHL city where he enjoyed his greatest team success. "Obviously the early (1990s) seem like a long time ago now," Francis said Monday before Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final between his Carolina Hurricanes and the Penguins, "but I certainly had some good memories of being here, had some pretty exciting hockey games and look forward to watching some good hockey games here." Francis, an assistant coach with the Hurricanes, was a two-time captain and twice won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins from 1991-98. He remains one of the most popular and, arguably, important players in franchise history.