Francis officially honoured (16 photos)

The lower part of Bruce St. alongside the Essar Centre officially has a new name.

In a ceremony prior to Wednesday night’s NHL exhibition game, the lower part of Bruce St. was renamed after Sault native Ron Francis.

The ceremony coincided with Francis’ Carolina Hurricanes facing the Buffalo Sabres in an exhibition contest at the rink.

“Ron Francis was a great hockey player and he’s also a great guy and we’re really proud that he’s a son of the Sault,” said Mayor Christian Provenzano. “These are the nice things to be a part of and it’s a bonus to be able to actually acknowledge and recognize community representatives who have done a great job.”

Francis said he hopes that the citizens of the city take a pride in it as well because of the number of people who contributed to his career.

“It’s an incredible honour,” Francis said ahead of the ceremony. “It’s not anything you ever kind of think of but when I heard about it I was thrilled by it. I hope that the people of Sault Ste. Marie when they drive down there take a personal pride as well.”