On the scoresheet, it hasn’t been a great year for Flyers winger Garnet Hathaway. After earning 21 points last season, the veteran fourth-liner has one goal to go with two assists. But that’s on the ice. Off the ice, he’s been the same considerate and generous person he’s been known as. And it’s for that reason that the Flyers Tuesday made Hathaway their nominee for this year’s King Clancy Memorial Trophy. The honor is given annually “to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.”
The Flyers made the announcement in a near three-minute video showcasing Hathaway’s outreach endeavors, including Engine 19 IPA, a beer Hathaway launched last summer with Dogfish Head Craft Brewery to support local first responders in the Philadelphia area as part of the Hath’s Heroes Initiative. Flyers Governor Dan Hilferty appears in the video, explaining some of Hathaway’s charities and programs aimed at helping others. “For Hath, this work has never been about recognition,” Hilferty says. “It’s about making sure the men and women who serve our communities are seen, supported, and deeply appreciated.” The nomination is Hathaway’s second consecutive for the Trophy after Scott Laughton was the Flyers nominee in 2023-24
The winner is selected by a committee featuring National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman and previous winners of the Trophy as well as the league’s Foundation Player Award. If Hathaway were to win the Trophy, it would be the first time a Flyer player has won the award since it was established back in 1988. Former Flyers who have won the Trophy include Dave Poulin when he played with Boston back in 1993, Shjohn Podein with the Avalance in 2001, and Vincent Lecavalier when he played for Tampa in 2008. Last year’s winner was Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers.
The Trophy is named after the late Francis “King” Clancy who played from 1921-22 through to 1936-37. Clancy spent the first nine seasons with the Ottawa Senators, winning a Stanley Cup with the club in 1926-27. After becoming a Toronto Maple Leaf for the start of the 1930-31 season, Clancy won the Cup with the Leafs in 1931-32. He would play another five seasons with Toronto before retiring as a player. After a brief stint coaching the Montreal Maroons in 1937-38, Clancy coached the Leafs from 1953-54 to 1955-56. He would later be an assistant coach for six seasons in Toronto before another short stint as Toronto’s coach in 1971-72. Clancy died in 1986 at age 84.
