Garnet Hathaway has now missed five consecutive games with an upper-body injury following a blind-sided hit in the third period of the Flyers' game vs the Pittsburgh Penguins on February 27th.
Quite frankly, the hit itself didn't appear overly concerning. What was more unsettling was Hathaway slamming his head on the ice and requiring extensive help from his teammates to be escorted to the training room. As of now, Hathaway remains unavailable for practice or game action.
Garnet Hathaway had to be helped off the ice after a dirty hit by Boko Imama#LetsGoFlyers | #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/BPcDUt4Dpy
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) February 28, 2025
#19 for the orange and black quickly became a fan-favorite in his second year as a Flyer. He has proven to be a reliable, and fairly skilled third line winger. This season, he has contributed 18 points (8G, 10A) while averaging 11:53 of ice time and a +4 rating. However, his intangible impact extends far greater than the aforementioned numbers.
Another Flyers shot blocking machine, Hathaway has never shied away from dropping the gloves when sticking up for a teammate. He is also the first to lead an emotional response from the Flyers following a teammate's injury, a cheap shot at his goaltender, or a missed officiating call. In other words, some may deem Hathaway the heart and soul of the team, especially now in the absence of Scott Laughton.
Somewhat mirroring Laughton's philanthropic involvement with the LGBT+ community during his tenure with the Flyers, Hathaway has prioritized supporting local first responders in the Greater Philadelphia area. "Hits for Hath's Heroes", an initiative spearheaded by Garnet and his wife Lindsay, raises funds for first responders for every hit that Hathaway earns throughout the season.
Last year he was second in the NHL in hits while he led the Flyers with 326 hits. He has also gone out of his way to host several local first responders at Flyers' home games and take photos with them afterward. In other words, he has quite a big heart for a "tough guy" in the NHL.
To the average viewer, it's also fairly obvious that, like Travis Konecny, Hathaway is not afraid to taunt opponents with his chirps throughout the game. He is exactly what many analysts would call an "agitator" who can swing the momentum of a game quite quickly.
To say the least, the Flyers need any positive momentum they can gather. Five games into their seven-game home stand, they have earned 0 of a possible 10 points and have been outscored 22-8, following their most recent 4-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on March 11th.