Garnet Hathaway does not miss a chance to lay a hit to get under a player's skin. It's been a part of his game for years, and something that goes beyond what he does on the ice.
The King Clancy award is given "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' 2025 nominee has long had a love for first responders. His great-grandfather and namesake, Garnet Mcelroy, was a firefighter in Winnipeg. Hathaway had never met him, but the stories he heard helped inspire him to first launch "Hath's Heroes" when he was with the Capitals in 2019. Hathaway would provide tickets to local first responders and would meet with them afterward in the team's locker room.
It wasn't just donating tickets either. Hathaway would spend time at local fire stations and help send food deliveries to first responders during COVID. During his time in Washington, the program donated more than $40,000 to local organizations. The charity donated more than $125,000 to nonprofits in the area dedicated to mental health programs for first responders. It left a lasting impact on the community and was something Hathaway brought to Philadelphia as well.
But Hathaway has added a twist to his charitable endeavours. Starting last season, "Hits for Hath's Heroes" was added. For every hit the Flyers record in a season, Garnet and his wife, Lindsay, will donate to local first responders. Flyers Charities will match whatever they donate as well. Hathaway finished last season with 326 hits, far and away the most at the time. Philadelphia finished with 3,708 hits.
Hathaway won't match his total from last season, and neither will the team. But his 242 hits and the Flyers' 1,684 and counting will still make an impact either way. It's a perfect fit for Hathaway to donate in this way, and Lindsay agreed.
"They're tough, they're resiliant, and so I think that's kind of how Garnet plays hockey as well. So it was a natural fit." Lindsey Hathaway said in an interview with The Inquirer last season.
Hathaway and his wife received the 2024 Andy Chan Community Spirit Award, honored by the Families Behind the Badge Children's Foundation. The foundation is based on three pillars: providing financial relief to the families of fallen and critically injured first responders, bringing police officers in the community and children together, and providing mental health and well-being resources to the first responders and their families.
It's a fitting way for Hathaway to give back to the community, as his hits will continue to have a bit more meaning behind them.