(Caps Outsider)
The Washington Capitals announced Wednesday that they have chosen Garnet Hathaway as their nominee for the “King” Clancy Memorial Trophy. It is the third year in a row that the Caps’ forward has been nominated.
Since 1988, the NHL’s Board of Governors has honored a player and two runners-up who best exemplify leadership qualities on and off the ice and have made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community. All 32 NHL teams select a nominee they deem worthy. This coveted trophy is awarded annually to honor Frank “King” Clancy who played defense for 16 seasons with the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Clancy is known as one of hockey’s most colorful and beloved players.
Hathaway and his wife, Lisa, started Hath’s Heroes in 2019 to give back to first responders as a homage to his great-grandfather, a firefighter in Winnipeg. In the winter of 2019, Hath’s Heroes donated 900 meals to first responders. Since then, they have donated more than 5,000 meals to first responders and their families. Hampered by the pandemic, but not discouraged, they teamed up with DC Central Kitchen and Kid Power in 2020 to donate 3,962 meals to needy families. Throughout the 2021-22 season, Hath’s Heroes announced a first-of-its-kind collaboration with the nonprofit Mindful Junkie to provide mindfulness training to D.C. area first responders. In December, Hath’s Heroes hosted 40 firefighters from the Frederick Fire Department at a Capitals game to honor Battalion Chief Laird, a 21-year veteran of the department who was fatally injured in the line of duty in August of 2021. In 2022, the Hathaway’s partnered with the Washington Capitals to create co-branded Hath’s Heroes and Capitals merchandise. Proceeds from the merchandise will benefit the Baltimore Fire Foundation. They also announced the recipients of the inaugural Hath’s Heroes of the Year Award. The award was established to honor local first responders for going above and beyond in serving their local communities. The award recipients received four tickets to a Capitals game, a signed Hathaway jersey, 4 Hath’s Heroes pucks and a postgame meet and greet with Hathaway. In addition, Hathaway has been an ambassador for the Hockey Talks platform which was established to raise awareness and help end the stigma surrounding mental health.
If Hathaway is chosen to receive the “King” Clancy Memorial Trophy, he will be awarded a $25,000 donation to continue his work with Hath’s Heroes. The two runners-up will each receive $5,000 donations. In 2005-06, the trophy was given to Caps goalie, Olaf Kolzig. Kolzig was the first and only Caps player, and only the 2nd goaltender to win the award. Since the inception, Henrik Sedin (Canucks) is the only player to have won the award twice – once in 2015-16 and again in 2017-18 with his twin brother Daniel Sedin (Canucks). Last year’s winner was Pekka Rinne (Predators).
