- King Clancy
Infobox Ice Hockey Player
image_size =
position = Defence
shot = Left
height_ft = 5
height_in = 7
weight_lb = 155
played_for = Ottawa Senators
Toronto Maple Leafs
nationality = CAN
birth_date = birth date|1903|2|25
birth_place = Ottawa, ON, CAN
death_date = death date and age|1986|11|8|1903|2|25
death_place = Toronto, ON, CAN
career_start = 1921
career_end = 1937
halloffame = 1958
website =Francis Michael "King" Clancy (
February 25 ,1903 –November 10 ,1986 ) was aCanadian professionalice hockey defenceman who played 16 seasons in theNational Hockey League for the Ottawa Senators andToronto Maple Leafs before becoming a coach, referee, and team executive.Clancy's nickname "King" originates from his father, who was the first 'King Clancy' and played football for Ottawa. At the time the football was not snapped as is done today, but was 'heeled' back from the line. Frank's father was very good at this and was named 'King of the Heelers' or 'King' for short. [
[McFarlane] , pg. 20 ] This nickname was eventually transferred to Frank.Playing career
Born in
Ottawa, Ontario , Clancy played for junior teams in the Ottawa area and began his NHL career in his hometown playing for the Senators, where he would establish himself as among the league's top players and help the Senators toStanley Cup wins in 1923 and 1927. Although he was one of the smallest defencemen of his era, he was tough and fast and would not back down. According toBrian McFarlane , it was said that King Clancy started a thousand fights and never won one. [[McFarlane] , pg. 12 ]During a
March 31 ,1923 Stanley Cup game against the Edmonton Eskimos, Clancy became the first hockey player to play all six positions during one game. In the third period, goaltenderClint Benedict was given a two-minute penalty. At the time, goalies served their own penalties. Not wanting to leave the net open, Clancy played goal for the two minutes Benedict was gone.On
October 11 1930, coming off what would be the most productive season of his career, with 17 goals and 40 points in 44 games with the Senators, Clancy was traded to the Maple Leafs, with Toronto managerConn Smythe giving up $35,000 and two players for him. In his second season with the Leafs, Clancy helped his team win the Stanley Cup.After a sluggish start to the 1936–37 season, Clancy announced his retirement just six games into the season. He retired as the top scoring defenceman in NHL history, with 136 career goals.
Post-playing career
The season after his retirement as a player, Clancy briefly coached the
Montreal Maroons before beginning an 11-year stint as an NHLreferee . In 1949, theMontreal Canadiens hired Clancy to coach theirAmerican Hockey League farm team, theCincinnati Mohawks . He was released after two losing seasons, and rejoined the Maple Leaf family as coach of the Leafs' AHL affiliate, thePittsburgh Hornets . The Hornets had two outstanding seasons under Clancy, winning theCalder Cup as league champions in 1951–52, and nearly repeating the following year, before losing the cup final in seven games.On the strength of that performance, Clancy was made coach of the Maple Leafs for the 1953–54 season. He held the job for three years, but the team struggled, with each season worse than the one before it. He was then given the title assistant general manager by his friend, Conn Smythe, but his responsibilities often involved public relations at least as much as building a hockey team. Clancy was inducted into the
Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958.He remained assistant general manager through the 1960s, working under
Punch Imlach . When Imlach was fired in 1969, Clancy initially said that he'd leave with him, but he was persuaded to stay with the Leafs and was made vice-president (a decision that did not go over well with Imlach, although the two later reconciled).After
Harold Ballard took control of the Leafs during the 1971–72 season, Clancy and Ballard became inseparable friends. Former Leafs player, coach, and assistant general managerHap Day would say that Clancy was paid to do nothing by both Smythe and Ballard. ["Ballard: A Portrait of Canada's Most Controversial Sports Figure"," William Houston, Summerhill Press, 1984, p. 86.]During the 1971–72 season, Clancy stepped behind the Leafs' bench as acting coach for 15 games while head coach
John McLellan recovered from apeptic ulcer .Clancy remained in the Leafs' front office for the rest of his life. In 1986, he had an operation to remove his
gallbladder . Infection from the gallbladder seeped into his body during the operation, and he went intoseptic shock . He diedNovember 10 1986 at age 83 and is buried in Mount Hope Catholic Cemetery in Ontario.Awards and honours
* Played in 4 NHL All-Star games - 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934.
* Stanley Cup Champion (as a player) - 1923-27 Ottawa, 1932 Toronto
* Stanley Cup Champions(as a assistant manager/coach) 1962-64, 1967 Toronto
* Calder Cup (AHL Champions) (as a Coach) 1952 Pittsburgh Hornets
* Inducted intoHockey Hall of Fame - 1958
* Inducted intoCanada's Sports Hall of Fame - 1975
* In 1998, he was ranked number 52 on "The Hockey News "' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.The
King Clancy Memorial Trophy was named in his honour and is awarded annually to the player who, by example demonstrates leadership qualities on and off the ice and who has made exceptional humanitarian contributions in the community.Career statistics
References
* cite book|title=Clancy, the King's Story
last=McFarlane
first=Brian
year=1968,1998|publisher=McGraw-Hill
isbn=1550223321|coauthors=Clancy, KingExternal links
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