Garnet Hathaway is never too far from inflammatory on-ice behavior. The Philadelphia Flyers forward found himself embroiled in more heated shenanigans against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.
The 32-year-old winger seemed to have it out for Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek in Philadelphia’s 7-5 win. He got involved physically with the talented Swede on multiple occasions, much to the chagrin of Wild, tough guy Marcus Foligno.
“[It’s] what he has to do to stay relevant in this league,” Foligno told The Athletic’s Michael Russo postgame.
Hathaway’s first instance of malice toward Eriksson Ek came with the Wild on a power play just 1:40 into the second period. As Eriksson Ek made his way to the front of the net, Hathaway blatantly elbowed the former 30-goal scorer in the face.
To make matters worse, Eriksson Ek only recently returned to the Wild lineup after having surgery on his nose.
Hathaway only received a two-minute minor for roughing, and Philadelphia killed off the resulting two-man advantage.
Later in the game, with Minnesota pressing to tie things up and get to overtime, Hathaway again went high on Eriksson Ek. After Mats Zuccarello went after Scott Laughton in the neutral zone, Hathaway grabbed Eriksson Ek around the head in the ensuing pile-up.
Hathaway received another minor penalty for roughing while the officials also sent Zuccarello to the box, evening things up with 4-on-4 play and just 2:03 remaining in regulation. Foligno was noticeably furious with the lack of a Minnesota power play resulting from the fracas.
Foligno told Russo that it was “bullsh–” that the referees didn’t assess an extra penalty to the Flyers. Sean Couturier would score an empty netter just 1:03 later to seal a hat trick for himself and the 7-5 win for the Flyers.
The win was just Philadelphia’s second of the season. The two teams will meet again on December 14 in Minnesota.
Update (10/27): Hathaway was handed a $5,000 fine for the elbow on Eriksson Ek.
Philadelphia’s Garnet Hathaway has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for elbowing Minnesota’s Joel Eriksson Ek.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) October 27, 2024
