King Clancy

King Clancy
Hockey Hall of Fame , 1958
Date of birth	February 25, 1903
place of birth	Ottawa , Ontario , Canada
date of death	November 8, 1986
Place of death	Toronto , Ontario , Canada
size	170 cm
Weight	70 kg
position	defender
Shot hand	Left
Career stations
1918-1921	Ottawa St. Brigid's
1921-1930	Ottawa Senators
1930-1937	Toronto Maple Leafs

Francis Michael "King" Clancy (born February 25, 1903 in Ottawa , Ontario , † November 8, 1986 in Toronto , Ontario) was a professional Canadian ice hockey player (defender), coach and referee , who served from 1921 to 1937 for the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs played in the National Hockey League . The King Clancy Memorial Trophy was named after him.

Career

His father, a distinguished football player, was the first "King" of the family and Francis inherited the name from him. It wasn't the statistics that reflected his role in the game, it was his leadership skills that set him apart.

In 1921 the Ottawa Senators added him to their squad and he quickly became a star on the team. Despite his slim stature, he played very physically and never avoided a fight, even if he often got the short straw. In the two Stanley Cup victories in 1923 and 1927, he was one of the pillars of the team.

Conn Smythe took over the Toronto Maple Leafs in the late 1920s and built a strong team. When looking for a leading defensive player, he was very interested in signing Clancy. For a transfer fee of $ 35,000, the majority of which he had won with one of his Rare Jewel horses , he was able to loose it from Ottawa in 1930.

In Toronto, Maple Leaf Gardens opened after its first season . There he led the Leafs to their third Stanley Cup in the 1931/32 season . Clancy , who came from Ireland , had his coronation on St. Patrick's Day 1933. The Maple Leaf Gardens were decorated in green and orange and Clancy sat on a throne with a crown. He played the first third in a green jersey with a shamrock.

He coached the Montreal Maroons for half a season before swapping his place behind the gang for a pipe. By 1949 he was eleven years as a referee in the NHL. After a few years as a coach in the AHL, he took over the coaching job with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1953 and came back as an assistant coach for a year at the end of the 1960s. For many years he was in the management of the Maple Leafs.

In 1958 he was honored with the induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame .

NHL statistics

	Seasons	Games	Gates	Assists	Points	Penalty minutes
Regular season	16	593	137	143	280	904
Playoffs	13	61	9	8th	17th	92

Sporting successes

• Stanley Cup : 1923 , 1927 and 1932

Personal awards

• First All-Star Team : 1931 and 1934
• Second All-Star Team : 1932 and 1933

Web links

• King Clancy in the database of the Hockey Hall of Fame (English)
• King Clancy at hockeydb.com (English)