20 years later, hathaway goes back to china
Flames forward hoping to relive moments from childhood, writes Kristen Anderson.
Garnet Hathaway may be the only player that has, literally, been there, done that and took the picture.
Having travelled to China with his family as part of a threemonth, once-in-a-lifetime trip when he was seven years old, the Calgary Flames winger has a photo at the Great Wall of China and is hoping to re-create the snapshot — this time, as an adult on another once-in-a-lifetime trip.
“I don’t remember a lot,” Hathaway was saying prior to the Flames’ Tuesday afternoon departure to China. “But I’m really excited to go back. It’s amazing to get an opportunity like that to travel. I’m excited to spend some time with the guys and see a lot of sights.”
Hathaway’s parents, John and Suellen Hathaway, felt that their children needed some life experience so they started their journey in Nepal and went to base camp at Mount Everest and then into China.
Nearly 20 years later, trying to compete for a spot on the Flames roster, he’ll return.
“I think they realized the importance of seeing other cultures and seeing other experiences and seeing how other people live their lives and how fortunate you are when you have something,” Hathaway said. “I’m excited to see it again. I’m hoping to get a picture in the same spots and see how I’ve aged.”
In the final opportunity to skate together before the puck drops for the O.R.G. Games in China on Monday, James Neal was on a line with Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan while Mark Giordano was on a defence pairing with TJ Brodie.
Rasmus Andersson, on the right side with Noah Hanifin, looked to be a place filler for Travis Hamonic but, make no mistake, he’s gunning for a spot somewhere in the lineup as the pre-season kicks off.
As for Austin Czarnik?
The former Boston Bruin forward and newcomer to the Flames didn’t care where he was lined up, didn’t seem to notice his placement in the Flames’ dressing room — right beside No. 13 himself — and was simply trying to absorb it all before boarding a plane on Tuesday bound for Shenzhen.
“It’s pretty quick,” said the right-handed centreman and former Boston Bruin who signed a two-year deal with the Flames in the summer. “There is so much stuff to do. Meetings. Testing. All that type of stuff. It’s been a quick turnaround. Then, we go there and come back. There’s going to be a lot going on in the next couple weeks, but I’m excited for it and ready to take advantage of it.”
Upon signing the highly touted Czarnik, Flames head coach Bill Peters proclaimed that he would like to try him on the power play, which is something to watch in Saturday’s first pre-season clash against Czarnik’s former team.
“I’ve no idea where I’ll be playing right now,” he said. “I’m sure they’ll throw some different lines at us because some of the guys will be out. We’ll see what happens but whoever I’m with, I’m just going to try and have some chemistry with and be productive.”
Being a pro now for three years and into my fourth, you know the little things you want to do every single day on the road.
Regardless of the venue. “Being a pro now for three years and into my fourth, you know the little things you want to do every single day on the road,” said Czarnik, who is an undersized forward standing five-foot-nine and 160-pounds. “Just be simple, play freely and don’t over-stress out there.”