After Years Together As Linemates and Fathers, Dowd & Hathaway Share Emotional Goodbye

ARLINGTON, V.A. — After the Washington Capitals' 4-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, Nic Dowd picked up the phone and dialed his longtime friend Garnet Hathaway. He'd expected to suit up alongside his longtime linemate and friend, but when he got to the rink, Hathaway's stall was empty as news of his trade to the Boston Bruins made its rounds.

Then, before practice on Friday, Dowd and Hathaway met for one final coffee before the two made their way to MedStar Capitals Iceplex. There, Hathaway packed the rest of his gear up with Dmitry Orlov, who was also part of the deal, and said goodbye ahead of his trip to join the Bruins. For Dowd, it was an emotional and difficult day as one of his closest friends left for another team.

"Really, really tough for us and my family," Dowd said. "He's my linemate, we built on each other's careers pretty well, helped each other be successful and we were there for each other when we need each other and off the ice."

Dowd used to hate playing against Hathaway, a heavy hitter and physical presence who brings grit to the table and doesn't shy away from being a pest or dropping the gloves.

"He pissed me off, he was annoying," Dowd recalled with a laugh.

However, when the two met — by accident at first, as they ran into each other touring the area before training camp — they clicked immediately. Dowd and Hathaway would team up to help form one of the league's top fourth lines and played 173 games side by side, logging 1,579:37 minutes on the ice together while combining for 71 goals total. Additionally, they both hit career highs and a couple of milestones while playing in the District. Meanwhile, in 2019-20, they launched a podcast called "Between Two Blue Lines."

Not only did Dowd and Hathaway bond, but their wives, Paige and Lindsay, hit off too as they became close family friends. Both families were heavily involved in the D.C. community as well, with Paige and Nic forming "Dowd's Crowd" to help kids with autism enjoy the game of hockey and attend Capitals games and Garnet and Lindsay creating "Hath's Heroes" to assist first responders in the area.

Both Dowd and Hathaway also watched each other become fathers and raised their children together. The Hathaways visited the Dowds in the hospital after they welcomed their first son, Louie, on New Year's Eve in 2020 and their daughter Ruby in January. Dowd was also there for Hathaway when he and his wife, Lindsay, brought babies Luke, 21 months old, and Ella, three months old, into the world. The Hathaways affectionately refer to Dowd as "Uncle Nic."

"Watching Nic become a dad and him and Paige together with Lou and just an awesome family that I was lucky enough to see him kind of grow into it. I was there," Hathaway recalled. "We were there a couple days after he was born in the hospital. And then my wife and I had our own son, and I've leaned on him a lot. He's helped me learn a lot about what works, what doesn't work. You know how much hard work it takes to raise a child and have a family and he's a great role model."

"You create a good bond with a guy like that when you battle with him that long, a better part of four years," Dowd added. "Our families were close and like I said, we watched his kids be born, he's the same with us. It's challenging, but part of the game."

Still, despite the distance and rivalry now between them, Dowd and Hathaway's friendship is one that'll last a lifetime.

"Obviously, we'll remain friends, right? It's not the end of the relationship, just a little bit different… I'm sure we'll have dinner at some point when we're playing each other, get together, whatever it is," Dowd said. "Lindsay will still be here for a bit, I'm sure, so we'll get to see her and the kids and stuff. But best of luck to Garnet and I'm really gonna miss him."