King Clancy Francis Michael " King " Clancy ( 25 February 1903 – 10 November 1986 ) was a Canadian professional defenceman who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Ottawa Senators and Toronto 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 . 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 to Stanley 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 to Brian McFarlane , it was said that King Clancy started a thousand fights and never won one . During a 31 March 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 , goaltender Clint 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 11 October 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 manager Conn 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 NHL referee . In 1949 , the Montreal Canadiens hired Clancy to coach their American Hockey League farm team , the Cincinnati Mohawks . He was released after two losing seasons , and rejoined the Maple Leaf family as coach of the Leafs ' AHL affiliate , the Pittsburgh Hornets . The Hornets had two outstanding seasons under Clancy , winning the Calder 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 - coach 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 manager Hap Day would say that Clancy was paid to do nothing by both Smythe and Ballard . During the 1971 – 72 season , Clancy stepped behind the Leafs ' bench as acting coach for 15 games while head coach John McLellan recovered from a peptic 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 into septic shock . He died 10 November 1986 at age 83 and is buried in Mount Hope Catholic Cemetery in Ontario . Awards and honours . 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 .