Carter Hart was just spectacular for the most part in just his first full season for the Flyers. Harttacular posted a 24-13-3 record, with a 2.42 GAA (8th best in the league), and a .914 Save Percentage. What more could one expect from a 21-year-old in just his first full season in the NHL. At home he was lights out accumulating a 20-3-2 record, 1.63 GAA, and a .943 Save Percentage. Simply put, Hart proved he was the franchise Goaltender the Flyers have needed since President Reagan was in office. There is one more thing, his season was so good it was comparable to a Goaltending legend in Martin Brodeur.
Brodeur’s first season was a really good one in 1993-94. He finished the year 27-11-8 in 47 games played. Moreover, Brodeur posted a 2.40 GAA, with a .915 Save Percentage. Hart as previously stated posted a 24-13-3 record in 43 games played, with a 2.42 GAA, and .914 Save Percentage. This is just insane that the Flyers could terrorize their division for once with a franchise netminder, much like Brodeur terrorized the Flyers and the Atlantic Division for years.
Hart was on fire in his last five games until the season was halted due to the Coronavirus, as Hart posted a 2.00 GAA, and a .929 Save Percentage. Talk about heating up at the right time for the playoff push. It was his net, and his to lose at that point in the season. However, no one could have expected a suspension to last this long, and it is the longest Hart hasn’t been on ice in his life, “It felt great to get back out there,” Hart said Monday, “Nice to see the boys again. Just felt nice to be out on the ice. Don’t have much ice back home. This is the longest I’ve been off the ice in my whole life.”
Hart was clearly leading the charge to the finish line. He worked with Goalie Coach Kim Dillabaugh on cutting down his angles, and he has also become bigger in the net. This was all very noticeable from February until the season was halted. Hart had cat like reflexes, as he moved post to post with ease. He was just so darn confident as he makes glove save after glove save. Hart was also rarely rattled it appeared, as he made tough saves look easy.
This young man in Hart has electrified the fan base, and has cemented himself as the guy between the pipes for the orange and black for the foreseeable future. Most fans knew he was special, but it was great to see him flourish down the stretch in big playoff like atmosphere games, but this will be a little different than anyone is used to when the hockey season reconvenes. Hart knows he has stay focused, but have fun in the same token. He is the real deal, and he takes all the blame for a loss. That’s just what good players do. Hart will continue to have a lot of highs, but some lows, as well. We as people just have to remember, he is just 21-years-old with just so much potential.
