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 are a few more things, his season was so good he currently owns the 5th best GAA of All-Time for 21-year-old netminders, and he also is tied for the 5th best in Save Percentage of All-Time with a .914 with John Gibson, according to quanthockey.com:
| Rk | Name | Born | Season | GP | GAA | SV% | W | L | SO | TIME | G | A | P | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Terry Sawchuk | 1929 | 1950‑51 | 70 | 1.97 | 44 | 13 | 11 | 4200 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2 |  | Jim Carey | 1974 | 1995‑96 | 71 | 2.26 | 0.906 | 35 | 24 | 9 | 4069 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 3 |  | Juuse Saros | 1995 | 2016‑17 | 21 | 2.35 | 0.924 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1200 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | | Martin Brodeur | 1972 | 1993‑94 | 47 | 2.40 | 0.915 | 27 | 11 | 3 | 2625 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | | Carter Hart | 1998 | 2019‑20 | 43 | 2.42 | 0.914 | 24 | 13 | 1 | 2356 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 was the longest Hart hasn’t been on ice in his life he said to us last week. “I think we have two great goalies, Hartsy and Moose,” Kevin Hayes said yesterday, “In order for us to win and get our momentum back, we need them to be at the top of their games. So far they’re looking great.”
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, “He’s still the same kid off the ice, young innocent kid that everyone’s making fun of, so that’s a good sign,” Jakub Voracek said on Tuesday, “If you’re getting made fun of, that means people like you. It’s a good thing. Obviously, he was one of the best goalies in the league at this early stage of his career. We’re real lucky to have him on our team and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him.”
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.
