Photo Credit: Shaylah Rice
Carter Hart is the future of the Flyers franchise, and he’s a rockstar in Philly. He is enduring a strong season, even with the Flyers struggles at times. Goaltending is not a problem in the 2022-23 season, and that is a beautiful thing.
This kid has electrified the fan base, and Hart has cemented himself as the main guy between the pipes for the orange and black for the foreseeable future. All this by wearing a unique number #79.
Connor Parkkila is a great young man, and he has developed a special bond with Hart that stems from Hart’s days with the Everett Silvertips. Parkkila wore a #79 jersey at a Silvertips game in 2016, and it wasn’t soon after the Flyers gave Hart a #79 jersey at Developmental Camp that Summer of 2016. Parkkila was the first person to wear a #79 jersey with Hart’s name on it, but in this case, it was a Silvertips jersey. The two have developed a special bond ever since.
It was a great seen in Seattle yesterday as the Flyers allowed Connor to practice a bit with Hart. Parkkila was donning his goaltending equipment, and Hart told me at Training Camp Connor may even be better than him eventually.
Throughout the dark times, Carter receives good vibes, and support from a person believe it or not he looks up to in Parkkila. The two share text messages, and Carter texts the Parkkila’s, April (Connor’s mom), Will (Connor’s dad), and Connor all the time. It’s always nice to see Hart smile, as he rarely does this throughout the rigors of season.
Hart is a person unlike many athletes in Philadelphia. He will sign as many autographs as possible, give sticks to kids, meets and greets the hard-working fans of Philly, Hart just appears to be one of us. He will continue to have his ups and downs, Hart is only 24-years-old.
Some people said he wasn’t ready for the big show, while others thought he was. Hart was built for the NHL, and he really has showed fans throughout the sport why he was considered the savior of the franchise.
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Through all of this Hart is built as advertised. Hart’s a fine young man, that has just been flat-out good during his time in the NHL. He has been everything and then some for the Flyers organization thus far. According to Hart (In an interview with me four years ago), the Flyers told him to become the best Goalie in the CHL. Well, he did just that as he was the CHL Goaltender of the year twice. He’s as classy as they come, and his good ole’ pal Connor Parkkila hopes to play hockey one day because of Hart.
