Photo Credit: Shaylah Rice
Carter Hart got off to a great start to the season, with his Goals Against Average well under two, and his Save Percentage was well over a .920, as well. The orange and black then started to win one and lose one, and none of that fault lied on Hart. Unfortunately, Hart and the Flyers finished with the seventh worst record in the NHL (31-38-13). He also finished with a record of 22-23-10, with a 2.94 GAA, and a. 907 Save Percentage.
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How many times throughout the course of the season did people hear, “Hart with a great save to keep his team in it,” or “If it wasn’t for Hart this would be a blowout.” “Hart stands on his head for us. Hartsy’s making some big saves,” from Scott Laughton, or “He bailed us out a few times. That always helps,” from Kevin Hayes.
This past season was better than the year prior, however, Hart just wants to win. For his efforts, Hart finished the season with the 9th most victories in franchise history for Goalies with 84 and the 5th most games played with 201. Mind you he is only 24-years-old, and the kid just continues to shoot up the franchise Goaltending leaderboard. He has been doing it quietly, “I’m still only 24, but I want to win as well. I love playing for the city. I love playing for this organization. I’m very, very grateful for everything they’ve given me and the opportunity that I’ve had here,” Carter Hart said. “I think that with the young guys we have coming up and the promise they started to show towards the second half of the season, I think it looks bright, our young core of guys. I think Danny is going to be the guy to turn things around and get the ship going the right way.”
This teams identity is to battle and play hard, while remaining competitive. This is a young Flyers team, so hopefully this teams finds their footing at some point since they now have a foundation or a clear building blocks for success.
“I’m still only 24, but I want to win as well. I love playing for the city. I love playing for this organization. I’m very, very grateful for everything they’ve given me and the opportunity that I’ve had here.” – Carter Hart
Fortunately, this young Flyers team claws their way back into games, and continues to fight in large part to some timely saves by Hart. This young man has electrified the fan base, and has cemented himself as the guy between the pipes for the orange and black for years to come. There is no Goalie controversy in Philadelphia for once, Hart is the future of this team, “As a team, obviously, we’re not where we want to be right now, on the outside looking in,” Hart said. “I can always be better. This summer I’ve got some things to work on and tidy up and get stronger and faster and be ready for next year, and for a push to be hopefully still playing at this time. I think we’ve also made a lot of strides this year as a team and with a lot of the young guys we have here coming up.”
Every young player will have their ups and downs. It’s just the way sports is. Every sports player at some point throughout their career has encountered a down, and yes even Carey Price fought through some downs in his rookie campaign. It’s a fact, Hart will have some bumps in the road, but that doesn’t mean people should give up on him.
“We got a lot of young guys coming up here in our organization that are going to be a huge part of this future,” Hart said. “Ithink it looks very promising. I think Tip made huge strides this year. You started to see glimpses of the player that he’s going to become or – I mean he had a hell of a year this year, and he’s only going to get better. He’s a strong, powerful forward with a lot of skill, so it’s very exciting to see his growth and development. Frosty this year – so much skill and you started to really see it. He was playing with a lot of confidence this last stretch and made some pretty silky moves on the ice. It’s fun to watch. Then even Tyson coming up and having a cup of coffee but playing really well when he was here. Egor played really solid when he was here for a couple of games. Some of the young guys – Cam had a good year here.”
Hart finished talking about his team MVP Award, “I’m not maybe the loudest guy, but I try to lead more kind of with my work ethic and work habits on the ice and off the ice. I think now that I’ve been here for five seasons, that I’m not afraid to maybe say a few things if they need to be said. I think we got some guys in here that have taken strides in that leadership department. I think Laughts has been a huge leader for this group this year. Obviously, missing some veteran guys out of the lineup all year with Ryan, and with Coots, and Cam. I think Laughts has been a huge leader for this team this year.”
