Carter Hart was faced with many unknowns in his first full season in the NHL, and as a member of the Flyers. He has shared a ton of highs, some lows, but mainly highs, even so much so he is kicking butt in the playoffs “I mean I just got to do my job,” Hart said following game 3 against the Montreal Canadiens, “That’s what it comes down to at the end of the day. That criteria is just stopping pucks. When it’s time to play the game, that’s all I have to worry about. We got a great crew in front of us that makes my job a lot easier.”
One unsung hero behind the scenes for Hart and Brian Elliott has been Kim Dillabaugh, the Flyers Goaltending coach. “Dilly” as Hart calls him really has formed a unique relationship with Hart, and Elliott. It’s not easy to endure 5 and half months off (The Pause), and then come right back to the game you have grown to love and play at a quality level, “Dilly has been great for me and Moose,” Hart said, “We have a good relationship on Dilly has been great for me and Moose. We have a good relationship on and off the ice. We have good dialogue between all three of us. I think that’s real important between a goalie and coach is that good communication. He does a really good job of preparation and getting ready before practice. Honestly before games, a couple chats. I think it’s really important to have a good relationship with your goalie coach.”
It’s not easy having these Goaltenders prepared after night after night for playoff hockey after having five and a half months. Playoff hockey is a different level and intensity for that matter than the Regular Season. Hart and Elliott have both played well, and Dillabaugh is an unsung hero for their great play, “That goaltender-goalie coach relationship is a key one in any organization,” Head Coach Alain Vigneault said, “There’s no doubt that that one there is a strong one. Carter is a young goaltender that’s working on his game and trying to get better. He’s putting in the time and he’s putting in the preparation. There’s no doubt that rapport, that understanding at what needs to be done between a goalie coach and a goaltender, both with Carter and Brian is obviously there.”
Carter Hart has enjoyed playoff success with his first taste at playoff hockey. He has compiled a 6-2 record, 1.71 GAA, and a .943 Save Percentage at just the ripe age of 22. He also outdueled his idol in Carey Price last night to help the Flyers advance to the next round of the playoffs against the New York Islanders. In addition, Elliott is 1-0 in two games played, with a 1.47 GAA, and a .913 Save Percentage. Elliott looks good once again, and is tracking the puck well. Simply put, Dillabaugh has done well with the preparation for both netminders.
Dillabaugh’s hard-work shall not go unnoticed, and it just makes him look better the farther the Flyers go in the playoffs. He is great at what he does, and he is a hero behind the scenes for this World class organization.
