Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart said the chants directed at him by Carolina Hurricanes fans have not affected his focus as he prepares for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Speaking after Vegas’ morning skate on Saturday, Hart was asked about the “no means no” chants he heard during the three games played in Raleigh.
“It’s just noise. I mean, both atmospheres and both buildings have been really loud and just a lot of fun to playing. Yeah, just noise,” Hart said.
The chants were related to the 2018 Hockey Canada sexual assault case involving members of Canada’s world junior team. Carter Hart was one of five players charged in connection with the case in January 2024. Following a trial last year, all five players were found not guilty.
Carter Hart returned to the NHL after the league reinstated the players in October 2025, making them eligible to play beginning Dec. 1. He later signed a two-year, $4 million contract with Vegas and has started every game during the team’s run to the Stanley Cup Final.
Carter Hart continues to have the Vegas Golden Knights’ support
After Game 5, Carter Hart’s numbers in the Stanley Cup Final became a major talking point. The Vegas goalie became the third netminder in NHL history to allow four or more goals in each of the first five games of a Stanley Cup Final series. He enters Game 6 with an .856 save percentage and a 3.70 goals-against average against Carolina.
Despite that, Golden Knights coach John Tortorella remained supportive of his goaltender.
“I know him. I know there’s a better game in him. I’ve seen it throughout the playoffs. I think he’s a very good goalie,” Tortorella said. “We’ve got to do a better job around him. You can look at the numbers — and you guys, that’s what you do, you spit out those numbers — but I’ve got to look at things differently.”
Defenseman Rasmus Andersson echoed that confidence in Hart.
“All the belief in the world. I mean, he’s gotten us to this point and he’s been really solid throughout the playoffs,” Andersson said.
“At this point of the year you just don’t care about what the outside says, honestly. If you start reading into how much you suck if you make a mistake or how good you are if you score a goal, you’re just going to lose your mind. It’s Game 6. We’re down and we’ve got to find a way to win and take it back to Raleigh.”
Carter Hart had put together a strong finish to the regular season before the playoffs began. He missed nearly three months with a lower-body injury during the regular season but finished with an 11-3-3 record, a 2.71 goals-against average and an .891 save percentage in 18 games. He also won his final six starts of the regular season, earning the starting role heading into the playoffs.
Edited by Sonali Verma