REGINA – If Carter Hart isn’t going to play in the MasterCard Memorial Cup, watching one of his childhood friends compete for Canada’s top major junior trophy is the next best thing.
In addition to picking up some hardware as the CHL’s first two-time goaltender of the year winner, Hart was in Regina to view Pats captain Sam Steel and his offensive exploits.
Steel had a goal and an assist in a 4-2 win over Hamilton on Friday and increased his total to 13 points – three back of the all-time tournament record.
Hart will in attendance again as Steel tries to make history – and lead his Regina Pats to their first Memorial Cup crown since 1974 when they face the QMJHL’s Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Sunday.
Hart and Steel grew up living 10 minutes away from each other in Sherwood Park, Alta., an Edmonton suburb. They were minor hockey teammates from their first year of peewee until minor midget when Hart was cut from the major AAA team.
They also spent hours together honing their skills on Steel’s state-of-the-art backyard rink.
Like Steel’s Pats last season, Hart’s Everett Silvertips fell just short of reaching this year’s Memorial Cup. They lost the WHL final in six games to the Swift Current Broncos.
Still, it was an amazing campaign for Hart, whose CHL top goalie nod comes as no surprise.
Despite missing all of October due to mononucleosis, Hart managed to win a world junior gold medal with Steel and Team Canada and went 31-6-1-3 with a 1.60 goals-against average, .947 save percentage and seven shutouts in the WHL.
After winning his award, Hart chatted with Sportsnet about his pal Steel, his season in Everett and turning pro with the Philadelphia Flyers organization in 2018-19.
Sportsnet: What is it like to be in Regina given how close your team was to coming here?
Carter Hart: I guess you could say it’s bittersweet. Coming to the (semifinal) game with my dad (John) watching Regina play, I didn’t have a whole lot of interest. But one of my best buds, Sammy Steel, was playing and he had a great game. It was going to be his last few junior games here. That’s a guy I’ve grown up playing with my whole life. It’s cool to watch him and cheer him on. I want him to win this thing. It’s cool that they’re going to be playing in the final.
SN: He’s been playing so well. What have you seen from him on this big stage?
CH: He’s always been one of the best players in the league. He knows how much is on the line. He’s one of those players you can count on for anything. In the world juniors, as well, he stepped up and had a great tournament. Here he is at a tournament like this – again, a short-term tournament – and he’s having a great tournament as well. That’s just the kind of player he is. He’s definitely one of the best players in our league. It’s cool to watch him.
SN: Are there any memories from the backyard rink that are conjured up while watching him play?
CH: Maybe a little bit. It’s cool that we’ve shared memories on that rink together. We played together growing up. Just to see all the success that he’s having, he deserves it. He’s a hard-working guy. He’s one of the hardest-working guys I know. He loves the game. It’s cool to see him rewarded with his play.
SN: What makes him so challenging to face as a goaltender?
CH: Just how dynamic he is, how deceptive he is. He’s one of the best passers in the league. He has a good shot as well. He knows how to bury the puck. He’s an all-around, two-way player. Just the skill level he has. You look around at other guys in the league and he’s definitely the most-skilled player in the league. That’s why he’s so good.
SN: What stands out about your season – your last junior year?
CH: There are a lot of things – from winning a world junior gold medal to making a run to the Western league finals. I’ve never played that long in my life. Playing hockey until the middle of May was the longest for me. Just the run that we had to the players that we had. Our group in Everett was really close. The group of guys we had, I loved playing with them. It was a lot of fun playing there. It was a good way to close the year off. It wasn’t the ultimate goal that we wanted. We just came up short there, which was pretty disappointing. But we still accomplished a lot as a group.
SN: Most people thought Tri-City, Spokane and Portland were the best teams in the U.S. Division. Were you surprised by the year your team had?
CH: We had a slow start there. We came together more after that once we got fully healthy and we got used to our new coach, Dennis (Williams). Things started to click. Our group was really tight. That was probably our biggest reason for success. We just had a lot of fun with the game. … It didn’t feel like we were playing in the Western league finals because we were just playing with our teammates. It was just like playing hockey with our buddies.
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SN: What are your expectations for next year when you turn pro?
CH: It’s a huge summer ahead of me. I’m trying to get bigger, stronger and faster to make the jump up next year. My goal is to play in the NHL next year. But if that doesn’t happen, I have a good spot in (AHL) Lehigh Valley, hopefully. I just got back from there. From what I hear from other guys and from what I’ve experienced, it’s one of the nicer places to play in the American league with the setup they have, the locker room they have, and the rink they have. Either way, I’m in a good spot there. I’m looking forward to the challenge next year and for the opportunity. I just have to work hard this summer and be prepared for training camp in September.
SN: The Flyers have a tough history with goaltenders. Do you think you’re primed to be the guy for the organization?
CH: I want to be the guy for the organization. But at the same time, there’s no added pressure from anyone – from management or from fans. I just have to go in there and do my job. My job is to stop pucks. If I just go in there, and not worry about anything else, and not worry about what anyone else thinks of me … the only thing that matters is when I step out on that ice, what I think of myself. If I just keep those distractions to the side, and just worry about focusing on my play, I think I’ll be OK.
