After the clock struck zero with the fans going crazy, after seeing the one, the only Carter Hart rejoicing with his fellow teammates in a 3-2 Flyers victory over the Detroit Red Wings. It was a spectacular night. Jennifer Maggio captured this great shot that I’m sure brought tears, but tears of joy to the Hart Family:
@JameyBaskow as promised… pic.twitter.com/yYiCpm6AfB
— Jennifer Maggio (@GagneGirl12) December 19, 2018
The proud orange clad fans left the stadium happy for once. It felt like that good old pond hockey was back in Philadelphia for one glorious night. The future in Hart was very good from puck drop. He back stopped 20 saves, and finished the game with a whopping .909 Save Percentage. What more could the fans ask for. Some were worried he wasn’t ready, and needed more time. But, Hart played well, and so did the Defense in front of him.
Kudos to the great fans of Philadelphia for giving standing ovations for the team and Hart. It's been a tough few months for us all, but we stuck it out. Hart is here, let's embrace these times. He's the man. #Flyers #LetsGoFlyers #FlyersTalk
— Jamey Baskow (@JameyBaskow) December 19, 2018
Does Interim Head Coach Scott Gordon deserve kudos? Absolutely. The lack of Special teams before he took over was quite frustrating. Both the Power Play (29th best in NHL) and Penalty Kill (30th in the NHL) were killing the Flyers in the early going of the season. With Hart between the pipes for now at least, finally the Flyers have a stable netminder to aid the Penalty Kill. The Goaltender is the most important Penalty Killer, and although the Flyers did surrender a power play goal against the Red Wings. Things actually seemed bright, as the Flyers looked more aggressive on the PK. Hopefully, the Penalty Killing Percentage drops, as Gordon had the second best Penalty Kill in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Scott Gordon in his first game behind the bench gives our most consistent Defenseman this season 20 minutes of ice time. Travis Sanheim gathered 21:06 of ice time. Bout time. #Flyers #FlyersTalk #LetsGoFlyers
— Jamey Baskow (@JameyBaskow) December 19, 2018
Defense right? The Defense was phenomenal in front of Hart. They limited the Red Wings to just 22 shots on net, with Hart back stopping 20 of them. But, this was one of the Flyers best Defensive efforts of the season. Travis Sanheim had 21:06 of ice time for the game, and he looked very composed with Ivan Provorov as his partner. Radko Gudas and Robert Hagg hit everything that moved, while both finished the game with 3 hits a piece. It takes five players to play Defense, and they did just that on this one special night, “The kid is giving us something right now,” Shayne Gostisbehere said. “He’s giving us some energy, a jolt, something this team desperately needed.”
Was Hart nervous before the game absolutely, but he looked calm as a cucumber throughout the course of the game, ”I remember the feeling I had before the game. I was pretty nervous before the game, and once the buzzer went off it was just a dream. It was really cool to be out there, and have the fans cheering, and to get all the support from the boys. It was a lot of fun.”
This one special night was not only special for the Flyers, and their fans. But, it was special for Hart and his family. Hart’s family I’m sure shed many tears throughout the game, not just any tears, but tears of joy. To see their son excel on the ice in his first NHL game I’m sure was quite special. To see all that hard work of taking Carter to the rink when he was younger, making sacrifice after sacrifice for him to play hockey. Yup, this is the greatest game on Earth.
“I was trying not to think about it too much before the game and just prepare like any other game. Now it’s starting to sink in a little bit when I saw my mom on TV there and my billet, Parker, and my dad, who all made the trip. I’m just lucky to get to share this experience with people who have supported me my whole life, and have sacrificed a lot for me,” Hart said following the game. One thing is certain Flyers fans, the future is bright in Flyerland.
Tears joy for the Hart family this holiday season. Seeing your son excel on the ice in his first career NHL start. I'm sure it brought tears, but tears of joy. Congratulations to the Hart family. #Flyers #LetsGoFlyers #FlyersTalk
— Jamey Baskow (@JameyBaskow) December 19, 2018
OUR FUTURE
You only get one first win. Enjoy it. #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/YrVrjIOkgk
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) December 19, 2018
Mandatory Photo Credit: Alex Mclntyre
