The No. 79 isn't usually a selection you'd associate with a goaltender. No.1 or anything between No. 29-39 is much more common choice, but Carter Hart is far from the common goaltender.
The World Junior gold medalist and former WHL superstar has burst onto the scene and is one of the main reasons why the Philadelphia Flyers are climbing the ladder in the Eastern Conference in a quest to turnaround their early-season struggles and grab a hold of a wild card spot.
With back-to-back dates with the Detroit Red Wings over the weekend, Hart got the nod for both games. In Saturday's match, the Flyers nursed a 5-1 lead early in the third period, only to see it vanish, as Detroit scored five four straight including the game-tying goal from Anthony Mantha with seven seconds to play. The Flyers were still able to grab the extra point thanks to Travis Konecny's notching his second of the game as the overtime winner.
Blowing a 5-1 lead would leave a sour taste in a goaltender's mouth post-game, but Hart chose not to mope. Following his post-game interview, he waited for Connor Parkkila, a seven-year-old with autism who has followed Hart since his time with the Everett Silvertips of the WHL. The two friends shared a special moment in Hart's locker stall, sharing smiles and hugs.
At Hart's first development camp with the Flyers in the summer of 2016, the team handed the now 20-year-old a No. 79 practice jersey to wear. When Hart returned to Everett, Parkkila donned a No. 79 Flyers jersey.
Hart could've easily changed numbers once he made it to the NHL, but he chose to honour Parkkila's jersey.
It wasn't Hart's best performance in goal on Saturday, but away from the ice, he shared some brotherly love with the young boy.
And on Sunday, Hart led the Flyers to a 3-1 win over the Red Wings on the back of Hart's 37-save performance, bringing the team up to 63 points. They now trail their cross-state rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins by six points for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Hart is now 10-1-0 in his last eleven games and has earned his way into the Calder Trophy discussion with his strong play, all while being developing a calm, caring personality that could help Flyers fans forget about the team’s misfortunes in goal.
(h/t NBC Sports)
