I had an extended conversation with Everett Silvertips goaltender Carter Hart after he was named the WHL Goaltender of the Year last week. None of this made it into the story, but I thought it was worth putting on the blog.
For starters, Hart’s trademark humility was on display. He always wants to credit his teammates for playing well in front of him, and having a solid defense in front of you can make a big difference. Just look at how Landon Bow blossomed after going from Swift Current to Seattle.
Hart also lauded the effort turned in by his competition for the award, Zach Sawchenko of Moose Jaw. Sawchenko and Hart are buddies, and the two will be training with each other this summer in the Edmonton area.
Hart went on to reiterate how the 2015-16 Silvertips team exceeded the expectations of everyone. Everyone that is, except themselves.
“It’s a testament to the program that we’ve got going down in Everett,” he said. “Two years in a row we’ve been pretty successful. It wasn’t the result that we wanted to end up with – losing the last two years in the second round. But when you look at what people thought about us at the beginning of the year not many people counted us to be in the running.
“When you look back and you see what we accomplished I’m very proud to be a part of that group,” he continued. “The reason we got so much done this year is because we had pretty much every guy buy in to our systems and just play Silvertip hockey and pay the price every night.”
I put him on the spot when I asked him about his favorite memories of the past season. He took a moment to think before recalling some of the sellout crowds that rocked Xfinity Arena from time to time.
“We had a couple showdowns in front of 8,000 people where we had a couple late goals to put us ahead and beat Seattle,” he said. “Those are always a lot of fun to be a part of. Playing front of so many awesome fans like those games we have against Portland or Seattle – rivalry nights – it’s awesome to have the support that we have, and we as players really thank the fans for coming out. It’s not as fun playing in front of an empty crowd.”
Hart said he took a few weeks off – “lots of golf and time at the lake” – before beginning his offseason training regimen. In June he’ll head to Buffalo, N.Y., for the NHL Draft, during which he’s expected to be taken in the second or third round. Hart also plans to spend some time training in Pennsylvania with Tips goalie coach Shane Clifford in July.
Then it will back to training camp in August as it all begins again.
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