Carter Hart's highly scrutinized comeback has arrived at the Stanley Cup Final with Vegas

LAS VEGAS (AP) — No strangers to controversy, the Golden Knights know the spotlight is going to shine even brighter now that they are back in the Stanley Cup Final with a particular glare on goaltender Carter Hart. Hart is a major reason Vegas is playing for the Cup for the third time in their nine years and going after their second championship in four seasons. The first three opponents in the NHL playoffs failed to solve him, and now it will be up to Carolina — 12-1 in the playoffs — to take one last whack at finding a way to get pucks past Hart when that series opens Tuesday in Raleigh, North Carolina. Hart's very presence in the NHL generated discussions about whether he should even be allowed to suit up. He was one of five 2018 Canada world junior hockey players acquitted of sexual assault last July. The NHL ruled those players were eligible to sign deals beginning Oct. 15 and to play starting Dec. 1. Hart signed a two-year, $4 million contract with Vegas and hasn't looked back. Hart has emerged as a credible Conn Smythe Trophy candidate for playoff MVP. His interviews the past couple of months have been limited but he is likely to face questions about the case before Game 1. Golden Knights fans welcomed him from the beginning, clapping for him when he took the ice for the first time Dec. 2 against Chicago, some even bringing signs expressing their support. Those cheers have only grown during the club's Cup Final run; he receives among the loudest ovations when the starting lineup is introduced before home games. "Everybody here has been so awesome," Hart said after the Golden Knights swept Colorado in the Western Conference Final. "You see it every day with the fans. They show up at the rink and our practices. The support that we get is unbelievable. They're just so excited about the Vegas Golden Knights, and I'm so blessed to be here." Torts in his corner Vegas might have been the perfect spot for Hart to land. It's a franchise that isn't afraid to aggressively do what it can to win. Vegas also has a veteran locker room, and even more beneficial for Hart is that he is playing for a coach who knows him and strongly defends him as a person and a goalie. John Tortorella coached Hart in Philadelphia and was convinced the Flyers were turning into real contenders in the 2023-24 season when the league suspended the goalie along with the other four players involved in the scandal. So when the Golden Knights fired Bruce Cassidy with eight games left and replaced him with Tortorella, Hart knew he had an ally behind the bench. "I think he's a strong kid mentally," Tortorella said. "I certainly watched him when he came into the organization and played in his first couple of games, and I watched him play in an overtime game where he played really well. He's dialed in ... He was growing tremendously in Philly until he had to step out of the league, and he's right back at it." Cassidy had started Adin Hill, who backstopped the Golden Knights' 2023 Cup championship, down the stretch. One of Tortorella's first moves was to put Hart in net. "I loved playing for him in Philly," Hart said. "Super happy he's here." Future was in doubt The fact Hart is in Vegas was far from a sure thing last summer. He was one of the junior players charged in 2024 in connection with an incident in London, Ontario, that occurred six years earlier. The judge overseeing the trial said the prosecution did not meet the burden of proof to convict the players and that the allegations lacked the credibility to justify the charges. The NHL conducted its own investigation in 2022, and after the players were cleared of legal responsibility, the league announced they would be reinstated. With the league calling the players' actions "deeply troubling and unacceptable," there wasn't a rush by clubs to start signing them. The Hurricanes considered signing Hart and Michael McLeod, but ultimately decided to pass. Vegas had a different answer for Hart, agreeing to bring him aboard and later issued a statement about being "committed to the core values that have defined our organization from its inception." Hart read his own statement to reporters back then, saying he wanted "to show the community my true character and who I am and what I'm about." Rocky start with new club The return to action wasn't quite what Hart envisioned. He went 5-3-3 with a 3.23 goals-against average and .874 save percentage, and that wasn't even the worst of it. Hart suffered a lower-body injury during a Jan. 8 game against Columbus, taking him out of the lineup for nearly three months. Vegas' goaltending was, at best, inconsistent with Hill and Akira Schmid more or less sharing duties. Even with Hart expected to come back late in the season, there was little indication the Golden Knights would be able to rely on their goalies. Tortorella saw something different, starting Hart in six of the final eight games. Hart went 6-0 with a 1.67 GAA and .930 save percentage. Suddenly, there was no doubt who was the starting goalie. "He (spends) a long day at the rink with his preparation and making sure he's dialied (in)," defenseman Shea Theodore said. "It's just fun to watch." Rolling in the playoffs Hart has carried that strong play into the postseason. He is 12-4 with a 2.22 GAA and a .924 save percentage. He has won six starts in a row, including a sweep of Colorado against a team that led the league with 3.63 goals per game but was held to 1.75 by Hart and the Golden Knights defense. "I think he's just been getting more and more confident each game, each round he's played," forward Brett Howden said. "There's a lot of momentum in these rounds of games. Obviously, it's going to go back and forth. I feel like he does an unbelievable job of keeping us in the game. He'll bail us out if we need to be bailed out." The challenge doesn't get any easier, going against a Carolina team that outshot Montreal 139-67 over the final four games in the Eastern Conference Final. Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen has been stellar in the net this postseason, with a 1.41 GAA and .931 save percentage. Should the Hurricanes win the Cup, Andersen likely will be the one skating off with the Conn Smythe. Hart understands the challenge. "I have a lot of work to do," Hart said. "We've just got to prepare for the next game. We'll be ready for Game 1."