Carter Hart Starts 2026 Stanley Cup Final for Vegas After 20-Month NHL Suspension
Updated
Updated · For The Win · Jun 2
Carter Hart Starts 2026 Stanley Cup Final for Vegas After 20-Month NHL Suspension
3 articles · Updated · For The Win · Jun 2
Four wins from a championship, Carter Hart has emerged as the Golden Knights' starting goaltender in the 2026 Stanley Cup Final despite the scrutiny that followed him to Vegas.
Hart had taken an indefinite leave from Philadelphia in 2024 over the Hockey Canada sexual assault case, then became an unrestricted free agent after the Flyers declined to qualify him.
A judge later found Hart and the other accused players not guilty, saying the evidence was not credible or reliable; the NHL still kept him suspended until Dec. 1, 2025.
Vegas signed Hart in October after what GM Kelly McCrimmon called a lengthy due-diligence process, and the club says he has integrated into the community and become central to its playoff run.
His prominent role in the Final keeps the Hockey Canada scandal in view even as Vegas tries to frame him as both cleared legally and vital on the ice.