Vegas Golden Knights goalie Carter Hart was an emotional wreck after Game 6 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
As the Hurricanes celebrated their 3-0 win and Stanley Cup title victory at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., on Sunday, Hart was seen being consoled by his teammates on the other end of the ice.
Carter Hart surrounded by his teammates, visibly emotional after a 3–0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
— Armani Lingo (@armani_lingo8) June 15, 2026
Not the finish he or the Vegas Golden Knights wanted—but a run and a comeback story that won’t be forgotten.@VegasSportsTD #ForgedinGold|#StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/IOYJfocXny
The 27-year-old netminder must have felt he let his team down not just in Game 6 but in the entire series.
Not as sympathetic to Hart, however, were several fans online who took the opportunity to chastise the Golden Knights goaltender in part because of his past.
Horrible player and human.
— J (@flukeseasn) June 15, 2026
That's cause he sacked and lost them the cup. On top of being a terrible person, hopefully he is packing with torts
— Chris Scheneman (@rockabilychiper) June 15, 2026
Well he only gave up two goals this game…. That’s an improvement. pic.twitter.com/GoWsbkW4Gk
— Sean Ewing (@TruYeti64) June 15, 2026
It's called Karma. I love how Hart became the first goalie in league history to concede 4+ goals in each of the first five games of a Stanley Cup Final.
— Freedom009 (@madein67) June 15, 2026
— Matt Miller (@retsnom83) June 15, 2026
Hart struggled between the pipes in the Hurricanes series and is widely viewed as a key reason the Golden Knights lost. He allowed at least four goals in each of the first five games of the Stanley Cup Final, an embarrassing lowlight no goalie had previously recorded on such a stage.
Despite Hart’s troubles in front of the net, Vegas head coach John Tortorella stuck with him for the entirety of the series, never giving backup goalie Adin Hill a shot.
In his first playoffs with the Golden Knights, Hart went 14-8-0 with a 2.56 goals against average and posted a .909 save percentage in 22 starts.
