Carolina Hurricanes fans were at it again on Thursday night, serenading Golden Knights goalie Carter Hart with a chant that is likely to follow him for the rest of his career — like it or not.
The Vegas goaltender, who was acquitted last year in Ontario of sexual assault, had a chant of “No means no” once directed at him during the second game of the Stanley Cup Final in Raleigh, N.C.
In video posted by The Athletic, the chant can be heard loud and clear during the game and, according to the outlet, could also be heard on the Sportsnet broadcast while the action took place at the opposite end of the ice from Hart.
Fans at the Lenovo Center had verbally bombarded the goalie several times during Game 1 of the series.
Hart and four other members of the 2018 Canadian world junior hockey team were accused of sexually assaulting a woman in London, Ont., during a party.
After a long and highly publicized trial, the five players were acquitted by Justice Maria Carroccia and had their suspensions lifted by the NHL as of Dec. 1, 2025.
Hart is the lone player of the five accused – who also included Dillon Dube, Alex Formenton, Cal Foote and Michael McLeod – to re-sign with an NHL team, having officially signed with Vegas on Oct. 24, 2025.
Foote signed with the Carolina Hurricanes’ AHL team, the Chicago Wolves, in December 2025.
What happened in the game?
While Hart and the Golden Knights had been able to get the last laugh in Game 1 — Vegas bounced back after going down 2-0 in the first period, to score a 5-4 win and draw first blood — Carolina played the comeback kids Thursday.
Seth Jarvis was the hero, scoring 3:56 into overtime as the Hurricanes evened up the championship series at one game apiece.
Jarvis one-timed a pass from Shayne Gostisbehere over the outstretched blocker of Hart on a power play, seconds after captain Jordan Staal drew a tripping penalty off of Game 1 hero Tomas Hertl.
Carolina had trailed 2-0 heading into the third period before scoring three times in the final frame. However, Mark Stone evened things with just over a minute to play and sent things to OT.
Hart made 22 saves on 26 shots in the loss.
The former Philadelphia Flyers goalie has played well since joining Vegas, posting a record of 11-3-3 in the regular season with a 2.71 GAA.
During the playoffs, he has gone 13-5 while improving his GAA to 2.41 and his save percentage to a remarkable .915.
The series now shifts for the next two games to the desert , where Hart isn’t likely to feel as much heat from the fans in attendance. Game 3 is set for Saturday and Game 4 goes Tuesday, June 9. With the series knotted at one game apiece, hockey fans are assured of having a fifth game, which will take place back in Carolina on Thursday, June 11.
Why was Hart’s press conference cut short?
The repeated chants aren’t the only controversy surrounding Hart at the Stanley Cup Final.
The goaltender had a press conference cut short on Monday after answering a question relating to the Hockey Canada trial.
“On Monday, as part of the NHL’s pre-Final media day, Hart was asked one such question by The Athletic, about what he meant in October when he mentioned learning and growth since the verdict, and whether that had continued in the ensuing months,” The Athletic’s Sean Gentile reported.
“I’ve learned a lot,” Hart responded. “I’ve grown a lot since then. And I’ve been able to meet a lot of good people in the community, and I think the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation has done a really good job of making it easy for me to integrate into the community and meet a lot of cool people and – just really fortunate to be here in Vegas.”
According to the outlet, a Golden Knights staff member then immediately ended Hart’s availability after the question, preventing any follow-ups.
What about the Free Alberta shirt?
Hart stirred up controversy on a different front last month when he appeared in a post that went viral on social media.
In an image posted on X, Hart is seen giving one of his sticks to a young student who made his way from Chicago to Sin City with a sign saying he just passed high school finals.
The otherwise touching moment was upstaged by Hart — a native of Sherwood Park, Alta. — taking the opportunity to give his nation the shaft by promoting the controversial slogan.
Free Alberta would appear to be aligned with the movement promoting Alberta separatism, which recent polls indicate two-thirds of Albertans oppose.
— With Gerry Moddejonge files