Las Vegas Golden Knights goalie Carter Hart had a particularly challenging time during the first two games of the NHL Playoffs in North Carolina last week, as fans of the home team chanted “No means no” at him throughout both games.
The chant was planned on the Caroline Hurricanes fan subreddit before the series began, as a way to get under the goalie’s skin and distract the Vegas team.
Hart was one of five members of Canada's World Junior Championship gold-medal team to be acquitted of sexual assault charges in 2025, just before signing his contract with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Hart and the additional players were accused of assaulting a woman known as EM in Ontario in 2018, and he was the only one to sign on to the NHL following the trial.
When he was originally signed, the Golden Knights said in a statement on X/Twitter that they "remain committed to the core values that have defined our organization from its inception and expect that our players will continue to meet these standards moving forward".
“Here’s the thing: whether he is guilty or not, by moral or legal standards, is irrelevant to the Canes (Carolina Hurricanes) fans using it to get under his skin in a Stanley Cup Finals series. You think the players aren’t saying similar s*** (and probably much worse) on the ice?” one fan commented after videos from the Game 1 chant.
“This is definitely the case. I bet [Connor] Bedard still gets chirps about Corey Perry plowing his mom, despite no one actually believing that happened.”
Golden Knights will have to face Canes fans at least one more time to claim victory
Game 2 was no better for the Golden Knights, as the chants continued for each of Hart’s shifts on the ice.
Despite leading the series, it was clear that Hart and the Golden Knights were relieved to be home for Monday’s Game 3, when the roars of the crowd drowned out Canes’ fans' attempts to keep the chant going.
“Just really fortunate to be here in Vegas,” Hart told reporters. “It’s a great culture of people.”
The Golden Knights are currently leading the series 2-1, with Game 4 set to be held on Tuesday at their home base of T-Mobile Arena. However, as a series continues until one team wins four games, Hart and the Knights will find themselves back in Carolina’s Lenovo Center on Thursday.