One day after a heartbreaking 5-4 shootout loss in the gold medal game at the World Junior championship, Team Canada goaltender Carter Hart arrived home at the Edmonton International Airport Friday morning disappointed but with his head held high.
“It’s still a bit tough to sink in but at the end of the day I’m very proud of everyone on that team. What we accomplished was amazing. Obviously it wasn’t what we wanted to get done but at the same time I’m still very proud of all of them,” the 18-year-old said.
Hart, from Sherwood Park, was in goal Thursday night in Montreal where 80 minutes of play weren’t enough to decide the game, sending it into a shootout.
U.S. goaltender Tyler Parsons stopped all five shots that came his way. American Troy Terry scored the only goal in the shootout, slipping the puck past Hart to clinch the gold medal for the U.S.
“It’s tough losing that way, in a shootout like that but it’s for the fans I guess, maybe they want to see that,” Hart said of the way the game ended.
“I think maybe if we had another overtime period, or like a playoff game where it’s just continuous overtime, but I don’t know. I don’t control that. I can’t control that. I just have to worry about my game and what I can control.”
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Fellow goaltender Connor Ingram was the first player to Hart’s side following the loss.
“He just came over and said, ‘don’t worry about it buddy. It’s all good’ and just gave me a couple taps on the shoulder to make me feel better. Connor’s a great teammate,” he said. “We’re both very supportive of each other… It’s always good to have a good tandem like that.”
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Hart said the atmosphere inside the Bell Centre, packed with 20,173 fans, was something he’s never experienced before.
“It was really loud. It was good to see all of the Canadian support out there. I’ve never played in something so loud before. In the third period and in overtime, everyone was on their feet and screaming,’ he said. “It was crazy.”
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Following the final Thursday night, Hart received messages of support from people across the country via social media and text. One message from Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby was particularly special.
“He is one of my idols so that was pretty cool to see,” he said. “He said not to beat yourself up over it and life goes on, don’t worry about it. Just learn from the experience and use it. So that’s pretty cool to get some advice from one of the best goaltenders in the NHL.”
Hart, who plays for the Western Hockey League’s Everett Silvertips, said he’s proud of what Team Canada accomplished at this year’s tournament – up four places from their sixth place finish in the 2016 tournament in Helsinki, Finland. While losing the gold medal still stings, he said the tournament is a memory he won’t soon forget.
“I’m just very grateful for this opportunity that I got. I had such a great time. It was one of the best experiences that I ever had in my life. Any time you get to play for Canada is always a lot of fun and it’s definitely something that I won’t forget.”
The bronze medal match between Russia and Sweden also went into overtime with the Russians coming out on top with a 2-1 victory.
The U.S. and Canada have faced each other four times in World Junior finals, with Canada taking the first in 1997 and the Americans winning the next three – including 2004 and 2010.
Canada has taken home gold at the World Juniors 16 times.
With files from The Canadian Press.
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