Flyers Goalie Has a Hart-warming Reunion With Longtime Fan
Carter Hart got to play in front of friends and family during his homecoming against the Oilers, including a very important young fan.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports - Flyers Goalie Has a Hart-warming Reunion With Longtime FanThere is a significant reason why Carter Hart wears No. 79.
It all started when Hart began playing in the WHL for the Everett Silvertips in 2014. Like many hockey teams, the Silvertips had fans line up by the tunnel where players entered and exited the ice, hoping for a high-five or a fist bump from their heroes. Connor Parkkila, a young fan with high-functioning autism, was one such face in the crowd.
Parkkila, now 11, has been attending Silvertips games since he was about three weeks old. His parents, April and Will, have been season-ticket holders since the 2004-05 season, and the family developed a close relationship with Hart during his four seasons in Everett.
When Hart was called up to the Flyers' rookie development camp in 2018, he was given No. 79, following the standard practice of giving the newer guys higher numbers. Most players that move up the ranks change their numbers to something lower. However, Connor had gotten a Silvertips jersey made with his favorite player's name and new number on the back, which Hart said was "probably the only [Hart 79 jersey] in existence at the time."
Not wanting his biggest fan to have to go out and buy a new jersey, the 25-year-old decided to keep No. 79 as he entered the NHL. The family "never expected him to keep that number."
"He's just a down-to-earth kid that gets it," April said about Hart during a 2019 visit to Philadelphia.
"I still think of Carter in some ways as a Silvertip," she added. "I know he's a pro hockey player now, but to me, he's just one of the same hometown boys that we got to watch play with the Silvertips. Carter is still the same kid. Still the same young man."
Hart got the chance to play in front of many family and friends on Jan. 2 as the Flyers took on the Edmonton Oilers in the goalie's hometown. Of course, the Parkkila family were in attendance to show their support as well.
Hart was one of the few bright spots in the Flyers' 5-2 loss to the Oilers, making 31 saves, including some showstoppers that saved his team from losing by an even bigger margin.
The character Hart displayed on the ice, as well as his commitment to maintaining his connection with his roots, cements what April Parkkila has always known about the Flyers' franchise goalie: "We couldn't be more thankful for the role model that Carter is for our son."