Carter Hart on ‘no means no’ chants in Carolina during Stanley Cup Final: ‘It’s just noise’

LAS VEGAS — Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart, speaking Saturday for the first time since the start of the Stanley Cup Final, called the “no means no” chants directed at him by Carolina Hurricanes fans “just noise.”

Hart was one of five players on Canada’s 2018 World Juniors hockey team to be acquitted on charges of sexual assault by the Ontario Superior Court on July 24, 2025. All five players were suspended by the NHL for what the league called “deeply troubling and unacceptable” behavior, regardless of the verdict, in a statement released after their reinstatement.

“In relying on both our own investigation, and the conclusions reached by (Justice Maria Carroccia) in her opinion, and the players’ acquittal, the League has determined that the conduct at issue falls woefully short of the standards and values that the League and its Member Clubs expect and demand,” the NHL statement read.

Fans at Lenovo Center in Raleigh have intermittently broken out the chant in all three Hurricanes home games, including at least twice during Carolina’s 4-2 Game 5 win on Thursday night.

“It’s just noise. I mean, both atmospheres and both buildings have been really loud and just a lot of fun to play in,” Hart told reporters on Saturday. “Yeah, just noise.”

Carolina is up 3-2 in the series and can clinch the title on Sunday. Through three rounds, Hart had established himself as a contender for the Conn Smythe Trophy, given to the most valuable player in the playoffs. Against the Hurricanes, though, he has struggled, becoming the first goaltender in history to allow four goals in the first four games of the Stanley Cup Final, then allowing four in Vegas’ Game 5 loss, as well.

Hart, Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé and Cal Foote had been charged with sexual assault in connection with an alleged incident in June 2018 in which a woman known publicly as E.M. — her identity is protected by a publication ban — said she was sexually assaulted over the span of several hours in a London, Ontario, hotel room.

The players were initially charged and ruled ineligible by the NHL in January 2024. Hart, then the starting goaltender for the Philadelphia Flyers, was the most established player among the group, but the Flyers did not tender him a qualifying offer in the summer of 2024, allowing him to become a free agent. He joined Vegas ahead of the 2025-26 season.

On June 1, as part of the NHL’s pre-Stanley Cup Final media day, Hart was asked by The Athletic what he meant in October, when he mentioned learning and growth since the verdict, and whether that had continued in the ensuing months.

“I’ve learned a lot,” Hart said. “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.

“And it’s a great culture of people, and like I said, I met a lot of cool people, and I’m just very fortunate to be here in Las Vegas and with this group.”

A member of the Golden Knights’ communications team ended Hart’s availability immediately after that answer, cutting off a follow-up attempt. He’d spoken for approximately six minutes of what was scheduled to be a 15-minute block and then went 12 days before his next session in front of the media.