Carter Hart leave of absence (WARNING: don't speculate. DON'T speculate.)

[Beantown Beatdown]

Hang in there buddy.

Thank you. Really.

 

[PaulD]

Limited work load. Isn’t ready to handle the strong workload, and I think the Flyers are going to regress to where many thought they’d be.

I dont
Half the league is getting by with unsatisfactory goaltending.
Flyers will be fine. Playoff bound team

 

[TNT87]

All the very best to him with whatever he is going through.

 

[Sigh]

Thank you. Really.

Anytime amigo. I get it, 2023 literally almost killed me. If you ever need to chat, I'm here.

 

[ijuka]

Right before the game started? Why not right after the previous one?

 

[A1LeafNation]

Limited work load. Isn’t ready to handle the strong workload, and I think the Flyers are going to regress to where many thought they’d be.

This kid will help...

 

[krutovsdonut]

Revise is to "Since this is a personal matter we ask everyone to respect his and the Flyers privacy at this time".

Just sounds a lot better than "We have no further statements at this time"

why would you assume it's appropriate to ask people to respect hart's privacy?

 

[Strangle]

Nothing at all wrong with privacy, fans are only owed what happens on the ice, which is what they pay for.

Everything else is none of your business.

Hope it works out for him

 

[jetsforever]

Interesting, hope he's alright and able to return to form when he comes back

 

[TheNumber4]

Riveting discussion in here. It’s like I stopped at Hallmark and just started reading all the Cards.

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Why we have a thread about it and not locked one, if we can't speculate? What's the point?

What are we supposed to say? What's the point of a hockey forum where you can't speculate or discuss?

Hopefully he comes back soon and resolves his issues but this thread makes no sense on a hockey forum where you are supposed to discuss things.

 

[Gregor Samsa]

Why we have a thread about it and not locked one, if we can't speculate? What's the point?

What are we supposed to say? What's the point of a hockey forum where you can't speculate or discuss?

Hopefully he comes back soon and resolves his issues but this thread makes no sense on a hockey forum where you are supposed to discuss things.

I’m pretty sure it’s speculating about a certain incident that isn’t allowed. Things will go downhill quickly but on the other hand it shouldn’t be swept under a rug. I don’t envy mods for when the incident comes up. There is a fine line

 

[GrumpyKoala]

Why we have a thread about it and not locked one, if we can't speculate? What's the point?

What are we supposed to say? What's the point of a hockey forum where you can't speculate or discuss?

Hopefully he comes back soon and resolves his issues but this thread makes no sense on a hockey forum where you are supposed to discuss things.

We can speculate about if speculating is gracious and considerate.

HF board is about discussing thoses philosophical conundrum, barbaric hockey is just a facade that procure a safe space to do so.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

Shouldn't some speculation or at least contextualization be helpful to the masses?

I think we deserve it

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

I’m pretty sure it’s speculating about a certain incident that isn’t allowed. Things will go downhill quickly but on the other hand it shouldn’t be swept under a rug. I don’t envy mods for when the incident comes up. There is a fine line

It's like avoiding the elephant in the room. It's not easy situation, but feel like there should be some place where should be able to discuss these? I guess it might be a mod nightmare.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

It's like avoiding the elephant in the room. It's not easy situation, but feel like there should be some place where should be able to discuss these? I guess it might be a mod nightmare.

There is clearly a media gag order, I didn't think it would extend to HF boards. I get where the mods are coming from, but why allow the thread if it is just going to be sugarcoated? I want there to be a speculation thread and a non speculation thread lol

 

[Gregor Samsa]

It's like avoiding the elephant in the room. It's not easy situation, but feel like there should be some place where should be able to discuss these? I guess it might be a mod nightmare.

Server might crash when the report is actually released and those threads will probably be a shitshow

 

[oilexport]

He can come back home to Edmonton. He will have lots of support and the right people to help. That much I know. Tough days ahead for these boys. Life lessons for sure.

 

[Gregor Samsa]

He can come back home to Edmonton. He will have lots of support and the right people to help. That much I know. Tough days ahead for these boys. Life lessons for sure.

I saw a poster in another thread saying he did a deep dive in to Edmontonian lore regarding this and now I see this post with “oiler” in the username so my curiosity is definitely piqued. Are people privy to stuff out there?

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Server might crash when the report is actually released and those threads will probably be a shitshow

That's guaranteed.

 

[Rich Nixon]

Again, take from it what you will.

Will be interesting to watch the Flyers broadcast tonight. They're a funny organization: They're part of a media and communications company, they more-or-less own most of their local media coverage, and they hired one of their own media personalities to head the team distinctly because they wanted him controlling the narrative around the team.

They certainly narrative'd the hell out of the Gauthier trade two weeks ago, flooding their own broadcast and media outlets with Jones, Briere and CEO Hilferty chanting the company line ("he didn't want to be a Flyer!"). Tonight they'll play a game that is once again a secondary story to something else going on around the team. How they address this tonight during their broadcast will be very telling.

So, on this front:

In Philly, the broadcast is the mouthpiece of the organization. They are one in the same, and though team ownership relationships are becoming more common (see: Fenway Sports Group), the Flyers wrote the book on this. Ed Snider was the first to start a regional sports broadcast network, the predecessor to what are now the NBC Sports local channels. The Caps and Sharks play their games on NBC Sports channels, but the teams weren't founded or owned by the same entity.

When you listen to Jim Jackson and whatever ex-player stooge call a game on TV, you are listening to management's bullet points (last couple years: TORTS + TUFF TO PLAY AGAINST). You'll never hear anything remotely critical of management or ownership decisions. It's more corporate PR than standard homerism. Jones moving from the NBC Sports Philadelphia booth to the team president role displays how things work at the cable conglomerate's hockey team.

The Flyers broadcast spent very, very little time on this. The pregame show started with the host reading the statement and immediately transitioned to talking about how Ersson was going to be tested. The much-hyped (supposed) future of Flyers goaltending just took a leave of absence during a playoff push and they might have spent 35 seconds on the subject.

They of course also mentioned it at the top of the game broadcast, and once again read the statement and instantly transitioned to talking about Ersson having a larger workload going forward. "A real test" and "a big opportunity" and "the team has confidence in Sam Ersson" were refrains throughout the night. A shot of Cal Peterson on the bench. They had a good game to broadcast, so it was easier to avoid. Once again, no well wishes or passing words of support to indicate a mental health leave.

In postgame, didn't get a ton of questions or answers from players. Hart's roommate, Cam York, was asked about it and mentioned that he'd miss him and that he's one of his best friends and that the situation sucks. Morgan Frost was asked about it and flatly said "I'm not gonna comment on that." Most other players weren't asked. A beat tried to ease Ersson into talking about it by asking if they fell down 2-0 in the first because "their focus maybe wasn't there" and he just ignored that concept and talked about how they needed to stay out of the box.

John Tortorella held a quiet 49-second press conference in which he answered one question about why they lost and fielded a softball "with Carter out, how confident are you in Sam" question by saying "Sam's played very well, totally confident in Sam" before walking away.

Carter Hart has been a mercurial keeper and has spoken openly about his extensive work with a sports psychologist over the years. A mental health situation, or any other type of personal hardship, is highly plausible. I'm just telling you how this is being presented by the team, which tonight was a very firm and consistent no comment. Compared to the hardcore press blitz the Flyers did two weeks ago in the wake of the Cutter Gauthier news, this was a stark difference.

 

[Gregor Samsa]

So, on this front:

In Philly, the broadcast is the mouthpiece of the organization. They are one in the same, and though team ownership relationships are becoming more common (see: Fenway Sports Group), the Flyers wrote the book on this. Ed Snider was the first to start a regional sports broadcast network, the predecessor to what are now the NBC Sports local channels. The Caps and Sharks play their games on NBC Sports channels, but the teams weren't founded or owned by the same entity.

When you listen to Jim Jackson and whatever ex-player stooge call a game on TV, you are listening to management's bullet points (last couple years: TORTS + TUFF TO PLAY AGAINST). You'll never hear anything remotely critical of management or ownership decisions. It's more corporate PR than standard homerism. Jones moving from the NBC Sports Philadelphia booth to the team president role displays how things work at the cable conglomerate's hockey team.

The Flyers broadcast spent very, very little time on this. The pregame show started with the host reading the statement and immediately transitioned to talking about how Ersson was going to be tested. The much-hyped and (supposed) future of Flyers goaltending just took a leave of absence during a playoff push and they might have spent 35 seconds on the subject.

They of course also mentioned it at the top of the game broadcast, and once again read the statement and instantly transitioned to talking about Ersson having a larger workload going forward. "A real test" and "a big opportunity" and "the team has confidence in Sam Ersson" were refrains throughout the night. A shot of Cal Peterson on the bench. They had a good game to broadcast, so it was easier to avoid. Once again, no well wishes or passing words of support to indicate a mental health leave.

In postgame, didn't get a ton of questions or answers from players. Hart's roommate, Cam York, was asked about it and mentioned that he'd miss him and that he's one of his best friends and that the situation sucks. Morgan Frost was asked about it and flatly said "I'm not gonna comment on that." Most other players weren't asked. A beat tried to ease Ersson into talking about it by asking if they fell down 2-0 in the first because "their focus maybe wasn't there" and he just ignored that concept and talked about how they needed to stay out of the box.

Carter Hart has been a mercurial keeper and has spoken openly about his extensive work with a sports psychologist over the years. A mental health situation, or any other type of personal hardship, is highly plausible. I'm just telling you how this is being presented by the team, which tonight was a very firm and consistent no comment. Compared to the hardcore press blitz the Flyers did two weeks ago in the wake of the Cutter Gauthier news, this was a stark difference.

This does feel a little ominous and lots of little things don’t bode well. Perhaps we are reading too much into it though. If a player had a breakdown or something but didn’t want the world to know he did, would the media and teammates go about it differently? He’s been open about his struggles before but that doesn’t mean he’s necessarily be open every time, especially if it’s still ongoing. Things definitely don’t feel right though

 

[Rich Nixon]

This does feel a little ominous and lots of little things don’t bode well. Perhaps we are reading too much into it though. If a player had a breakdown or something but didn’t want the world to know he did, would the media and teammates go about it differently? He’s been open about his struggles before but that doesn’t mean he’s necessarily be open every time, especially if it’s still ongoing. Things definitely don’t feel right though

I agree completely. It's just stood out to me how utterly mum they have been about everything. We've seen a good number of players take leaves of absence recently, but they've almost always been accompanied by top-line reasoning and statements of team support. I am interested to hear Briere speak tomorrow.

 

[Gregor Samsa]

I agree completely. It's just stood out to me how utterly mum they have been about everything. We've seen a good number of players take leaves of absence recently, but they've almost always been accompanied by top-line reasoning and statements of team support. I am interested to hear Briere speak tomorrow.

Definitely. I’m sure the Flyers and Comcast have an army of top notch PR people. Their wording will be very careful, I’d imagine. It will be interesting to see if they start distancing themselves or speaking about him in a way that seems like the past tense. I doubt Briere says anything juicy because he knows it will be carefully analyzed

But then again, if he was in a dark place and embarrassed about being in a dark place, would they go about it any differently or would they respect is privacy? It’s always easier to talk about dark times when they’re in the rear view mirror, or they’re downplayed.

I think if this is something bad, it’s coming soon

 

[mr figgles]

Is it just me or does the statement from Briere (Flyers) feel....cold?

Like no we wish him well or anything like that. Just "The Club will have no further comment at this time."

At least the Flames statement had something long the lines that he was working with mental health professionals and the sort.

Needless to say, hope everything with Hart is ok and he gets the help he needs. Going through depression/mental health issues really sucks and can severly affect the person and everyone around them.

There‘s a very good reason for that