No, Golden Knights' Hart isn't wearing helmet with photos of controversial celebrities

Caitlin Lilly, Las Vegas Review-Journal on Jun 5, 2026

Published in Hockey

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LAS VEGAS — No matter which team you’re rooting for in the Stanley Cup Final, there’s one thing fans on both sides can agree on: Just because it’s on social media doesn’t make it a fact.

That has proved especially true during the Golden Knights-Carolina Hurricanes series, where fake images circulating on social media appear to show goalie Carter Hart’s helmet featuring references to controversial celebrities.

Several different versions of the altered helmet are being shared, including one image that shows the helmet featuring Bill Cosby, R. Kelly and President Donald Trump. A second version being shared prominently features O.J. Simpson.

While Hart does have pop-culture references on his helmet, none of the figures being mentioned in these social media posts are legitimately included. His actual helmet features images of actors Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Kurt Russell and Bill Paxton representing their roles from the 1993 film “Tombstone.”

The back of the helmet also includes the notable line from the film, “I’m your huckleberry.”

The altered helmet images are among other jabs against the Knights’ star goalie during the Stanley Cup Final.

In both Games 1 and 2 of the series, Hurricanes fans inside the Lenovo Center could be heard chanting “No means no!”

The chant refers to sexual assault allegations stemming from the 2018 Canadian World Junior team’s championship celebration in June 2018. Hart and four other players were acquitted of sexual assault in connection with the case.

The allegations have led to lingering vitriol across social media, where groups have discussed boycotting the Knights because they signed Hart, the Review-Journal previously reported