The feeling when the puck went into the net?
"Just happiness," he said.
TV cameras caught Kartye's parents celebrating in the stands -- Todd in a Greyhounds hat, Richelle in a Firebirds hat and Kraken shirt.
"It was utter chaos in that moment in my mind, thinking the kid has come from so far, not being drafted, signing as a free agent, working his tail off so that he can produce, and when he finally got a chance, buried his chance," Todd said. "I'm a very proud parent right now as the father of my son right now. Tremendous feeling."
Richelle smiled.
"Tye has worked so hard to be here, and we are just so proud of him," she said. "All of the effort and work he's put into what he loves to do is finally paying off."
* * * * *
Kartye did more than score. He had three hits in 8:42 of ice time and drew praise for his all-around effort.
"All game long, he was all over the place," Kraken forward Yanni Gourde said. "He was in everyone's grill. He was on the forecheck, on the backcheck. He was great in the 'D' zone. He finished every hit he had. He came up and he played the big, big, big minutes. And great goal by him. Obviously to get your first NHL goal in the playoffs in Game 5, it's pretty remarkable, and my hat's off to him."
Coach Dave Hakstol said Kartye didn't seem wowed by the situation, and that's why the Kraken felt comfortable playing him.
"It's not about the goal that he scored tonight," Hakstol said. "Like, that's great instincts for him to be in that spot, to find that space, and a great play by 'Ebs' to get it to him. But he also has pretty good instincts in other areas, kind of the hard areas of the game, on the wall, getting out of the zone. Those areas, he's got pretty good instincts, and he's obviously worked to be comfortable in those situations. So good for him, happy for him, proud of him, and obviously he helped us get a win tonight."
Afterward, Kartye sat on a podium in a press conference, trying to sum up a dream come true.
"It's pretty crazy," he said. "It was a whirlwind. But I've been working hard for a long time, and it feels pretty good."