The Florida Panthers turned to a record-breaker in net Thursday night. Rookie goalie Cooper Black, all 6-foot-9 of him, made his NHL debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins — becoming the tallest goaltender ever to play in an NHL regular-season game, two inches taller than the previous mark shared by Ben Bishop, Ivan Fedotov, Mads Sogaard and Mikko Koskinen.
Cooper Black (Credits: ESPN / Getty Images)
Cooper Black: NHL’s Tallest Goalie Makes History in Debut
Black, 25, skated onto the PPG Paints Arena ice alone for the rookie’s traditional solo warmup lap — and, as the AP noted, it took him fewer strides than most. Called up from Florida’s AHL affiliate in Charlotte after Jacob Markstrom went down with a shoulder injury (expected to miss 10-14 days), the Alpena, Michigan native had a strong first period: he denied Kris Letang’s wrist shot with his blocker pad about two minutes in and turned aside a Rickard Rakell breakaway before Nick Robertson beat him glove-side.
An Undrafted Climb to the NHL Record Books
Florida signed Black as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2024 after a Dartmouth collegiate career. He blossomed last season in Charlotte, posting a 25-13-4 record with a 2.47 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage. Head coach Paul Maurice praised his development: “A man that size, it takes a long time to grow into that body,” Maurice said — then laughed: “I think he’s done.” Black, who started playing at age 8 and shot up from 6-0 to 6-5 in a single high-school growth spurt, now has his shot at NHL history while Markstrom recovers.
Source: ESPN — read the full story there.
