Cooper Black Is 6-Foot-9, and Nobody in the NHL Was Ready For What He Did

Florida Panthers rookie goalie Cooper Black, standing a colossal 6-feet-9, didn’t just play his first NHL game on Thursday night, he absolutely rewrote the league’s record books. He became the tallest goaltender to ever appear in a regular-season game, making history the moment he skated onto the PPG Paints Arena ice for pregame warmups.

The Panthers called up the 25-year-old Black from their AHL affiliate in Charlotte after Jacob Markstrom went down with a shoulder injury, and the rookie seized his opportunity. His towering 6-foot-9 frame beats out other NHL giants like Ben Bishop, Ivan Fedotov, Mads Sogaard, and Mikko Koskinen, all listed at 6-foot-7. That’s two full inches of pure net-filling power! You have to wonder what it’s like for shooters looking at a guy that size. Black certainly made his mark, even taking fewer strides than most rookies during the traditional alone-on-ice lap, a perk of having such long legs.

Black’s journey to the NHL wasn’t just about his size, though his incredible growth spurt played a part. The Alpen, Michigan native started playing at age eight, and then between his junior and senior years of high school, he shot up five inches, going from 6-0 to 6-5, and just kept on growing! It took a few years to get to the NHL, but Black’s first period performance was excellent. He stopped Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang on a wrist shot with his blocker pad about two minutes in and then turned aside a breakaway opportunity from Penguins forward Rickard Rakell. He eventually gave up a goal to Nick Robertson, who beat him to the glove side. Panthers head coach Paul Maurice is clearly a fan, praising Black’s development. Florida signed Black as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2024, and he truly blossomed last season in Charlotte, posting a 25-13-4 record with a 2.47 goals against average and a .903 save percentage. Maurice even joked about his size, saying, “A man that size, it takes a long time to grow into that body. I think he’s done.”

The Panthers found something special in this undrafted rookie. Black’s journey from an 8-year-old kid in Alpen, Michigan, through a massive growth spurt, to an NHL history-maker is just getting started. If his debut is any indication, Florida fans have a whole lot to look forward to with this towering presence in net.

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From the source Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.