NEED TO KNOW

• Cooper Black made history as the tallest NHL goalie in the league’s 100-plus-year existence during his debut with the Florida Panthers on Thursday, Oct. 22

• The rookie made 18 saves in a 4-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in his first NHL game

• The undrafted Dartmouth alum joined the Panthers in 2024 and was called up after Jacob Markstrom’s shoulder injury

Cooper Black is taking hockey to new heights.

Making his NHL debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday, Oct. 22, the 25-year-old Florida Panthers goaltender — who stands six-foot-nine — made history as the tallest keeper in the league’s 100-plus-year existence.

Black stands above four goaltenders listed at six-foot-seven, beating out the competition by two inches. They include former Dallas Stars player Ben Bishop, retired New York Islanders player Mikko Koskinen, former Philadelphia Flyers player Ivan Fedotov and Mads Sogaard of the Tampa Bay Lightning organization.

“That’s a big lad, and he moves like an athlete,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said of Black. “A man that size, it takes a long time to grow into that body... I think he’s done,” he said with a laugh before the game.

Black was signed by the Panthers as an undrafted free agent on April 2, 2024, after he played college hockey at Dartmouth College. Following his signing, the goalie — who hails from Alpena, Mich. — made his pro debut with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers early that season.

In a video made for the organization, Black confirmed he weighs 250 pounds. “I put on a little bit of weight. A couple extra bowls of ice cream,” he said with a laugh, confirming he gained 10 more pounds since the previous season ahead of his NHL debut.

Black, who started playing hockey when he was eight years old, had a five-inch growth spurt between his junior and senior years in high school. He shot up from six foot to six-foot-five and kept on going in the years that followed.

Making 18 saves in a 4-0 loss to the Penguins, Black opened up in a post-game scrum about the full-circle moment of getting to play with veteran athletes during his debut.

“It’s cool right, growing up, all the guys you kind of saw and watched as a kid, even as a goalie... Cool experience to play against the guys, would have been nicer to win,” Black told reporters after the game. “To get out there and play with these guys... some great players, cool experience.”

Black expressed his gratitude for his parents’ support throughout his career, especially leading up to this milestone moment in the NHL. However, he joked that he “purposely didn’t” look for them in the crowd while he played.

“I know for my parents, it’s going to be pretty awesome,” he said of uniting with his parents after playing his first NHL game. “They sacrificed a lot for me to get to where I am, you know money and time and effort overall. I wouldn’t be here without them so, I just really appreciate what they did for me.”

Black was called up from Florida’s AHL affiliate after Jacob Markstrom went down with a shoulder injury. About two minutes in, the rookie stopped Penguins defenseman Kris Letang with his blocker pad on a wrist shot.

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The six-foot-nine goaltender also stopped a breakaway attempt by Penguins forward Rickard Rakell before Pittsburgh’s five-foot-nine forward Nick Robertson beat him on the glove side for a goal.

Coach Maurice praised Black’s development in recent years. The Panthers rookie blossomed last season in Charlotte, posting a 25-13-4 record with a 2.47 goals against average and a .903 save percentage.

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