The Florida Panthers are on the verge of putting the tallest goalie in NHL history on the ice.
Assuming the Panthers start their backup Cooper Black on the second night of a back-to-back on Thursday, he’ll be setting that record.
Black is only on the roster because of the injury to Jacob Markstrom, but the young netminder put himself in position for this opportunity.
There have been tall goalies before. None of them have been as tall as Black.
How Tall is Cooper Black?
Cooper Black measures officially with a height of 6-foot-8.
There have been NHL skaters taller than that. There has never been an NHL goalie that tall before.
Tallest Goalies in NHL History
Before the 6-foot-8 Cooper Black, there were five NHL goalies who stood 6-foot-7.
Mads Sogaard, Ben Bishop, Mikko Koskinen, Ivan Fedotov and Dennis Hildeby were all 6-foot-7.
Panthers rookie goaltender Cooper Black is set to break an NHL record as the TALLEST goalie in league HISTORY at 6-foot-8 🤯
The 25-year-old would surpass the 6-foot-7 record shared by Mads Søgaard, Ben Bishop, Mikko Koskinen, Ivan Fedotov, and Dennis Hildeby 📏 https://t.co/cTE2uPbtmx
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 22, 2026
Who is Cooper Black?
Black is a 25-year-old goalie who catches on his right hand. He’s originally from Alpena, Michigan.
He was never drafted by an NHL team and has worked his way up the ladder one team at a team.
Black played for a number of different junior teams — the Maryland Black Bears and Odessa Jackalopes in the NAHL, the Omaha Lancers in the USHL and the Nanaimo Clippers in the BCHL.
He then went to play college hockey for Ivy League school Dartmouth — not necessarily known for its hockey output.
Black was able to turn that time at Dartmouth into an opportunity in the Panthers’ organization at the AHL level with the Charlotte Checkers.
Across the past four seasons, Black has played in 63 games with the Checkers, as well as seven games in the ECHL with the Savannah Ghost Pirates.
Last season was Black’s fullest role with the Checkers. He played in 42 games and had a 90.3 save percentage and 2.47 goals against average.
So far this season, Black got three games with the Checkers before being promoted to Florida. He had a 91.9 save percentage and 2.67 goals against average.
Black hasn’t gotten into a game yet for the Panthers, but he’s gotten to watch from the bench as a Stanley Cup contender does its thing on the ice.
Florida will be hoping that Black stabilizes them after a 5-1 loss to Ottawa on Wednesday night. They take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.
And assuming Black is indeed in the net, there’ll have never been anyone taller in that spot in NHL history.
Panthers’ Cooper Black To Be Tallest Goalie In NHL History