Watch 6’9″ Cooper Black Make NHL History as the Tallest Goaltender of All Time in Trending Video

Florida Panthers goaltender Cooper Black made history during the team’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.

At 6’9″, Black became the tallest goaltender to ever appear in an NHL game.

Ben Bishop, Mikko Koskinen, Ivan Fedotov and Mads Søgaard were previously the tallest goaltenders in NHL history at 6’7″.

Black initially joined the Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2024 before being recalled from the AHL on Tuesday to make his NHL debut.

Guard Jacob Markstrom, who has started six games for Florida this season, is currently out with an upper-body injury.

Black has already appeared in one preseason game, making 14 saves in a 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on September 24.

Panthers head coach Paul Maurice was impressed with the performance.

“I thought the Tampa game was a fantastic announcement for him,” Maurice said, per Jameson Olive on the team’s official website. “He looked effective. He was small in a good way. He wasn’t all over the place. It didn’t look like he was just relying on his size to make saves. We’re looking forward to seeing him. We think we have a really good one there.”

Florida opened its 2026-27 campaign with a 5-3-2 record, ranking No. 4 in the Atlantic Division standings.