Panthers 6-9 goalie Cooper Black makes his 1st NHL save (0:20)

ESPN News Services

Oct 22, 2026, 08:26 PM ET

PITTSBURGH -- Florida Panthers goalie Cooper Black skated onto the PPG Paints Arena ice alone during pregame warmups Thursday night, a time-honored hockey tradition given to rookies everywhere.

It took Black fewer strides to make the memorable lap than most.

Call it one of the upsides of being 6-foot-9.

Black made NHL history in his first career start when he became the tallest goaltender to appear in a regular-season game. Black is listed 2 inches taller than Ben Bishop, Ivan Fedotov, Mads Sogaard and Mikko Koskinen, each 6-foot-7.

Black, a 25-year-old from Alpena, Michigan, who started playing when he was 8 and had a 5-inch growth spurt between his junior and senior years in high school when he shot up to 6-5 and kept on growing, was excellent in his first period.

Black, called up from Florida's AHL affiliate in Charlotte recently after Jacob Markstrom went down because of a shoulder injury,…