PITTSBURGH – Cooper Black stands above the rest.
Literally.
Set to make his NHL debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET, the Florida Panthers goaltender will soon make NHL history.
At 6-foot-9, Black is set to become the tallest netminder in the league’s 100-plus year history.
Beating out the competition by two inches, four goaltenders listed at 6-foot-7 have manned the crease in an NHL game: Ben Bishop, Mikko Koskinen, Ivan Fedotov and Mads Sogaard.
"That's a big lad, and he moves like an athlete," head coach Paul Maurice said.
Recalled from the AHL on Tuesday, Black has made three starts with the Charlotte Checkers so far this season, going 2-1-0 with a 2.67 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage.
On Saturday, he made 33 saves for the Checkers in a 4-2 win over Hartford.
Originally joining the Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2024, Black was signed to a two-year, two-way contract extension on June 8, 2026.
Seeing action in one game in the preseason, he made 14 saves in a 5-3 win over the rival Tampa Bay Lightning on Sept. 24.
“I thought the game against Tampa was a fantastic tell for him,” Maurice said. “He looked efficient. He was small in the right way. He wasn’t all over the place. He didn’t look like he was solely relying on his size to make saves. We’re looking forward to seeing him. We think we’ve got a real good one there.”
As for a pregame pep talk, Maurice doesn’t think his usual words of motivation will work on this particular occasion.
“I’ve got this speech that I give every guy, and I don’t think I can give it to a goalie – go out there, relax, take in the crowd,” Maurice said. “I’m not going to give him one. I’m going to let (Panthers goaltending coach) Robbie Tallas do his thing.”
To watch Black’s debut, register now at PanthersPlus.tv.
