Cooper Black

Cooper Black became the tallest goaltender in NHL history on Oct. 22, 2026, when he made his debut for the Florida Panthers in Pittsburgh. NHL.com lists him at 6-foot-9, two inches taller than the four goalies who had shared the record at 6-foot-7 (Ben Bishop, Mikko Koskinen, Ivan Fedotov and Mads Søgaard), and level with Zdeno Chara, Curtis Douglas and Matt Rempe as the tallest players in league history. He made 17 saves that night, including a first-period breakaway stop on Rickard Rakell (Goalie News).

Black is from Alpena, Michigan. He played his junior hockey in the BCHL, where one memorable night put him head to head with his then-15-year-old billet brother, Matthew Hutchison, who started for the Cowichan Capitals. He moved on to Dartmouth College and, as a sophomore, was a finalist for the Ken Dryden Award as the ECAC's top goaltender. Florida signed the left-catching goalie as an undrafted free agent to a two-year entry-level contract on April 2, 2024.

In 2025-26 he was the Charlotte Checkers' workhorse, going 25-13-4 with a 2.47 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage in 42 games for the Calder Cup runners-up. His 25 wins ranked fourth among AHL goaltenders and tied for fourth-most in Checkers franchise history.

Black told InGoal Radio in May 2026 what that size changes in the crease. "I am so tall that if I hold my glove the way most people do, it's gonna be literally covering above the crossbar," he said. He has size 16 feet and wears a 13 3/4 skate, while Bauer's largest blade holder comes in a size 12 (InGoal Radio Episode 352).