Florida Panthers goalie Cooper Black skated onto the PPG Paints Arena ice alone during pregame warmups on Thursday night, a time-honored hockey tradition given to rookies everywhere.
It took Black fewer strides to make the memorable lap than most.
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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 ever appear in a regular-season game. Black is listed as two inches taller than Ben Bishop, Ivan Fedotov, Mads Sogaard and Mikko Koskinen, all 6-7.
The 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 from 6-0 to 6-5 and kept right on going, made 18 saves in a 4-0 loss.
Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images
PITTSBURGH, PA – OCTOBER 22: Cooper Black #31 of the Florida Panthers warms up before the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on October 22, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images)
“It’s cool right, growing up, all the guys you kind of saw and watched as a kid, even as a goalie,” Black said. “Cool experience to play against the guys, would have been nicer to win.”
Black, called up from Florida’s AHL affiliate in Charlotte recently after Jacob Markstrom went down with a shoulder injury, stopped Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang with his blocker pad on a wrist shot about two minutes in. He also turned aside a breakaway opportunity by Penguins forward Rickard Rakell before giving up a goal to 5-9 Pittsburgh forward Nick Robertson, who beat Black to the glove side.
Panthers head coach Paul Maurice praised Black’s development in recent years. Florida signed Black as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2024. Black blossomed last season in Charlotte, posting a 25-13-4 record with a 2.47 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage.
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“A man that size, it takes a long time to grow into that body,” Maurice said with a smile before the game, adding with a laugh, “I think he’s done.”
Black became the first player in Savannah Ghost Pirates franchise history to reach the NHL. The Ghost Pirates are an ECHL affiliate of the Panthers.
Black, 25, played seven games for Savannah during the 2024-25 season. He posted a 4-3-0 record, a 3.07 goals-against average and an .886 save percentage.
He also appeared in 63 American Hockey League games with the Charlotte Checkers, compiling a 38-19-6 record with a 2.39 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage.
Before turning professional, Black played 60 games at Dartmouth College. He finished his collegiate career with an 18-31-9 record, a 2.82 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage.
