Who says size doesnt matter? With Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Scott Darling getting his first taste of National Hockey League action this week, the focus wasnt only the feel good story of a journeyman goaltender who finally made it to the bigs with his hometown team - it was another 6-foot-6 goalten

Who says size doesnt matter? With Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Scott Darling getting his first taste of National Hockey League action this week, the focus wasnt only the feel good story of a journeyman goaltender who finally made it to the bigs with his hometown team - it was another 6-foot-6 goaltender in the NHL. Authentic Dennis Rodman Jersey . Its no secret that the leagues been trending upwards in the size and strength of players - not to mention an all-time high with skill as well. That said, goaltenders have gone from that short fat kid who couldnt skate (so they throw him in net) to the athletic monster who is not only lean and agile, but covers a ton of square footage even before he puts the gear on. The evolution of goaltending has been spectacular. Speaking from experience, theres no doubt the position has evolved skill-wise - to the point where its the most improved position in the game over the last 20 years. But with that, the size of the goaltenders has also dramatically increased. Back in 1994, I was just starting out in the league and always considered myself a taller goalie. I was six feet tall and playing a stand-up style like most goaltenders of that generation, so we tended to look taller in the net. Growing up near Edmonton, I watched and admired Grant Fuhr (5-foot-10) and Andy Moog (5-foot-8). They werent physical giants, but I thought they were the norm of what a goaltender was built like in that era - smaller, with quick reflexes and in good goalie shape to handle the rigours of a long schedule. Thats quite a contrast to the way goalies are built today in the NHL. So far in this NHL campaign, theres been 62 goalies who have played at least in one regular season game and leading the size chart is 6-foot-7 Ben Bishop of the Tampa Bay Lightning (the tallest in the history of the game thus far). But dont forget that there are three other goalies just behind at 6-foot-6 (Devan Dubnyk, Anders Lindback and Scott Darling), another trio just behind them at 6-foot-5 (Pekka Rinne, Darcy Kuemper and Robin Lehner) and six more goalies who are 6-foot-4 (Martin Jones, Reto Berra, Steve Mason, Eddie Lack, Kari Lehtonen and Mike Smith). In fact, the average size of goalies in the NHL today is just over 6-foot-2, with the shortest goalie in the league listed at 5-foot-10 (Jhonas Enroth). Of the 62 goaltenders who have seen NHL action this season, only 19 of them are under 6-foot-2 and only four are under six feet (Dustin Tokarski, Jaroslav Halak, Anton Khudobin and Enroth). Amazingly, there are 40 goalies who are 6-foot-2 and taller - staggering numbers compared to 20 years ago when the league average of the Top 60 goalies was barely 5-foot-11. The two tallest goalies in the league were 6-foot-4 (Sean Burke and Darren Puppa) and bringing up the small side were two - thats right, two - goalies who were 5-foot-7 (Tommy Soderstrom and Freddie Braithwaite). Also, there were three at 5-foot-8 (Arturs Irbe, John Vanbiesbrouck and Moog) and five at 5-foot-9 (Mike Vernon, Glenn Healy, Chris Terreri, Jeff Reese and Wendell Young). With the average height around 5-foot-11 back in the day, the scary things is that there were 34 of 60 goalies that were under six feet. And some greats on that list included Curtis Joseph (5-foot-11), Bill Ranford (5-foot-11), Ed Belfour (5-foot-11), Mike Richter (5-foot-11), Vernon (5-foot-9) and Fuhr (5-foot-10). Thats more than half the league! There were only four others - as well as myself - who were six feet: Dominik Hasek, Kirk McLean, Wade Flaherty and Andrei Trefilov. A total of 19 goalies stood between 6-foot-1 and 6-foot-3. With the way the games trended upwards in skill and talent level, it will be interesting to see where goaltending is 20 years from now. Maybe the key will be to find a goalie whos only four feet tall and six feet wide (a-la-Charles Wangs rumoured theory), but that legendary story will be saved for another time. SIZING THEM UP 6-foot-7 (1) Ben Bishop, Tampa Bay Lightning 6-foot-6 (3) Scott Darling, Chicago Blackhawks Devan Dubnyk, Arizona Coyotes Anders Lindback, Dallas Stars 6-foot-5 (3) Darcy Kuemper, Minnesota Wild Robin Lehner, Ottawa Senators Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators 6-foot-4 (6) Reto Berra, Colorado Avalanche Martin Jones, Los Angeles Kings Eddie Lack, Vancouver Canucks Kari Lehtonen, Dallas Stars Steve Mason, Philadelphia Flyers Mike Smith, Arizona Coyotes 6-foot-3 (9) Frederik Andersen, Anaheim Ducks John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks Michael Hutchinson, Winnipeg Jets Chad Johnson, New York Islanders Roberto Luongo, Florida Panthers Curtis McElhinney, Columbus Blue Jackets Ondrej Pavelec, Winnipeg Jets Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens Cam Talbot, New York Rangers 6-foot-2 (21) Jake Allen, St. Louis Blues Craig Anderson, Ottawa Senators Niklas Backstrom, Minnesota Wild Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets Scott Clemmensen, New Jersey Devils Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks Brian Elliott, St. Louis Blues Ray Emery, Philadelphia Flyers Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins Jonas Gustavsson, Detroit Red Wings Jonas Hiller, Calgary Flames Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals Ryan Miller, Vancouver Canucks Al Montoya, Florida Panthers Antti Niemi, San Jose Sharks Karri Ramo, Calgary Flames Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins James Reimer, Toronto Maple Leafs Cory Schneider, New Jersey Devils Ben Scrivens, Edmonton Oilers Semyon Varlamov, Colorado Avalanche 6-foot-1 (9) Thomas Greiss, Pittsburgh Penguins Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings Carter Hutton, Nashville Predators Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers Michal Neuvirth, Buffalo Sabres Justin Peters, Washington Capitals Calvin Pickard, Colorado Avalanche Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings Cam Ward, Carolina Hurricanes 6-foot-0 (6) Jonathan Bernier, Toronto Maple Leafs Viktor Fasth, Edmonton Oilers Jamie McLennan, Five NHL teams Evgeni Nabokov, New York Islanders Antti Raanta, Chicago Blackhawks Alex Stalock, San Jose Sharks Niklas Svedberg, Boston Bruins 5-foot-11 (3) Jaroslav Halak, New York Islanders Anton Khudobin, Carolina Hurricanes Dustin Tokarski, Montreal Canadiens 5-foot-10 (1) Jhonas Enroth, Buffalo Sabres Authentic Dejounte Murray Jersey . As each game passes (each has played close with the exception of last night) it becomes clearer just how evenly matched these two teams are and how one mistake, or one bad inning, is likely to sway the result. Wholesale Spurs Jerseys Authentic . Philbin said Thursday he wants players to treat one another with civility and he wont tolerate anything less. In taking questions for the first time since Ted Wells released his report into the bullying scandal that rocked the league, Philbin made it clear things would be cleaned up. http://www.cheapspursjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-derrick-white-jersey . Lineup news, Fantasy and more in Scott Cullen’s Statistically Speaking. HEROES St. Louis Blues – After rolling the San Jose Sharks for seven goals, for the second time in a week, the Blues have a bunch of players on hot streaks.SUZUKA, Japan - Marussia Formula One driver Jules Bianchi is in critical condition after crashing at the Japanese Grand Prix.Bianchi was unconscious when he was taken to a nearby hospital following a crash during Sundays rain-shortened race and is undergoing emergency surgery after a scan revealed a severe head injury.According to FIA officials, the 25-year-old Bianchi will be moved to intensive care where he will be monitored after the surgery.The race was red-flagged with nine laps to go after Bianchi went off at Turn 7, where Saubers Adrian Sutil had crashed earlier.The Sauber was being recovered by a crane when Bianchi went off.Sutil indicated the Frenchmans car had hit the crane.I aquaplaned, Sutil said. The rain got more and more. One lap later with waved yellow flags, Jules came around and had the same spin there and that was it. It was the same crash but the outcome was different. The car came out to rescue my car and it all happened.Sundays race started at 3 p.m. local time. An approaching typhoon led to suggestions that the race would be pushed up to an earlier start.At the time of tthe crash, rain was falling steadily and it was getting dark. Discount Spurs Jerseys. Several drivers complained of not being able to see properly.The first nine laps were run behind a safety car and it started to rain heavily again near the end of the race.FIA issued a statement on the crash.On lap 42, Adrian Sutil lost control of his car, spun and hit the tire barrier on the outside of Turn 7. The marshals displayed double waved yellow flags before the corner to warn the drivers of the incident. A recovery vehicle was dispatched in order to lift the car and take it to a place of safety behind the guardrail. While this was being done, the driver of car 17, Jules Bianchi, lost control of his car, travelled across the run-off area and hit the back of the tractor.The FIA went on to say once the marshals reported that the driver was injured, medical teams were dispatched and the safety car was deployed. These were followed by an extrication team and ambulance.Bianchi was then removed from the car, taken to the circuit medical centre before being transferred by ambulance to a nearby hospital. cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '