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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. Cheap Detroit Red Wings Jerseys . 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 Adidas Danny DeKeyser Jersey .Brazil midfielder Ricardo Goulart scored the winner in the 50th minute to give the defending champion a four-point advantage in the standings over second-place Sao Paulo, which beat rival Palmeiras 2-0. Adidas Niklas Kronwall Jersey .Y. -- AJ Allmendingers journey is almost complete. http://www.cheapredwingsjerseys.com/ . - The Jacksonville Jaguars are leaning more toward playing injured quarterback Blake Bortles against Tennessee on Thursday night.ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Milwaukee Brewers finally got timely hitting to go with their strong pitching. Yovani Gallardo gave up four hits in seven innings, Martin Maldonado tied a career-high with four RBIs and the NL Central-leading Brewers avoided a three-game sweep by beating David Price and the Tampa Bay Rays 5-0 Wednesday. Gallardo (6-5) retired 13 in a row at one point, en route to moving past Ben Sheets into sole possession of fifth place on the Brewers career list with 87 wins. "Command was great," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. Maldonado also drove in four runs on Oct. 2, 2012 against San Diego. Milwaukee had lost three in a row, getting outscored 9-2. "We had to win this game, no doubt," Roenicke said. Price (11-8), the subject of trade speculation heading into Thursdays deadline for non-waiver deals, had his bid to win a team-record seventh consecutive start dashed after allowing four runs and seven hits over seven innings. The left-hander shares the franchise mark of six straight wins with Matt Moore and Scott Kazmir. Price said "absolutely" when asked if he expected to remain with the Rays. "Im playing golf (Thursday) and I keep my phone in my bag when I play golf," he said. The Rays lost for just the second time in their last 13 games. A victory Wednesday would have lifted Tampa Bay (53-55) to .500 for the first time since late April. Maldonado put the Brewers up 2-0 with a two-run single in the second, an inning that included two walks. It was just the second time this season Price walked a pair in the same inning. "Its always good when you can score early against that guy," Maldonado said, After Aramis Ramirez had a third-inning run-scoring single, Maldonado made it 4-0 when he drove in a run with a double in the sixth. Maldonado got his third hit on an RBI single in the eighth. "Its awesome," Gallardo said. "He did a great job. Obviously Price is a tough pitcher to face. He did it all today." Gallardo won for the first time since beating Arizona on June 19 to stop a six-start winless streak. Jeremy Jeffress gave up two of his three hits in the ninth before Zach Duke walked Logan Forsythe to load the bases with two out. Brewers closer Francisco Rodriguez entered and got his 31st save by striking out Yunel Escobar. Price had gone eight or more innings in eight of his previous nine starts. ON DECK Brewers: RHP Wily Peralta (12-6) is scheduled to face Cardinals RHP Adam Wainwright (13-5) in the start of a three-game series between two of the top NL Central teams Friday night in St. Louis. Rays: RHP Jeremy Hellickson (0-0), coming off right elbow surgery in January, will make his third start of the season Friday night against Los Angeles Angels RHP Matt Shoemaker (8-3). GONE FISHING Milwaukees Khris Davis had an unique ground-rule double when his eighth-inning drive to centre bounced over the wall and landed in a 10,000 gallon fish tank that is home to more than 20 cownose rays. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . WHITEWASH The Rays were shutout for the AL-high 13th time. Milwaukee threw its seventh shutout this season, with five coming on the road. FINAL WORD "This is my last start for the Rays .... IN JULY!!!" -- Price, causing a brief stir on twitter 4 1/2 hours before Wednesdays first pitch. Yovani Gallardo gave up four hits in seven innings, Martin Maldonado tied a career-high with four RBIs and the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers avoided a three-game sweep by beating David Price and the Tampa Bay Rays 5-0 Wednesday. Gallardo (6-5) retired 13 in a row at one point, en route to moving past Ben Sheets into sole possession of fifth place on the Brewers career list with 87 wins. Maldonado also drove in four runs on Oct. 2, 2012 against San Diego. Price (11-8), the subject of trade speculation heading into Thursdays deadline for non-waiver deals, had his bid to win a team-record seventh consecutive start dashed after allowing four runs and seven hits over seven innings. The left-hander shares the franchise mark of six straight wins with Matt Moore and Scott Kazmir. The Rays lost for the second time in their last 13 games. A victory Wednesday would have lifted Tampa Bay (53-55) to .500 for the first time since late April. Maldonado put the Brewers up 2-0 with a two-run single in the second, an inning that included two walks. It was just the second time this season Price walked a pair in the same inning. After Aramis Ramirez had a third-inning run-scoring single, Maldonado made it 4-0 when he drove in a run with a double in the sixth. Maldonado got his third hit on an RBI single in the eighth. Gallardo won for the first time since beating Arizona on June 19 to stop a six-start winless streak. Jeremy Jeffress gave up two of his three hits in the ninth before Zach Duke walked Logan Forsythe to load the bases with two out. Brewers closer Francisco Rodriguez entered and got his 31st save by striking out Yunel Escobar. Price had gone eight or more innings in eight of his previous nine starts. ON DECK Brewers: RHP Wily Peralta (12-6) is scheduled to face Cardinals RHP Adam Wainwright (13-5) in the start of a three-game series between two of the top NL Central teams Friday night in St. Louis. Rays: RHP Jeremy Hellickson (0-0), coming off right elbow surgery in January, will make his third start of the season Friday night against Los Angeles Angels RHP Matt Shoemaker (8-3). FINAL WORD "This is my last start for the Rays .... IN JULY!!!" -- Price, causing a brief stir on twitter 4 1/2 hours before Wednesdays first pitch. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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