FORT LAUDERDALE — Florida Panthers goalie Cooper Black was not thinking about making his NHL debut when he was invited to development camp in Coral Springs three years ago.
He was just trying to figure things out a bit.
Panthers lines tonight: projected lineup and starting goalie →
“I got a long ways to go,’’ he said then. “I know that.”
Black has certainly come a long ways.
And, tonight in Pittsburgh, a dream comes true.
With Jacob Markstrom out for what could be the next couple of weeks, Black will make his NHL debut tonight against the Penguins.
Black, 25, is the first goalie to make his NHL debut with the Panthers since Spencer Knight on April 20, 2021.
”You just have to take it day-by-day,” Black said before the Panthers left for their road trip on Tuesday.
“If you look too far ahead, you’re going to make it into something bigger than it actually is. At the end of the day, it’s just another game. Not that I won’t be nervous or excited when it does come. There’s going to be tons of emotions if I get that opportunity.”
Now officially listed at 6-foot-9 by the NHL, Black becomes the tallest goalie to start an NHL game in history.
Black ties Zdeno Chara, Curtis Douglas and Matt Rempe as the tallest players in NHL history.
“That’s a big lad,’’ Paul Maurice quipped.
Black was a junior at Dartmouth when he first arrived in South Florida, eventually signing with the Panthers after his senior season after not being drafted.
He says he had a number of offers, but felt comfortable with the Panthers.
After signing, he went to the minors where he got his first game in with the AHL, giving up five goals on 19 shots for the Charlotte Checkers.
Things would get better.
His first pro year, Black split time with the Checkers and Savannah Ghost Pirates of the ECHL.
Last season, he stepped into the starting role in Charlotte once Brandon Bussi was snagged off waivers by the Hurricanes and took a huge leap forward.
“He moves like an athlete,” Maurice said. “There is some power to what he does. We’re excited about it. I have seen him enough. He had a really strong exhibition game, looked completely comfortable. He’s on that path. Now is the time for him to get one of these games.”
Tonight, he really takes a big step in his professional career.
”At the end of the day, it’s an NHL game and that’s what everyone strives for. It’s what everyone dreams of as a little kid,’’ Black said. “It’s still going to be awesome. I’m still going to be nervous. But I have to take it day-by-day and not read too much into it.’’
Choosing the Panthers back in 2024, he said, was the right move all along.
“I just felt the coaching staff could really help me improve my game,’’ Black said. “I knew they had something special going on here. I cannot be any happier with where I ended up.
“It, literally, was the perfect scenario for me. At the end of the day, I am happy I am here and that this is the team I chose to be with.’’
ON DECK: GAME No. 11
FLORIDA PANTHERS at PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
George Richards is the publisher of Florida Hockey Now and has been the beat writer covering the NHL Florida … More about George Richards, FHN Publisher