The Maple Leafs called up the tallest goalie in the NHL, so we wanted to know: Have small goalies become extinct?

understands that goalies of his stature will never play in the NHL again. He also laments it. Resch was listed at five foot eight when he and five foot 10 batterymate played for the New York Islanders in the 1970s, an era that featured future Hall of Famers Rogie Vachon (five foot eight), Bernie Parent (five foot 10), Gerry Cheevers (five foot 11) and Tony Esposito (five foot 11), with Ken Dryden, at six foot three, an anomaly.

These days, smaller goalies are nearly extinct. “The little goalie, there's no place for them,” said Resch, now an analyst on New Jersey Devils broadcasts. “Even in college, if he's not six feet, it's really easy for coaches to say, 'Ah, you know, we'll work with the guy who's 6 7.

Five foot 11? Nah.” to the — at six foot seven, he is now the league's tallest — is throwing a spotlight on the position that has, ahem, grown over the decades. In 1966 67, the last year of the Original Six era, 79 per cent of goalies (15 of 19) who played at least one game were under six feet.

In 1979 80, the year the NHL absorbed four WHA teams, 73 per cent (44 of 69) were under six feet. In 1995 96, the height of the dead puck era, 43 per cent (34 of 78) were under six feet. In 2003 04, the last year before the salary cap was introduced, 20 per cent (19 of 94) were under six feet. This season, only one goalie among the 85 who have played at least one game is under six feet: Nashville's Juuse Saros, listed at five foot 11.

And the last goalie under six feet to win the Vezina Trophy was Tim Thomas (five foot 11) in 2011. Part of the reason for the change in direction at the position is the way the game is played and the way the game is called. In Resch's heyday, smaller goalies tended to be more acrobatic. They'd come out to cut down angles and challenge shooters, diving to the side if the play turned into a pass.

If a player interfered with them outside of the crease, they would be penalized. Nowadays, there are fewer players streaming down the wing à la Guy Lafleur and Lanny McDonald, ripping wrist shots from 40 feet, so there's less need for a goalie to be an acrobat and cut down the angle. And they no longer get referee protection outside the crease; inside the crease, they do.

Therefore teams need size in net to fill the opening. And bigger goalies get bigger equipment, another advantage in protecting the six by four piping. “It's pushed the goalies back into the crease,” said Resch. “Players don't want to shoot unless they have a lot of the net. They'd sooner try to throw it across for a one timer.

It's a whole different game. Goalies don't face shots off the wing like they used to because it's not a high enough percentage to the shooters.” The result is coaching goalies to be more robotic: stay in the net, be as big as you can, cover up as much net as you can, and turn only as you track the puck.

For that model, bigger is better. “You can't have guys going outside the crease and cutting the angle down and playing bigger,” said Resch. “That's what I tried to do. But how does a little goalie now play big? He can't.” It's not that smaller goalies don't exist. The Canadian junior ranks are filled with them.

“Major junior teams are willing to give smaller goalies a chance in the OHL priority selection (draft) because most of them are not done growing, and teams are hopeful the prospect can keep getting bigger,” said Mark Seidel, director of player personnel for the Barrie Colts. Jack Ivankovic went seventh in last year's OHL priority selection despite being under six feet.

He's five foot 11, but only 16. Six of the first seven goaltenders selected were under six foot one. “Those days are done in the NHL,” said Seidel. “Specialization and better coaching has made those big kids incredibly athletic and technical. Guys have become so much better shooting the puck that they can pick spots that are available against smaller goalies that just aren't there on bigger kids.

“Another trend is there being so much traffic at the net these days that pucks need to hit a goaltender if he is screened, and physics tell you that it has a better chance of hitting a bigger kid.” Canada's world junior entry won gold in Halifax last year with in net. He was the only draft eligible player not to have been selected, overlooked twice.

He said he was told it was because of his height (six feet). He was a star on that team and was finally taken in his final year of eligibility, 151st in 2023. Devon Levi is now listed at six feet. He was five foot 11 when the Buffalo Sabres drafted him 212th in 2020. He went on to a superlative world juniors in 2021, followed by two years in college and now has a chance to be Buffalo's No.

1 goalie. thinks there's still room for the smaller goalie. He points to Calgary Flames rookie Dustin Wolf, a six footer he drafted 219th in 2019 as evidence. “He's a shorter guy, terrific guy and he's been the goalie of the year in the American league,” said Treliving. “Talent is still paramount.

I know the position has gotten a lot bigger. The way the games are played, the amount of traffic around the net, the bigger guy fills more net. “I still think there's room for the talented smaller goaltender. The majority of goalies are going to be big guys — that's just the way it is — but I think you'll see smaller goaltenders if they've got that ability.”.