The Goalies Are Getting Bigger

[RGM81]

Not the equipment this time, but the actual goalies.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sport...rticle1864798/

While the average height of forwards and defencemen has remained relatively stable, increasing only about an inch in the past 30 years, goaltenders have gained that in the past six or seven seasons alone.
The average netminder is now slightly taller than the average skater, with only eight goalies under six feet tall and more than 30 per cent listed at 6 foot 3 or taller. The trend has also begun to show up at the junior level and in the draft as scouts try to find the next great big man in goal.
One of the more egregious recent examples involved Spokane Chiefs netminder Dustin Tokarski, fresh off winning the Memorial Cup as the tournament’s most valuable player. He fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the fifth round of the 2008 NHL draft.
Taken six spots ahead of him was Jason Missiaen, who the Montreal Canadiens’ scouting staff admitted was a long-term project given his modest numbers with the Peterborough Petes.
At 6 foot 8, however, he was more of a can’t-miss pick than the 5-foot-11 Tokarski, who might as well be Martin St. Louis the way things are trending at his position.
“It’s something that’s been brought up so many times,” Tokarski said of his size, which contributed to his being passed over by every Western Hockey League team in the junior draft.
“It’s definitely harder to make it to the top,” Tokarski added. “There are more excuses to put you down. They say you’re not ready. The only thing you’ve really got going for you is your play and whether you’re winning. If a bigger guy’s having a bit of a rough year, oh well, at least he’s got a lot of upside and he’s big. If a goalie’s smaller and not having a good year, he’s just smaller. He’s not doing well.”

It is something that's pretty noticeable - heck, Carey's 6'3" and big, bald Alex Auld is 6'4".

[marclemagnifique]

another articles wrote last year :

http://blogs.thescore.com/nhl/2010/0...l-goaltenders/

The following list shows the goaltenders drafted before Tokarski, along with their height:
DraftedTeamPlayerHeight
18thNashvilleChet Pickard6′-3″
30thDetroitThomas McCollum6′-2″
31stFloridaJacob Markstrom6′-3″
34thSt. LouisJake Allen6′-2″59thDallasTyler Beskorowany6′-5″
61stColoradoPeter Delmas6′-3″
77thBostonMichael Hutchinson6′-3″
83rdAnaheimMarco Cousineau6′-0″
84thPhiladelphiaJacob DeSerres6′-1″
93rdWashingtonBraden Holtby6′-1″
106thSan JoseHarri Sateri6′-1″
116thMontrealJason Missiaen6′-8″
122ndTampa BayDustin Tokarski5′-11″

[stodg]

The Preds have the tallest goalie tandem of all time in 6'6" Anders Lindback and 6'5" Pekka Rinne. Seems to be working out as they are currently 6th and 10th in the league in Save %.

[duwal]

yeah, nowadays people probably wouldn't draft a Mike Vernon type with worries about his smaller frame

[Kipper_Backlund]

Henrik "The Calgary Tower" Karlsson is 6' 6" I believe, and he is great in shootouts because he covers most of the net. I can really see the attraction.