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 NBA Jerseys Cheap . 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 Wholesale Basketball Jerseys . Watch all the action unfold live on TSN and TSN Mobile TV at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. You can also watch the game live with the debut of Wednesday Night Hockey on TSN.ca and chat throughout the game with TSN. Wholesale NFL Jerseys . This week, topics cover the World Series champion Red Sox, John Farrell and what to look forward to this off-season.BIRMINGHAM, England -- Aston Villa has suspended the assistant manager and a key off-field official as the club fights to stay in the English Premier League. The sudden announcement on Tuesday comes with Villa just four points above the relegation zone with five games remaining. The central England club says Ian Culverhouse, assistant to manager Paul Lambert, and Gary Karsa, the head of football operations, have been suspended pennding an internal investigation. Cheap NFL Jerseys China. Further details were not provided. Villa says goalkeeper Shay Given and development coach Gordon Cowans have been temporarily promoted to assist Lambert. Given says "as players, its important that each and every one of us take responsibility right now and Im delighted to play my part in helping the manager." Villas next game is against Southampton on Saturday. Wholeslae Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NBA Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Cheap College Jerseys Cheap Football Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Cheap Baseball Jerseys ' ' '