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. 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 Fake USA Soccer Jerseys . 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Barcelona, still without the injured Lionel Messi, again turned to Neymar after his hat trick against Celtic in the Champions League on Wednesday to convert a penalty on the half-hour mark and restore the lead in the 68th after Villarreal levelled.PHILADELPHIA -- Tony Wrotens first career start resulted in the first triple-double of his life. Wroten had 18 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, James Anderson scored a career-high 36 points and Spencer Hawes made the go-ahead basket with 34 seconds left in overtime to help the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Houston Rockets 123-117 Wednesday night. Subbing for injured rookie Michael Carter-Williams, who didnt play because of a bruised left arch, Wroten made a strong case for more playing time. "First time for everything," he said. "I never had a triple-double at any level, not middle school, high school, anywhere." Jeremy Lin scored 34 points for Houston, making a career-best nine 3-pointers that tied a franchise record. Dwight Howard had 23 points and 15 rebounds, and Chandler Parsons added 22 points. Lin started for James Harden, who was out of Houstons lineup because of a bruised left foot. "It was my worst defensive game of the season," Lin said. "Tomorrow has to be my best defensive game of the season." Two days after the Sixers were blown out by San Antonio in coach Brett Browns first game against his former team, they beat general manager Sam Hinkies former club. Hinkie spent the last eight years in Houston and was the executive vice-president of basketball operations for the Rockets before coming to Philadelphia. The Sixers are off to a surprising 5-4 start that includes wins over Miami and Chicago. Theyve been far more competitive than expected. Oddsmakers predicted fewer than 17 wins. "Im proud of their competitive spirit," Brown said. "We have no right to have an inherent chemistry or camaraderie. We were thrown together in a few months. But the group trusts each other and enjoys playing together. They have resolve and a fighting spirit." The Rockets missed 10 straight shots from late in the fourth quarter into overtime before Howards baskett plus free throw tied it with 2:21 left in overtime.dddddddddddd After Lin hit a 3 for a 112-111 lead, Thaddeus Young made two free throws. Howard answered with a bucket, but Hawes put in Evan Turners miss to give the Sixers the lead for good. Young stripped Howard at the other end and Turner made two free throws to extend the lead to 117-114. Francisco Garcia then missed a 3. After Anderson made two free throws, Lin made his last 3 to get the Rockets within two. But Hollis Thompson sealed it with two free throws. Turner scored 23 and Hawes finished with 18 points and nine rebounds. "Defensively, we made great plays, especially in crunch time," Hawes said. Anderson made a 3-pointer from the top of the circle to tie it at 106 with 6.6 seconds left in regulation. After Parsons missed a long jumper, Wrotens desperation 59-footer at the buzzer rattled the rim and fell out to send the game to overtime. Down 90-80 to start the fourth quarter, the Sixers rallied behind Anderson and Hawes. Hawes and Anderson hits 3s, and a turnaround jumper by Young pulled Philadelphia within 102-101 with 2:14 left. Wrotens driving layup tied it at 103. "I got in a rhythm early and guys did a good job finding me," Anderson said. "I finally got an opportunity and its great timing." NOTES: Lins previous high was five 3s against Golden State last Feb. 5. ... Robert Horry also had 9 3s for the Rockets at Cleveland on Feb. 22, 1996. ... The Rockets play Lins old team, the Knicks, at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night to complete their back-to-back. ... Neither Harden nor Carter-Williams had missed a game before this one. ... Turner has five straight 20-point games. ... Anderson was 6 of 8 from 3-point range after shooting 9 for 27 the first eight games. ... Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels and his wife Heidi were recipients of the Sixers "Heroes Among Us" award for their charity work with children. ' ' '