Is bigger better?

The average NHL and Olympic goaltender in 2014 is roughly four centimetres taller than his peers of 20 years ago.

There is an old adage in boxing that says a good big man will beat a good little man, although a good little man might make a lesser big man look foolish. In the last 20 years in professional and major international hockey, there has likewise been a trend toward bigger and bigger goaltenders. The difference is dramatic.

In the 1994 Olympics, the average goaltender who played in the tournament stood 181.9 centimetres (5-foot-11). Among the teams that won a medal or reached the semi-finals, there were no goaltenders who stood 183 centimetres tall.

The biggest goaltender among the medal-winning teams was Sweden’s Tommy Salo, who stood 182 centimetres (a shade below 6-feet) tall. Overall, the tallest goaltenders in the tournament were Czech Republic netminder Roman Turek, Team USA’s Garth Snow and France’s Michel Valliere. All stood 192 centimetres or 6-foot-3. The smallest goalie was Italy’s David Delfino at 172 centimetres or 5-foot-8.

The same pattern held true in the National Hockey League. In the mid-to-late 1990s, the average NHL goaltender stood right around 182 centimetres. Back then, the ranks of top NHL goaltenders included many players who would be considered undersized today: Mike Richter, Dominik Hasek, John Vanbiesbrouck, Curtis Joseph, Ed Belfour, Chris Osgood, Mike Vernon and even 174 centimetre (5-foot-8) Arturs Irbe were among the standout goalies of the time. Superstar netminder Patrick Roy was listed at 183 centimetres (an even six feet tall), which today would be considered on the smaller end of an "averaged-size goaltender."

By way of comparison, the average height of the 36 participating goaltenders in the 2014 Olympics was 185.9 centimetres (a little more than 6-foot-1). Within the NHL, the average height of goaltenders league-wide during the 2013-14 season was 186.2 centimetres.