Ben Bishop


Benjamin Manning Bishop III is an American former professional ice hockey player. As a goaltender, he played for the St. Louis Blues, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Los Angeles Kings, and Dallas Stars of the NHL. Nicknamed "Big Ben", Bishop is the tallest goaltender ever to play in the NHL, along with Mikko Koskinen, Mads Søgaard, Ivan Fedotov, and Dennis Hildeby at a height of. He was a three-time Vezina Trophy finalist as the NHL's top goaltender.

Playing career

Early career

Although he was born in Denver, Colorado, Bishop grew up in suburban St. Louis where he played minor ice hockey for the Kirkwood Stars, as well as for the St. Louis Junior Blues. He played in the 2000 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the St. Louis Junior Blues. Bishop played forward until age eight, when he was converted to a goaltender. He attended Chaminade College Preparatory School in St. Louis, where he played high school hockey on the same team with Chris Butler and Paul Stastny. He later moved to Frisco, Texas, where he graduated from high school before attending the University of Maine.
Bishop played for the Texas Tornado of the North American Hockey League during the 2004–05 season. He appeared in 45 games and posted a league-best record of 35 wins and 8 losses. His goals against average of 1.93 was second in the NAHL. Most notably, he led the Texas Tornado to their second consecutive National Championship. Bishop was named to the first team of the NAHL All-Rookie Team at the end of the season.
As a freshman for the University of Maine during the 2005–06 season, Bishop finished the regular season with a record of 21 wins, 8 losses and 2 ties with a 2.28 GAA. In his first game as a collegiate player, he lost in overtime to Colorado College in Colorado. The following weekend, Bishop led Maine to a sweep of the back-to-back national champions, the University of Denver. In October 2005 and February 2006, he was awarded Rookie of the Month as well as Goaltender of the Month by the NCAA's Hockey East conference. He was also named Rookie of the Week four separate times. Bishop led the Black Bears to the 2006 Frozen Four, losing to the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the semi-finals, despite playing strongly.
Bishop led the Black Bears to the Frozen Four once again in 2007, but lost to Michigan State University in the semi-finals, 4–2. As a junior in the 2007–08 NCAA Men's Division Hockey competition, Bishop played behind a less-than-stellar team, but had an impressive personal season performance, posting a 2.43 GAA and a.920 save percentage.

St. Louis Blues (2008–2012)

Bishop was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the third round of the 2005 NHL entry draft, 85th overall, and became one of their top prospects. On March 11, 2008, it was announced he had signed with the Blues, where he would play the remainder of the season for their American Hockey League affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen. In five games with Peoria, he posted a 2.39 GAA and received a fighting major in his second career game.
On October 19, 2008, it was announced Bishop was recalled from Peoria to join the Blues. On October 24, he made his NHL debut, coming off the bench in relief of the injured Manny Legace to start the second period, giving up two goals over the final 40 minutes in a 4–0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. Bishop ultimately appeared in six games with the Blues in 2008–09 and was the back-up goaltender for all four of the team's playoff games that season in the first round sweep at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks.
After starting goaltender Jaroslav Halák was injured in the 2010–11 season, Bishop was called up from Peoria. In his third game played of the season, he would record his first NHL shutout, which came against the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place on February 25, 2011, stopping all 39 shots in a 5–0 win.
On July 5, 2011, Bishop signed a one-year contract with the Blues.

Ottawa Senators (2012–2013)

On February 26, 2012, Bishop was traded to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2013 NHL entry draft. A kitchen accident resulted in Senators' starting goaltender Craig Anderson being injured indefinitely with a hand laceration, a situation that may have hastened Bishop's move to Ottawa. At the time of the trade, Bishop was the AHL's top goaltender with a 24–14–0 record, a 2.26 GAA, a.928 save percentage and an AHL-leading six shutouts through 38 games. Bishop made his Senators debut against the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 6, 2012, in a game which Ottawa won 7–3. He earned his second win in as many starts in a 4–1 win over the New York Rangers. He finished the season with a 3–3–2 record and 2.48 GAA in ten games played with Ottawa.
Due to the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Bishop began the 2012–13 season in the AHL with the Binghamton Senators, where he posted an 8–3–2 record and 2.59 GAA in 13 games. Once the lockout was resolved, he was called up to Ottawa to serve as backup to Craig Anderson. His first game of the NHL season was less than memorable for Bishop, as he surrendered five goals on 30 shots in a loss to Tampa Bay. However, his play improved as he was named the NHL's Third Star of the Week on February 25, 2013, after posting a 2.03 GAA and.931 save percentage, as Ottawa won all four of its games.

Tampa Bay Lightning (2013–2017)

On April 3, 2013, Bishop was traded at the 2012–13 NHL trade deadline by the Senators to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for forward Cory Conacher and a fourth-round draft pick. On April 4, Bishop made his Lightning debut, shutting out the Carolina Hurricanes 5–0 in Raleigh, North Carolina. On April 15, Bishop signed a two-year, $4.6 million contract extension with the Lightning. Bishop set a career high and Tampa Bay franchise record on January 19, 2014, by making 48 saves in another victory over Carolina.
During the 2013–14 season, Bishop was named the starting goaltender for Tampa Bay over Anders Lindbäck. Bishop posted a 37–14–7 record last in the 63 games played that season. He also recorded a.924 save percentage and a 2.23 GAA. Bishop was ranked fourth in games played, as well as seventh in save percentage and goals against. He posted five shutouts, which was the second most in Lightning history, and also set single-season records for wins, save percentage and GAA. He recorded the second-most saves in Lightning history, with 1,625. Bishop was nominated for the Vezina Trophy—NHL's top goaltender—for the season due to his stellar play in net, though he ultimately finished third in voting. During a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 8, 2014, he fell awkwardly on his left leg. He had to be helped off the ice that would end his 2013–14 season, as Tampa Bay were swept out of the first round of the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs by the Montreal Canadiens.
On August 2, 2014, the Lightning announced Bishop's contract had been extended for two years. On March 30, 2015, Bishop became the first Lightning goalie to record two assists in one game. On April 4, 2015, Bishop earned his 38th win of the season in a 4–0 shutout of the Florida Panthers, which was a personal best and surpassed the Tampa Bay franchise record he set the previous season. On April 11, 2015, Bishop extended his personal best and team record to 40 wins in a 3–2 Lightning shootout win over the visiting Boston Bruins. On April 18, 2015, Bishop made his Stanley Cup playoff debut—and earned his first career playoff win—in a 5–1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. On May 29, 2015, Bishop joined Tim Thomas and Patrick Roy as the only goaltenders to post shutouts in two seventh games in a single playoff year. Bishop also became the first goaltender to post two shutouts in two seventh games in his first season in the playoffs. Additionally, Bishop became the first goaltender to win back-to-back playoff shutouts in Madison Square Garden, which would cause the New York Rangers to lose their first game seven at home in their franchise's history. After losing to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games in the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals, Bishop revealed he tore his groin on a Brad Richards shot in the second period of game two. The injury did not require surgery, just rest during the off-season.
On October 17, 2015, Bishop became the all-time leader in regular season wins for the Tampa Bay Lightning, posting his 84th win in a 2–1 victory over the visiting Buffalo Sabres. In doing so, he surpassed former Lightning goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin's record of 83 regular season wins. On October 23, 2015, Bishop won his 100th career NHL game in a 4–3 Lightning victory in overtime over the Winnipeg Jets. On January 6, 2016, Bishop was named to the 2016 NHL All-Star Game, his first career All-Star appearance. Bishop also became the second Lightning goaltender selected to an All-Star Game in team history. On February 3, 2016, Bishop recorded his 100th win for the Lightning in a 3–1 win over the visiting Detroit Red Wings. Bishop also became the first Lightning goalie to record 100 wins in franchise history with the victory. On March 19, 2016, Bishop posted his 15th career shutout in a Lightning uniform. This shutout moved Bishop past Nikolai Khabibulin for the most shutouts in franchise history. On April 27, 2016, Bishop was named one of the three finalists for the Vezina Trophy. Bishop led the NHL with a 2.06 GAA and posted a 35–21 record with a.926 save percentage. Braden Holtby and Jonathan Quick were the other finalists named. This was Bishop's second time being a finalist for the Vezina. Bishop finished as runner-up in the Vezina Trophy and was named to the NHL second All-Star team.
On October 13, 2016, Bishop became the Lightning's all-time leader in saves, surpassing Daren Puppa. The record came during a 6–4 win over the visiting Detroit Red Wings. On October 25, 2016, Bishop's two front teeth were knocked out by the Toronto Maple Leafs' Peter Holland on a shot to his mask. Bishop, stunned, shook his head, causing his teeth to fall out into his mask. On November 17, 2016, Bishop played in 207th game for the Lightning, surpassing Daren Puppa for most games played by a goaltender in Lightning history.