Ben Bishop is a former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for over a decade. He was born on November 21, 1986, in Denver, Colorado, and grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. Bishop began his hockey career playing for the Texas Tornado in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) before moving on to play for the University of Maine Black Bears in the NCAA.
Bishop was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the third round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut with the Blues in 2008 and played for them until 2013. During his time with the Blues, Bishop was primarily a backup goaltender and played in 13 games over three seasons. In 2013, he was traded to the Ottawa Senators, where he became the team's starting goaltender.
Bishop played for the Senators for parts of two seasons before being traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2013. It was with the Lightning that Bishop had the most success of his career. He was named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the NHL's best goaltender, in both 2014 and 2016. In 2015, he helped lead the Lightning to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost to the Chicago Blackhawks.
In 2017, Bishop was traded to the Dallas Stars, where he played for two seasons. He was then traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 2019, but only played in seven games for them before being traded to the Ottawa Senators. Bishop did not play in any games for the Senators before announcing his retirement from professional hockey in May 2021.
Throughout his career, Bishop was known for his size and athleticism in the net. At 6'7", he was one of the tallest goaltenders in NHL history. He was also known for his calm demeanor and ability to make big saves in crucial moments.
Off the ice, Bishop was involved in various charitable endeavors. He was a supporter of the Special Olympics and worked with the Lightning's community outreach program to help children with disabilities. He also started the Ben Bishop Foundation, which supports various causes in his hometown of St. Louis.
Overall, Ben Bishop had a successful career as an NHL goaltender, playing for four different teams over 11 seasons. He was a two-time Vezina Trophy finalist and helped lead the Lightning to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2015. Despite battling injuries throughout his career, Bishop was widely regarded as one of the top goaltenders in the league during his prime.
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