Ben Bishop

Ben Bishop

Born: November 21, 1986
Age: 37
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Biography

Benjamin Manning Bishop III (born November 21, 1986) is an American professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Bishop previously played in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues and Ottawa Senators. He played college hockey at Maine. Nicknamed "Big Ben", Bishop is 6' 7" tall (2.01 m).

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Personal

Bishop was born in Denver, Colorado, and grew up in Des Peres, Missouri. He is the son of Ben Bishop, Jr. and Cindy Bishop. Bishop's grandfather, Ben Bishop, Sr. was a tennis professional who played in the US Open.

Playing career

Bishop played youth hockey for the Kirkwood Stars in suburban St. Louis, as well as for the St. Louis Junior Blues. Bishop played forward until eight years of age, 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.

Bishop played for the Texas Tornado of North American Hockey League (NAHL) during the 2004-05 season. He appeared in 45 games and posted a League-best record of 35 wins, eight losses and five shutouts. His goals against average (GAA) of 1.93 was second in the League. Most notably, he led the Texas Tornado to their second consecutive National Championship and Gold Cup, given to the best junior A hockey team in North America. 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, eight losses and two 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.

He 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

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. It was announced on March 11, 2008, that he had signed with the Blues, and he played with the Peoria Rivermen, the Blues' top American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, for the remainder of that season. In five games in 2008 with Peoria, he posted a 2.39 GAA, as well as receiving a fighting major in his second career game.

It was announced on October 19, 2008, that Bishop was recalled from Peoria to join the Blues in the NHL.

On October 24, 2008, Bishop 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. (Legace had tripped on the carpet that was laid out for Vice-Presidential hopeful Sarah Palin, who dropped the ceremonial first puck.) 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.

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

On February 26, 2012, Bishop was traded to the Ottawa Senators for a second-round draft 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 a League-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 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. His play improved, however, 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

April 3, 2013, Bishop was dealt 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. Then on April 15, Bishop signed a two-year, $4.6 million extension with the Lightning. Bishop set a career high and Tampa Bay franchise record on January 19, 2014, by making 48 saves in a victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.

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.

On August 2, 2014, the Lightning announced that 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 gained his 38th win of the season in a 4-0 shutout of the Florida Panthers, which was a personal best and beat 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 goalies to post shutouts in two game sevens in a single playoff year. Bishop also became the first goalie to post two shutouts in two game sevens 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 Chicago in six games in the 2015 Stanley Cup Final, Bishop revealed that he tore his groin on a Brad Richards shot in the second period of game two. The injury will not require surgery, just rest during the off season.

On October 17, 2015, Bishop became the all-time leader in regular season wins with the Tampa Bay Lightning, posting his 84th win in a 2-1 victory over the visiting Buffalo Sabres. Bishop surpassed former Lightning goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, whose previous record was 83 regular season wins. On October 23, 2015, Bishop won his 100th career NHL game in a 4-3 OT Lightning victory over the Winnipeg Jets. On January 6, 2016, Bishop was named to the 2016 NHL All-Star Game, which is 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 in a Lightning uniform 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 league with a 2.06 goals against average, and posted a 35-21 record with a .926 save percentage. Braden Holtby and Jonathan Quick were the other finalists named. This is Bishop's second time being a finalist for the Vezina.

International Play

On March 2, 2016, Team USA named Bishop to its roster for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. The tournament is set to run from Sept. 17 to Oct. 1, 2016, in Toronto.

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T/OT MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2004-05 Texas Tornado NAHL 45 35 8 2 2577 83 5 1.93 .920 11 9 2 660 30 0 2.73 .891
2005-06 University of Maine HE 31 21 7 2 1728 64 0 2.22 .908
2006-07 University of Maine HE 34 21 9 2 1907 68 3 2.14 .923
2007-08 University of Maine HE 34 13 18 3 1972 80 2 2.43 .920
2007-08 Peoria Rivermen AHL 5 2 2 1 302 12 0 2.38 .908
2008-09 Peoria Rivermen AHL 33 15 16 1 1898 89 1 2.81 .897
2008-09 St. Louis Blues NHL 6 1 1 1 245 12 1 2.94 .893
2009-10 Peoria Rivermen AHL 48 23 18 4 2793 129 0 2.77 .901
2010-11 Peoria Rivermen AHL 35 17 14 2 2043 87 2 2.55 .914 1 0 1 59 2 0 2.04 .895
2010-11 St. Louis Blues NHL 7 3 4 0 369 17 1 2.76 .899
2011-12 Peoria Rivermen AHL 38 24 14 0 2258 85 6 2.26 .928
2011-12 Binghamton Senators AHL 3 2 1 0 179 7 0 2.35 .944
2011-12 Ottawa Senators NHL 10 3 3 2 532 22 0 2.48 .909
2012-13 Binghamton Senators AHL 13 8 3 2 787 34 0 2.59 .928
2012-13 Ottawa Senators NHL 13 8 5 0 758 31 1 2.45 .922
2012-13 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 9 3 4 1 502 25 1 2.99 .917
2013-14 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 63 37 14 7 3586 133 5 2.23 .924
2014-15 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 62 40 13 5 3519 136 4 2.32 .916 25 13 11 1459 53 3 2.18 .921
2015-16 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 61 35 21 4 3585 123 6 2.06 .926 11 8 2 582 18 2 1.86 .939
NHL totals 231 130 65 20 13096 499 18 2.29 .920 36 21 13 2041 71 5 2.09 .927

International statistics

Year Comp GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA
2010 WC 1 0 0 0 20 0 0 0.00
2013 WC 5 3 2 0 297 14 0 2.83
Senior Int'l totals 6 3 2 0 317 14 0 2.65

Awards and honors

Award Year
All-Hockey East Rookie Team 2005-06
All-Hockey East Second Team 2007-08
2016 NHL All-Star Game 2016
  • Won 2005 NAHL National Championship
  • Winning goaltender in 2005 NAHL All-Star Game
  • Named to first All-Rookie NAHL team, 2004-05
  • Named Texas Tornado Rookie of the Year, 2004-05
  • Hockey East Rookie of the Week four times during 2005-06
  • Hockey East Rookie of the Month in October 2005 and February 2006
  • Named to NCAA All Regional Team in Albany 2006
  • Inside College Hockey Player of the Month in October 2006
  • Hockey East Player and Goaltender of the Month in October 2006
  • Named to Florida Classic All Tournament Team in 2007
  • Named to NCAA All Regional Team in Rochester in 2007
  • Hockey East Goaltender of the Month in October 2007
  • AHL All Star game MVP in February 2012
  • NHL 'Third Star of the Week' - February 25, 2013
  • NHL 'Third Star of the Week' - March 23, 2015
  • 2016 NHL All-Star Game

[ Source: Wikipedia ]


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