In today's NHL, the majority of saves are based on positioning. Goaltenders today are expected to be big and take up as much space as possible in the front of the net. Small goaltenders tend to be at a huge disadvantage because they take up less space. They have to wear proportional equipment which means they cover even less of the net than say a 6'5 goalie with his massive equipment.

The constant evolution and importance placed on defensive systems play means goaltending is no longer about crazy reflexes and flying around the crease making acrobatic saves. Dealing with cross-crease stuff that used to be the bread and butter of "agile" smaller goalies is now almost fully on the defensive players to limit and take away. Because of this, the quickness, agility and reflex advantages associated with very small goalies are de-emphasized, and their lack of sheer blocking area is what ends up most emphasized.

It’s amazing how the game has evolved over a pretty short period of time. Everything below 6'0" in net is considered short now. With the average height of an NHL goalie being just over 6’2, a 5'7" goalie would need to be a freak of nature to crack an NHL lineup today. The deck is pretty much stacked against anyone under 5'11 from making it to the NHL today unless he's a phenom who is somehow doing something different than the rest of the goalie pool. As such, the goalies that you will see on this list will not be of the modern era.