Former Vancouver Canucks goaltender and captain Roberto Luongo will find himself a permanent feature inside Rogers Arena after his likeness was enshrined in the team’s Ring of Honour this evening.
The Montreal-born Luongo played in 448 games over eight seasons with the Canucks, joining in the 2006-07 season in a trade from the Florida Panthers; he would return to his former team during the 2013-14 season ahead of the trade deadline in March 2014. His tenure on the west coast was marked by maintaining an impressive .919% save percentage, a complex captaincy (the NHL has a thing against netminders wearing the “C”), and an incredibly close Stanley Cup Final in 2010-11.
Luongo’s family, with teammates Cory Schneider, Daniel and Henrik Sedin, joined him at centre ice to commemorate the occasion following the pre-game warm-up where the current Canucks roster wore his number one on their jerseys. Fans let loose a resounding “Luuuuuuuuu” cheer before Luongo’s speech where he thanked the fans, fellow players, and recounted his memories in Vancouver. Completing the celebration, a special puck drop was held, this time between goalies Sergei Bobrovsky and Thatcher Demko.
Hosting the visiting Florida Panthers, the last team on which Luongo played, the Canucks served up a fitting end to the evening by beating them 4-0. Thatcher Demko earned the shutout, while forward Dakota Joshua scored twice, securing Vancouver’s win.
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