There will soon be one more name adorning the rafters at Rogers Arena, that of Roberto Luongo. The Vancouver Canucks announced on Wednesday that the team would be inducting Bobby Lu into the team’s Ring of Honor at a ceremony during a game against the Florida Panthers on December 14th. The announcement to add Luongo to the ROH came last season, though now the team has a date set.
A two-time Vezina trophy finalist in 2007 and again in 2011, Roberto Luongo is arguably the best who’s ever done it when it comes to Canucks goaltending. From 2006 to 2014, Bobby Lu was the Canucks’ workhorse in net, garnering nominations for awards such as the Lester B. Pearson Award and Hart Memorial Trophy in 2007 to the William Jennings Trophy in 2011. Leading the franchise record books with 252 wins and 38 shutouts, Luongo’s play for the Canucks transformed the organization from a goalie graveyard into a goalie compound. He’s also still the club’s goaltending leader in games played during a season with 75, wins during a season with 47, and saves made in one game with 72. His 242:36 shutout streak remains the fourth-longest in NHL history. A Ring of Honour ceremony would be, for most fans and analysts alike, a no-brainer.
Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford echoed these sentiments, saying in a release from the team, “We are glad to officially have a date set for Roberto’s incredibly well-deserved induction to the Canucks Ring of Honour. He is one of the greatest players to ever represent this team, and his legacy continues in Vancouver to this day. As proud as we are to recognize Roberto with this achievement, it is as much of an honour for the organization and our fans to be able to celebrate him again in our building.”
Qualified Resume
Last November, Luongo was a first-ballot selection into the Hockey Hall of Fame alongside longtime teammates Henrik and Daniel Sedin. His play, combined with the talent of the Sedin Twins, led the Canucks to the 2011 Stanley Cup Final. The team also won the President’s Trophy that season, following up with a second President’s Trophy win in 2012. His 489 career wins place him in fourth place for the most career wins by a goaltender in NHL history. The accolades on Luongo’s resume venture outside the realms of the NHL, though.
An IIHF World Junior Championships silver medalist at the under-20 tournament in 1999, Luongo would go on to represent team Canada on a whole host of other occasions. At the 2003 and 2004 IIHF Hockey World Championships, Luongo helped Team Canada take home the gold, winning a silver medal with the team at the 2005 tournament. He’d pick up the gold medal at the 2004 Hockey World Cup as well. At the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympic Games, Luongo was in net when Team Canada secured hockey gold.
It is quite an esteemed rap sheet for a goaltender whose name still gets wrapped up in benign controversy at times. Though most agree the Ring of Honour induction is the right move to appreciate the legend of Roberto Luongo with, the idea of a jersey retirement brings more debate.
Ring or Retirement?
Luongo isn’t the first iconic Canucks goaltender to don the #1 sweater. Netminder Kirk McLean, already a Ring of Honour inductee, wore the #1 for ten years from 1987 to 1997. McLean’s contributions to the Canucks organization also include a cup run, manning the Canucks’ crease in the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals. In fact, it’s still his name that sits atop the club record for most games played by a goaltender, with McLean playing in 516 games for the team (Luongo played in 448 games). While the team has made no mentions or hints of retiring the #1 when framing both goalies in their respective eras, there is a case to be made for either of them being the reason why the number hits the rafters. Still, there are those who will say foregoing a Luongo jersey retirement is a sleight to his time in Vancouver, while others will ceaselessly remind everyone he retired a Florida Panther, NOT a Vancouver Canuck. That almost goes without saying that the Panthers actually did retire Luongo’s jersey back in 2020 – making Bobby Lu the first Panthers player ever to have their number retired.
With the amount of debate that surrounds the matter, honoring both goaltenders’ contributions to the club by placing them each into the Ring of Honour feels appropriate.
Roberto Luongo Night takes place on December 14th at Rogers Arena when the Canucks take on the Florida Panthers.
