Kukla's Korner Hockey
Entries with the tag: roberto+luongo
Luongo Out
by Paul on 10/28/09 at 02:22 PM ET
Comments (15)
via the Vancouver Province,
The Vancouver Canucks will be without their best player, goaltender Roberto Luongo, for an undetermined number of games after he suffered an undisclosed injury during Tuesday night’s game against the Detroit Red Wings.
The Province will publish more details as soon as we know them
added 2:48pm, The Province has updated the same link, but really nothing new, stating the Canucks have not released anything yet.
added 3:22pm, TSN says hairline rib fracture, out at least a week.
added 3:20pm, TSN (same link) has updated and stated Luongo suffered the injury when facing the Leafs on Saturday and re-agravate it when in a collision with Betruzzi last night.
added 4:21pm, via the Vancouver Canucks,
Goaltender Roberto Luongo will not make the trip to California for the team’s back-to-back games this week as he suffered a hair line fracture to his rib midway thought Saturday’s game against Toronto.
“It happened in the third period against Toronto,” explained Luongo. “It was a band angle shot. I went one knee down against the post and the puck hit me just hit me in the seam of my chest protector. The next day was a bit uncomfortable but I was able to play through it without any problems. Just last night, during the first period it aggravated itself, not on a particular play, it just gradually got worse.”
With no clear time line for Luongo’s return, backup goaltender Andrew Raycroft will get his first start between the pipes Thursday against Los Angeles.
The Canucks are expected to call up Manitoba Moose Goaltender Cory Schneider.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Hockey Observations From The Maven
by Paul on 09/08/09 at 05:34 PM ET
Comments (0)
from Stan Fischler at the Hockey Journal,
Roberto Luongo got himself a 12-year $64 million deal from the Canucks and more power to him and his agent. But, let’s not forget that this is the same allegedly “best” NHL goalie who choked in the series-ending playoff loss to the Blackhawks last spring. Roberto the Great allowed seven goals in a game that was there for the Canucks taking, and look what he gets for it.
more from Stan…
Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Luongo Will Earn His Pay
by Paul on 09/05/09 at 01:43 PM ET
Comments (6)
from Tony Gallagher of the Vancouver Province,
Every time Luongo would have a game in which he wasn’t miraculous, out would come the usual charges that he’s never won anything, never committed to any organization, didn’t or might not like the city, wants to be dealt to Montreal or isn’t good enough.
Further, there is the Ken Holland strategy always lurking in the background whereby because Detroit has had the mainstay of their resources tied up in defenceman Nick Lidstrom, who is utterly dominant at his position, that a team might not be able to win with a goaltender being highly paid and the dominant player on a roster.
We’ll see how the Wings and this view of the world make out when Lidstrom retires.
And every time one of these skeletons would come out, it had to bother Luongo, who is sufficiently passionate about playing the game that he was named captain of the Canucks even though it was somewhat inconvenient for the team to do it.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
You Can Still Dream Of Having Luongo, In About Five Years
by Paul on 09/04/09 at 12:41 PM ET
Comments (1)
from Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province via the National Post,
The first comes five years into the extension. If Luongo isn’t pleased with where the team is at, or where it’s heading, he can then trigger a trade. The out clause is timed for what should be an organizational crossroads - one year after the Sedins’ current long-term deal is up. The Canucks have agreed to accommodate the request by moving Luongo at that point.
It’s likely Luongo would be a valuable commodity, coveted by NHL teams even at age 36. If it were to happen, the team which traded for him would owe him US$27.2-million for the final seven years of his deal.
Two years later, after the contract extension’s seventh year, the Canucks have a reciprocal clause. If they want to go in another direction, they will have an opportunity to move Luongo despite his no-trade clause.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Will The Canucks Best Player Deliver a Stanley Cup?
by Paul on 09/03/09 at 09:32 AM ET
Comments (1)
from Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province via Faceoff.com,
Well, as much as the contract represents a home run for the Canucks, it’s still yet to be proven that you can win in the new-world NHL with a goalie as your best player. That’s been the case since the lockout. It was certainly the case again last season. And if it’s the case going forward, what does it say about the Canucks’ chances?
Last season, for example, five of the top-10 goalies in save percentage played for teams which failed to make the playoffs and the only one who appeared in the final four was Chicago’s Nikolai Khabibulin. The results were a lot more encouraging in goals-against average where eight of the top-10 goalies made the playoffs. But, again, Khabibulin was the only goalie to appear in a conference final.
Now look at the goalies who made the conference semifinals. Luongo was the biggest name there followed by Khabibulin. The others were a mixed bag which included Chris Osgood, Jonas Hiller, Tim Thomas, Marc-Andre Fleury, Simeon Varlamov and Ward.
We’re not saying goaltending isn’t important in the NHL. Far from it. We are saying, however, there are a number of ways to fill that position.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Gillis Had No Choice But Sign Luongo
by Paul on 09/02/09 at 02:46 PM ET
Comments (1)
from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,
I can’t think of a more significant signing this summer than Wednesday’s 12-year contract extension between Roberto Luongo and the Vancouver Canucks.
Super-elite NHL netminders are like super-elite quarterbacks in the NFL; there are only a handful of them and other teams spend years trying to land one.
So credit Canucks GM Mike Gillis for putting aside his personal preference of avoiding the kind of double digit-term deals that have plagued the NHL in the last few years; he made a rare exception because he knew he had no choice.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Luongo Officially Signs
by Paul on 09/02/09 at 11:46 AM ET
Comments (4)
Vancouver, B.C. - Vancouver Canucks President and General Manager Mike Gillis announced today that goaltender Roberto Luongo has agreed to terms on a 12 year contract extension through the 2021-2022 season.
“Today is a very exciting day for the Canucks organization,” said Mike Gillis. “Roberto Luongo is the leader of our hockey team; he is in the prime of his playing career and has a tremendous desire to make the Canucks a championship team. His leadership, competitiveness and character are what this team will represent for many years to come.”
“This is a great day for me and my family,” said Roberto Luongo. “I love playing in a passionate hockey city like Vancouver and along with my teammates I am committed to doing everything I can to help make this a championship team.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Chasing Luongo
by Paul on 09/01/09 at 07:16 AM ET
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from Jason Botchford of the White Towel at the Vancouver Province,
A bizarre day of Roberto Luongo contract conjecture, fuelled by unconfirmed Internet rumours, exposed the media as a little desperate and a lot sloppy.
How bad did it get? The Vancouver Sun was actually duped by a fake Twitter account supposedly belonging to “Bobby Lou” which proclaimed: “The rumours are true we’ve reached an agreement. Very happy to be a Canuck long-term.” The account has long been known as a fake but was used to confirm signing rumours, which have been circulating for months, were true.
A headline on the Vancouver Sun Web site late Monday night read: “This Tweet just in: Roberto Luongo locked up.”
Meanwhile, the real Luongo, who was not in Vancouver, told people his deal was not quite done but he remained “very confident” it would be soon.
The day began with a Sportsnet report titled “Luongo, Canucks agree on extension.” The story got huge play even though it didn’t provide much in the way of new information.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Luongo Wants Contract Done By Training Camp
by Paul on 08/27/09 at 08:38 AM ET
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from the Globe and Mail,
The Vancouver Canucks and goaltender Roberto Luongo are under a Sept. 13 deadline to agree to new contract terms. Luongo, who is attending Hockey Canada’s summer orientation camp for 2010 Olympic hopefuls, said he will not negotiate once the NHL team’s training camp begins at the University of British Columbia next month. He said he is unwilling to let his expiring contract become a daily distraction....
Gillis and Luongo denied reports yesterday that said the sides had agreed to a six-year pact worth $6.5-million (U.S.) a season. Luongo, 30, is entering the final year of his current deal, and is to earn $7.5-million.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Who Starts In Goal For Canada?
by Paul on 08/24/09 at 09:52 PM ET
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from Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal via Canada.com,
“This is it for me,” said Brodeur, swatting away any suggestion that he might still be in the goaltending picture during the 2014 Olympics in Russia.
The grand old man of Canadian goaltending would be 41 in 2014 and he knows he can’t stop pucks forever.
As it is, he might not stop them every night at the 2010 Olympics. There is a reasonable possibility Vancouver Canucks’ Roberto Luongo, seven years younger and cognizant he’ll be playing in his home rink, might actually beat him out as the starter.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Martin+Brodeur, Roberto+Luongo, Team+Canada,
Thinking Long-Term In Vancouver
by Paul on 06/17/09 at 09:08 PM ET
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from Ian MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun,
A smart betting man would wager that Kesler, not goaltender Luongo, will be the first Canuck to sign a long-term extension this summer.
Canuck general manager Mike Gillis said before leaving for Vegas that he’d be speaking with both to get an idea how they might like to proceed on July 1, when teams are eligible to extend contracts due to expire after next season.
Luongo is due to become an unrestricted free agent 12-and-a-half months from now. Kesler would be a restricted free agency with, likely, a load of leverage in salary arbitration. He’ll make $1.75 million US next year, Luongo $7.5 million US.
“We’ve had some preliminary discussions with him,” Gillis said of Luongo, who has said he’ll stay in Vancouver if he feels the Canucks have a chance to win the Stanley Cup. “Very preliminary.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Roberto+Luongo, Ryan+Kesler,
Why Luongo Must Go
by Paul on 05/13/09 at 11:09 AM ET
Comments (8)
from Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province,
...The irony, then, is that the Canucks will have to trade Luongo in order to build a team that would be good enough to win with Luongo.
Think about it for a minute. It’s now apparent the Canucks have more holes in their lineup than Luongo can fill. Their defence was exposed against the Blackhawks as too slow and too conservative. They need scoring. They could also use more size. And speed.
Trading Luongo would not only bring in some prized assets for the organization, it could free up the capital to make a run at a Jay Bouwmeester and make it easier to sign the Sedins.
Granted, this means turning the goaltending over to young Cory Schneider and a veteran of some description, and that means you won’t get what Luongo gives you on a night-in, night-out basis.
Then again, if the rest of your team is good enough, you won’t need lights-out goaltending every night.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Luongo Feels He Let His Team Down
by Paul on 05/12/09 at 08:08 AM ET
Comments (15)
from Tim Wharnsby of the Globe and Mail,
Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo blamed himself for the demise of Canada’s last club in the Stanley Cup playoffs last night.
The Canucks’ captain, considered one of the game’s premier goalies, couldn’t stop enough pucks to force a deciding seventh game against the young and restless Chicago Blackhawks, a team that battled back to overcome two separate one-goal disadvantages to take the six-game series with a madcap but entertaining 7-5 victory.
“I let my teammates down,” said a choked-up Luongo, who cut short his postgame interview because his emotions were getting the best of him.
“It was pretty wide open, but I had to make the saves.”
added 8:14am, Video of Luongo with the media after the game…
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Images Of Luongo
by Paul on 05/07/09 at 09:31 AM ET
Comments (3)
from Rosie DiManno of the Toronto Star,
In the United Center crowd the other night, a couple of intrepid fans – crashing the Blackhawks’ party – were seen hoisting Roberto Luongo-cum-Jesus Christ posters.
“Luongo Saves!”
Informed about this, the Vancouver goaltender lifts his eyes upward in an altogether doleful Messianic expression. “Must be because of my looks, not because of my play.”
Well, there is that.
It is perhaps to Luongo’s misfortune that he does so eerily resemble Christ, at least as portrayed by artists through the ages: the long, mournful face, the dark shoulder-length tresses, an appearance of suffering. A Vancouver artist actually rendered Luongo-as-Christ in a painting this year, which was not well received by serious religionists.
The flip side is a hint of satanic features in the visage, a bit of Charles Manson.
As saviour, however, the metaphor is rich.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
2nd Great Save Of The Day - Luongo On Eager
by Paul on 05/02/09 at 11:12 PM ET
Comments (2)
added 11:59pm, The Versus version of the save can be watched below…
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Ben+Eager, Roberto+Luongo,
It Could Be Luongo’s Time
by Paul on 04/30/09 at 10:07 AM ET
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from Damien Cox of the Toronto Star,
Roberto Luongo has centre stage virtually to himself.
This is his chance to deliver a grand soliloquy, to explain through the art of goaltending why he matters while his country listens intently.
At 30, it’s remarkable that despite all the laurels tossed Luongo’s way, his accomplishments in the sport up until now have been minimal.
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Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Luongo Ready For The :Playoffs
by Paul on 04/12/09 at 09:35 PM ET
Comments (1)
from Brad Ziemer of the Vancouver Sun,
Luongo can’t wait for the playoffs to begin.
“I feel really good and the thing is the team is playing well defensively so it cuts the number of big saves I have to make,” Luongo said after posting his second straight shutout in Saturday’s 1-0 overtime win in Denver. “We have to build off that. Going into the playoffs, we know there are going to be a lot of games like this that are tight and any mistake could decide the game. It’s nice we have that playoff mentality already.”
Luongo seems to have had it for quite some time. He has played brilliantly down the stretch and as he prepares for his second taste of the Stanley Cup playoffs, he thinks he can draw upon some of the things he learned during his first post-season experience two years ago.
“I guess you just know what to expect,” he said. “Going into my first one you don’t really know until you really play a game how it feels. The main thing is you can’t get too high or too low. When you win a game you feel like you’re on top of the world. When you lose one you feel like you’re done. You just have to try and stay even-keeled until the series is over.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Luongo Needs To Improve His Play
by Paul on 04/07/09 at 10:36 AM ET
Comments (8)
from Bruce Dowbiggin at the Calgary Herald,
To the consternation of Vancouver management and fans, their best player simply hasn’t stepped up as advertised. Luongo’s erratic play largely escaped criticism while the Canucks’ forwards and defenceman were red-hot in their 20-5-1 streak. The whiffs and bobbles were written off to rust from the extended six-week stay Luongo spent on the injury list. Give ‘im time, they said.
Well, time has passed, but with the club slumping to three straight losses as they head into tonight’s showdown with Calgary at GM Place, followers of the Canucks are coming to the uncomfortable conclusion that Vancouver may have to win in spite of their highly paid goalie. Holy Stan Smyl, could it happen at a worse time for fans of the Orcas? (Or a better time for Flames’ fans?)
Radio talk shows in this city are buzzing with complaints about their one-time hero. Luongo is being roasted for not committing to the Canucks past the end of his contract in 2010 and getting too big for his hockey britches for taking the captaincy. A loss against the Flames and he’ll likely be pilloried for starting the subprime mortgage mess.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Luongo A Vezina Candidate
by Paul on 03/31/09 at 11:23 AM ET
Comments (1)
from Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province,
Vezina voters (NHL general managers) are loath to support upstarts and tend to vote for established stars. None of the established powerhouses—including Miikka Kiprusoff, Henrik Lundqvist and Martin Brodeur—is having a powerhouse year (at least not statistically).
And that’s opened the Vezina door to Luongo, whose up and down season has been nothing but up for two months.
The remarkable 18-4-1 run he’s on leaves him with a 29-11-6 record. That’s just six fewer wins than he had all of last year when he played 26 more games.
“There are a lot of reasons, and many things have had to go well to go on a run like this,” Luongo said.
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Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Dustin Byfuglien Delivers A Shot To Luongo…
by Paul on 03/29/09 at 09:38 PM ET
Comments (17)
Then. the fights broke out.
Canucks went on to shutout the Blackhawks 4-0.
You can checkout the boxscore at TSN for all the penalties.
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Tags: Dustin+Byfuglien, Roberto+Luongo,
Afternoon Line
by Paul on 03/22/09 at 12:39 PM ET
Comments (3)
“I think first and foremost, I want to win the Cup and whichever team is going to give me the best chance to do that is the team I want to be with,. I love Vancouver, it’s a great city with great fans. So far, I’ve really enjoyed my time there. Obviously, this year and next year are going to be a key role in my decision.”
-Roberto Luongo on ‘After Hours’ on HNIC last night. More from Jason Botchford of The White Towel at the Vancouver Province.
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Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Evening Line
by Paul on 03/14/09 at 10:51 PM ET
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“What I take with me from what happened last year is the fear — I never want to go through something like that again. I use it to motivate. I remember the feelings I had once last season was over. I was devastated. It took me a long, long time to get over it.
“We can’t ever sit back and think it’s over, that we’re in. There’s still 15 games left and a lot can happen. Things change fast. You lose a few games in a row and, before you know it, you’re battling just for that last spot.”
-Roberto Luongo via Jason Botchord of The White Towel at the Vancouver Province.
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Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Canucks Need A Better Luongo
by Paul on 02/12/09 at 01:23 PM ET
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from Brad Ziemer of the Vancouver Sun,
Given the struggles they endured in January, you would expect the Vancouver Canucks to be downright giddy over the three-game winning streak they carry into tonight’s game here against the Phoenix Coyotes.
But they’re not. Three wins can’t mask the fact that the team is still struggling in some key areas. The Canuck penalty-kill has been abysmal and goalie Roberto Luongo clearly hasn’t regained his form since returning from injury.
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Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Luongo Doesn’t Buy Into The Still Injured Issue
by Paul on 01/20/09 at 12:34 PM ET
Comments (1)
from Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province,
Luongo knows allowing nine goals on 60 shots in his last two outings isn’t going to cut it, but didn’t buy the argument that he might be having trouble pushing off his left skate. He seemed stoic when beaten on shootout efforts by Williams and Rick Nash.
“I feel great on the ice and really have no issues,” he stressed. “It [rust] is from not having breakaways or shootouts. Once back on the ice, I didn’t want to go right into shootouts in practice and wanted to be careful. I was kind of antsy on the first [shootout] and went down early.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Luongo Ready For Return
by Paul on 01/11/09 at 07:59 PM ET
Comments (1)
from Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun,
Vancouver Canuck superstar goalie Roberto Luongo will partake in a full team practice on Monday and appears set to return to game action this week.
Luongo survived a rigourous 75-minute workout run by goalie coach Ian Clark today at GM Place.
Seven players took shots on Luongo in a variety of drills designed specifically to test his injured groin.
“I pounded it pretty hard and the groin is feeling fine,” said Luongo. “We pretty much explored everything today. There were some broken plays where you kind of had to react and kick your leg out and be in a bit of a vulnerable position and I didn’t have any problems. So that’s really encouraging. I’m really happy with the way things went.”
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Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Evening Line
by Paul on 12/14/08 at 06:09 PM ET
Comments (1)
‘It wasn’t feeling like it was supposed to be feeling, so I got off the ice. I didn’t want to make it worse and I’m going to stay off the ice until I’m 100 percent.’’
‘Week-to-week? Tough to say. This is the first time I’ve dealt with a groin injury. Just when I thought I was ready to get back into it, my groin was telling me something else.”
‘’I’m a competitor; I want to be in goal every day.’’
-Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo. More at TSN.
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Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Luongo Still Week-to-Week
by Paul on 12/11/08 at 12:04 PM ET
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from Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun,
Roberto has been on his own schedule since the injury,” said Vigneault, not looking particularly upbeat. “He warms up, he practises, he takes what he can take and when he feels he’s had enough, he comes off. It was no different today.
“The timeline remains week-to-week. I can’t invent an answer for you. We originally said week-to-week. Some groins are quicker than others. That’s all I can say.”
Asked directly whether Luongo did tweak the muscle, Vigneault replied: “No, not to my knowledge. I mean, he’s been following a steady plan and the plan is for him to practise on Friday. Every day is steady improvement. Groins are tough areas for players, especially goaltenders so we’ll see how things progress.”
Based on Wednesday’s curious event, it now seems an almost certainty Luongo won’t be ready for this weekend’s back-to-back games against the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers.
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Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Still Talking About The Luongo Trade
by Paul on 11/16/08 at 02:48 PM ET
Comments (3)
from Steve Gorten of the Sun-Sentinel,
Do you see what goalie Roberto Luongo has been doing lately and feel cheated? You should. If it makes you angry to read those sentences, it’s because you hate being reminded of what can’t be forgotten — that the Panthers gave away Luongo to Vancouver in June 2006.
Regardless of whether you agree with the trade, they should have received more in return. What they now have instead of Luongo are defenseman Bryan Allen and AHL center Shawn Matthias, a prospect they got when they traded their key acquisition in the Luongo deal, Todd Bertuzzi, to Detroit.
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Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Let The ‘C’ Be Seen
by Paul on 11/14/08 at 05:32 PM ET
Comments (3)
from the Vancouver Sun,
You’ve spoken - more than 2,200 of you - on whether Vancouver Canucks star goalie Roberto Luongo should be allowed to wear the captain’s C on his jersey during NHL games.
The Vancouver Sun will present this petition to National Hockey League headquarters in New York next Tuesday.
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Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Can The Streak Continue
by Paul on 11/12/08 at 11:35 AM ET
Comments (0)
from the Vancouver Sun,
There was an elephant in the Vancouver Canuck dressing room Tuesday that Roberto Luongo’s teammates were doing their best to tip-toe around.
“I think it is probably in the back of everyone’s mind now because you guys are bringing a little attention to it,” said defenceman Willie Mitchell.
“You don’t want to jinx him, eh,” added Canuck winger Alex Burrows. “So you don’t really want to talk about it.”
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Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Luongo Has Been Perfect Last Three Games
by Paul on 11/09/08 at 08:40 PM ET
Comments (1)
from Brad Ziemer of the Vancouver Sun,
Memo to boss: You know that chart you wanted done, the one that was going to document just where Roberto Luongo was getting beaten for all those goals? Well, unless you are a huge fan of white space, I think we may want to put that project on hold.
Although come to think of it, every picture does tell a story and a blank canvas would tell us pretty much all we need to know about the Canuck goalie these days.
Luongo is stopping everything, or at least he has for the last 201 minutes and eight seconds he’s been on the ice.
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Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Luongo No Mr. October
by Paul on 10/20/08 at 12:59 PM ET
Comments (0)
from Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province,
To many Canucks fans in Vancouver, Roberto Luongo is Superman. If he is, October is his Kryptonite.
Luongo is Vancouver’s scene stealer, but he hasn’t stolen any games. He is the Canucks’ best player, their star, but that’s not the way it reads on the stat sheet.
There it claims Luongo is struggling. His 3.39 goals-against average and a .886 save percentage should be a source of frustration, and is assuredly an area of concern for fans.
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Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Can You ‘C’ It
by Paul on 10/02/08 at 07:12 AM ET
Comments (1)
from Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province,
He can’t wear a ‘C’ on his jersey, but Roberto Luongo doesn’t see how the league could stop him from putting one on his mask.
League rules prohibit a goalie from being a captain, and during games the NHL will not recognize Luongo, the first netminder to captain a team since 1948, in the role.
Because of the rule, the NHL also does not permit a goalie to wear a ‘C’ on his jersey. But Luongo said he has given some thought to painting one on his mask
“It could mean anything, it could be C for Canucks,” Luongo said..
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Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Canucks “Capable Of Great Things”
by Paul on 09/16/08 at 07:36 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province,
“It reminds a bit of two years ago when I got here,” Luongo said Monday following his first informal skate with teammates at Burnaby 8-Rinks.
“There were a lot of new faces and a lot of people didn’t know what to expect and we ended up having a great season. I get that same feeling a bit this year.
“I think guys are going to be excited to play and once we all get together and play as a team, I think we’re capable of great things.”
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Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
It’s All About Winning For Luongo
by Paul on 09/01/08 at 08:34 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province,
In a wide-ranging telephone interview from Montreal, Luongo talked like someone who expects to be in Vancouver longer than the two years remaining on his current deal.
“The great thing is we’re on the same page and we both want to win,” Luongo said of Gillis. “We’re here to win and we want to build a winning team that can contend for the Cup every year.
“When I spoke to him, it was very reassuring for me because that’s why I’m playing in Vancouver—to have a chance to win it all. When you hear something like that from your GM—that he’s as committed to winning as Mike is—it gives you a comfort zone that the organization is all about putting the best team on the ice.”
read on including Luongo hitting the ice with white pads…
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Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
How’s Luongo
by Paul on 07/08/08 at 07:33 AM ET
Comments (2)
from Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun,
Roberto Luongo’s agent said the uber goalie is in a good frame of mind preparing for the coming season. Gilles Lupien last spoke to Luongo on Friday.
“I said ‘how are you and blah, blah, blah’ and he told me ‘I was pissed off during the season but now I’m cooled down and I’m happy and I want to go out and play,’” Lupien said. “Roberto is a nice kid. Sometimes he gets frustrated and all that because he wants to win.
“The people in Vancouver don’t have to wonder,” added Lupien. “For Roberto, it’s another season and let’s go for it. He’s happy, he has his daughter, he’s coming to Montreal in three weeks to show everyone his daughter and, after that, he’s going back to Vancouver.”
more on the Canucks…
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Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Now What Luongo
by Paul on 03/27/08 at 08:53 AM ET
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from The Good, The Bad And The Duthie,
“Would you miss a playoff game to be there for the baby’s birth?
Luongo laughed and said the plan had already been made to induce before the playoffs. Team player, that Gina Luongo.
“But what if you missed a key game and didn’t make the playoffs?”
He laughed again. Harder. Missing the playoffs wasn’t even a possibility in Luongo’s mind.
Oops. Is now.
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Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Morning Line
by Paul on 03/26/08 at 10:04 AM ET
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via the Vancover Sun,
“I wish I had the answer for you, but I don’t,” Luongo said when asked to explain the Canucks’ disappearing act after the first period. “I just try to do my job out there and make saves. Obviously, I needed to make one extra save tonight to give our team a point.”
The Flames won it when they scored two power-play goals—one of them a 5-on-3—41 seconds apart midway through the third.
“We took three straight penalties and they scored,” he said. “Not much you can do about it. For me, I have to put it behind me and get ready for tomorrow night. It’s obviously a big game for us.”
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Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Voting for Hart
by Alanah McGinley on 03/17/08 at 12:48 PM ET
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From Mike Brophy at The Hockey News,
It’s almost time to vote for the Hart Trophy and I’ve got to be honest, I am not even close to picking my winner.
I will say, though, I have narrowed it down to four candidates – goalies Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils and Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks, left winger Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals and right winger Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames.
I firmly believe, had Sidney Crosby not missed so much action with that high ankle sprain, he would have repeated as the Hart winner. Oh well.
Update 5:50pm ET: John Glennon at The Tennessean wonders this about Ovechkin,
“His energy and his passion — if you could bottle that and stick it inside your players — you would have an unbelievable team.’’
It sounds like the description of an MVP, but there’s a catch. The Capitals are in a position similar to that of the Predators, two points out of the playoff picture with nine games remaining in the season.
Hence the question: Should Washington fall short of the postseason, should Ovechkin win the MVP? The last player to accomplish such a feat was a guy named Mario Lemieux, who did it while playing for Pittsburgh in 1986-87.
Filed in: NHL Talk | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: alex+ovechkin, hart+trophy, jarome+iginla, martin+brodeur, nhl+awards, roberto+luongo, sidney+crosby,
Cut The Flaps
by Paul on 02/19/08 at 07:40 AM ET
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from the Vancouver Province,
The NHL has changed its tune with regard to Roberto Luongo’s pads, singling out the Canucks’ star netminder by asking him to chop off his controversial flaps even though other goalies in the league still wear them.
Just two months after Marty Turco and Mike Smith created the so-called “pad flap,” the NHL seems to have reversed its opinion. In response to Turco’s mock protest in December, Kay Whitmore, one of the NHL “goalie police,” said there was nothing wrong with Luongo’s knee flaps, two pieces of equipment that jet out from his leg pads.
Before the Feb. 5 game in Dallas, Luongo was asked by Whitmore to cut them off and he did.
Update 6:00pm ET: From Scott Morrison at CBC,
There has been a flap over the flaps on Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo’s pads. It was first reported that the NHL told him to remove the flaps. Actually, he was told to properly fasten them down, the way they were intended to be worn.
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Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Luongo Facing His Old Team
by Paul on 02/01/08 at 09:37 AM ET
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from George Richards of the Miami Herald,
The bottom line is, Luongo always thought a deal was going to be made, and he would remain in Florida. Luongo was the face of the Panthers, and he figured he would be for years. The franchise is led by others now, but Luongo has his piece of its history.
Luongo and the Panthers have moved on. But Friday night’s game is still going to be special.
‘’I think it’s going to be real emotional for him,’’ said Jokinen, who came to Florida with Luongo in a trade from the New York Islanders in 2000. ``He’s going to have a lot of friends out there.’’
In the stands, and on the ice, too.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Florida Panthers, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Luongo Finds His Game
by Paul on 01/18/08 at 09:49 AM ET
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from the Vancouver Province,
Somewhere among those 49 Detroit shots he found his game.
“I think it was something that I needed,” Luongo said regarding the shot barrage. “I’m happy that I got so many shots. It brought my confidence back up a little bit. I started to feel like myself there.
“They were throwing everything at the net and it got me in the game early and I established a pretty good comfort zone right off the bat.
“I was getting in a pretty good groove there."…
“He was standing on his head, spinning around, stopping everything,” Sami Salo said. “I don’t even know the word for it. I don’t know if there is a word for it. It was more than unbelievable....”
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Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Luongo Reveals Rib Injury
by Paul on 12/11/07 at 06:30 AM ET
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from the Ice Hole,
So, it turns out a “coach’s hunch” is a rib contusion.
Good, now we know.
It was strange to everyone when Roberto Luongo didn’t address the media after the Penguins game Saturday. It was out of character and the first instinct of many was that Luongo was suffering some sort of injury.
The Canucks had made the decision to hide the injury and their commitment to that decision went from the odd to the ridiculous.
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Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Luongo Hiding
by Paul on 12/10/07 at 09:04 AM ET
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from the Vancouver Province,
It was acknowledged by team staff that Luongo was in the medical room but did not have an injury.
Given that NHL teams regularly play fast and loose with the truth regarding injuries, speculation swirled that Luongo had picked up an injury. Otherwise, why wouldn’t he have been available?
Luongo was seen by a member of the media sometime later as he was leaving GM Place, but he said he didn’t want to talk.
On Sunday, as the Canucks held an optional practice—attended by just five skaters and back-up goaltender Curtis Sanford—Luongo was still not available, but the team continued to maintain there was no injury to their franchise goalie.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
Head-To-Head
by Paul on 12/09/07 at 12:03 PM ET
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from the Vancouver Province,
Forget the game, it was a head-to-head that people will be talking about for days, maybe years.
It was two of the best players in hockey, Vancouver’s stalwart netminder against Pittsburgh’s wunderkind forward in two head-to-head battles.
With the spotlight all to themselves, it was Sidney Crosby versus Roberto Luongo in overtime. And then again in a shootout.
I stayed up late last night and caught the whole game and I must say, one of the better games of the year.
Did anyone else catch the stare-down Luongo gave Crosby after stopping his shootout attempt? Watch for yourself (game highlights)…
Filed in: NHL Teams, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Roberto+Luongo, Sidney+Crosby,
All Luongo
by Paul on 12/04/07 at 03:31 PM ET
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Roberto Luongo took part in an NHL tele-conference today.
Q. There was a drastic difference in play from October to November. Could you explain some of the changes that may have happened, some of the changes in mentality or in certain X’s and O’s that helped you turn things around a little bit.
ROBERTO LUONGO: Well, I think it’s a bit of both. First of all, we lost two of our top defensemen the first game in November when Kevin and Sami Salo went down. So I think that was pretty much rock bottom for us. As a team we really decided to regroup and realized that, if we’re going to win some games from now on, we’re going to have to work hard, but at the same time we’re going to have to work smart. We adjusted a couple things with our system as far as our forecheck and play in our own zone. Since then it’s really been going well for us.
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Tags: Roberto+Luongo,
NHL Stars of the Week & Month
by Alanah McGinley on 12/03/07 at 02:31 PM ET
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Goaltenders Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks, Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils and Niklas Backstrom of the Minnesota Wild have been named the NHL’s ‘Three Stars’ for the week ending December 2.
Atlanta Thrashers left wing Ilya Kovalchuk, Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo and Tampa Bay Lightning center Vincent Lecavalier have been named the NHL’s ‘Three Stars’ for November.
Filed in: NHL Talk | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: ilya+kovalchuk, martin+brodeur, niklas+backstrom, roberto+luongo, vincent+lecavalier,
No Goals Allowed - Is That Allowed?
by Paul on 12/01/07 at 10:02 AM ET
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from the Vancouver Sun,
There is this thing in baseball about a pitcher carrying a no-hitter into the late innings: You never go near him in the dugout and you never, ever say the word “no-hitter.” Never. Ever.
So what are the Vancouver Canucks supposed to do with Roberto Luongo?…
He is shooting for his fourth straight bagel Sunday in Minnesota. The NHL record is five, set by Phoenix’s Brian Boucher four seasons ago.
“The old rule still stands about using the notorious ‘word’ before the end of a game,” Canuck goalie guru Ian Clark chuckled Friday. “Guys get into nicknaming it different things, but they don’t say the dangerous ‘word.’ They’ll use code or talk in various hushed tones, but they don’t want to be caught saying the naughty ‘word’ in case someone hears them.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: goalies, ian+clark, Roberto+Luongo, shutout,
Blame The Goalie
by Paul on 10/24/07 at 09:35 AM ET
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from Jamie Fitzpatrick at About.com,
When in doubt, blame the goalie. The following headlines have all appeared in the past seven days. Brief excerpts from the accompanying articles included:
Brodeur Can’t Bear to Look at Stats
The numbers would be bad even for the average guy. For Martin Brodeur, they’re positively ghastly.Where Have You Gone Roberto Luongo?
...and all your thrilling, acrobatic saves, a rain-soaked, darkened city turns its lonely eyes to you.
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Tags: goalies, martin+brodeur, roberto+luongo,
Blue Jackets Thinking About Luongo
by Paul on 10/21/07 at 09:02 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
The puck drops for the Blue Jackets against the Canucks today in Nationwide Arena.
But will it ever get past Luongo?
“I’ve played against him a lot of nights when it’s … well, it’s never impossible, but it seems like it,” said Blue Jackets left winger Fredrik Modin, who saw a lot of Luongo—too much, he might say—when Modin played for Tampa Bay and Luongo played for Florida two seasons ago.
“Guys get frustrated. What would be goals against other goalies, Luongo saves. So you feel like you have to be perfect to beat him, and it gets into your head.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: columbus+blue+jackets, goalies, roberto+luongo, vancouver+canucks,
