CAREER RETROSPECTIVE: ROBERTO LUONGO
Goaltender Roberto Luongo announced his retirement Wednesday, ending his 19-season NHL career
with the second-most regular-season games played (1,044) among goaltenders and the third-most
regular-season wins (489) in NHL history. He also retires among the top 10 in regular season saves
(2nd; 28,409), shutouts (9th; 77) and save percentage (t-9th; .919).
* Born in Quebec - just like the two goaltenders ahead of him on the all-time wins list - Luongo compiled a
489-392-124 record in 1,044 career regular-season games (2.52 GAA, .919 SV%, 77 SO) with the Florida
Panthers, Vancouver Canucks and New York Islanders. He added a 34-35 mark in 70 career playoff
games (2.49 GAA, .918 SV%, 5 SO) with the Canucks and Panthers.
* Luongo retires as the franchise leader in wins for both the Canucks (252) and Panthers (230) - the only
goaltender in NHL history to hold the wins record for multiple clubs (min. 100 wins for each).
* Luongo also holds the franchise record in shutouts for the Panthers (38) and Canucks (38), making him
one of three goaltenders in NHL history to lead multiple franchises in that category. Marc-Andre Fleury is
the shutouts leader for the Pittsburgh Penguins (44) and Vegas Golden Knights (12), while Roy Worters
set club records while playing with the now-defunct New York Americans (45) and Pittsburgh Pirates (22).
^Fleury and Worters also lead those franchises in wins, but do not meet the 100 wins threshold noted above
* Among goaltenders to make their NHL debut since 1955-56, only one netminder has more career
regular-season saves than Luongo (28,409): all-time wins leader Martin Brodeur (28,928).
* With a resume that includes eight 30-win campaigns, Luongo is one of eight netminders with as many
such seasons. His 47 victories in 2006-07 are tied for the second-most in one season in NHL history,
behind 48-win campaigns by Brodeur (also 2006-07) and Braden Holtby (2015-16).
* On the international stage, Luongo captured a championship with Team Canada on five occasions: two
gold medals at the Olympics (2010, 2014), two golds at the World Championship (2003, 2004) and a
World Cup of Hockey title (2004). Luongo allowed two or fewer goals in four of five appearances at the
2010 Olympics in Vancouver, highlighted by a 34-save performance in the gold-medal game against the
United States.
* Luongo won the William M. Jennings Trophy in 2010-11 alongside teammate Cory Schneider. In 2006-
07, Luongo was a finalist for both the Hart Trophy and Vezina Trophy, finishing second in voting behind
Hart winner Sidney Crosby and Vezina winner Brodeur. Luongo also was a top-three vote-getter for the
Vezina in 2010-11 (w/ VAN) and in 2003-04 (w/ FLA).
CHRONICLING LUONGO’S 19-SEASON NHL JOURNEY
Roberto Luongo went fourth overall to the Islanders in the 1997 NHL Draft - behind Joe Thornton
(BOS), Patrick Marleau (SJS) and Olli Jokinen (LAK) - and currently is one of six goaltenders ever
selected among the top four.
* After being drafted by the Islanders, Luongo won back-to-back Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
championships - first with the Val-d’Or Foreurs (1997-98) and then with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan (1998-
99).
* Luongo made the jump to the NHL the following season, posting a 7-14-1 record over the course of 24
games (20 starts) for the Islanders in 1999-00 - the only contests he skated with New York.
* At age 20 on Nov. 28, 1999, Luongo made his NHL debut at the FleetCenter in Boston, making 43
saves in a 2-1 victory against the Bruins - with Islanders teammate Zdeno Chara scoring his first career
game-winning goal. Luongo’s 43 saves are tied for the third-most by a goaltender winning his NHL debut.
* Less than a month after his first victory, Luongo recorded his first NHL shutout on Dec. 27, 1999 -
stopping all 34 shots he faced to record another milestone against Boston. Skating with the Panthers
nearly 19 years after that, on Dec. 4, 2018, Luongo again blanked the Bruins for the 77th and final
shutout of his NHL career.
* Luongo’s last shutout came in his return from a five-game absence and propelled him ahead of Ed
Belfour and Tony Esposito into sole possession of ninth place on the NHL’s all-time regular-season
shutouts list.
* Luongo earned his last victory with the Islanders on April 9, 2000 against the Panthers - a team that
acquired him less than three months later at the 2000 NHL Draft in Calgary. That deal sent Luongo -
along with Jokinen (the No. 3 pick in 1997) - from New York to Florida in exchange for forwards Mark
Parrish and Oleg Kvasha.
* With a fresh start for a relatively new franchise - the Panthers had been in the NHL just seven seasons
before Luongo’s arrival - the netminder quickly became the franchise leader in shutouts, games played by
a goaltender and wins. Luongo passed John Vanbiesbrouck in each of those categories before the end
of the 2005-06 season - first claiming the shutouts distinction on Feb. 6, 2003, followed by games played
on Dec 7, 2005 and wins on April 13, 2006. Though he departed for eight seasons, Luongo never
relinquished any of those franchise records.
* On June 23, 2006, Luongo was traded to Vancouver in a five-player deal that sent Todd Bertuzzi to
Florida. Entering the 2006-07 season with 341 NHL games to his credit, Luongo posted career highs in
games played (76) and wins (47) to lead the Canucks to a first-place finish in the Northwest Division - one
of their six division titles in the Luongo era.
* Luongo reached the 30-win mark in each of his first six seasons with the Canucks (part of a seven-
season streak overall) and helped Vancouver post the League’s best regular-season record in 2010-11
and 2011-12 - the only times the club has won the Presidents’ Trophy.
* In the playoffs, Luongo backstopped the Canucks past the first round in each of their four appearances
from 2006-07 to 2010-11, culminating in a trip to the 2011 Stanley Cup Final against the Bruins.
* In Game 7 of the 2011 Conference Quarterfinals, Luongo posted a 31-save effort as he and the
Canucks won 2-1 in overtime against the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks - a club that had
eliminated them in each of the previous two years. He posted a 1.97 goals-against average and .932
save percentage over the next two rounds to defeat the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks,
guiding Vancouver to the Final for the first time in 17 years. Luongo recorded two shutouts in the 2011
Final, but he and the Canucks ultimately lost Game 7 on home ice.
* After establishing Canucks franchise records for regular-season wins on Jan. 21, 2012 and shutouts on
Oct. 25, 2009, Luongo was traded back to the Panthers on March 4, 2014 in a four-player deal.
* Back in the Florida net for the first time in eight years, Luongo posted a 25-save shutout against the
Buffalo Sabres on March 7, 2014. It came 2,950 days after his last shutout with the club on Feb. 7, 2006.
* Over the final 255 games of his NHL career, Luongo added to his franchise records and helped the
Panthers return to the playoffs in 2015-16 as the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Division. Celebrating his 37th
birthday just days before the end of that season, Luongo posted the sixth and final 35-win campaign of
his career to help Florida clinch its second division title.
* Luongo won three of his last four career games, posting his final victory on April 1, 2019 at home
against the defending Stanley Cup champion Capitals. His last NHL appearance was a 4-3 overtime loss
against the Devils, at home on the final day of 2018-19 when Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov set
the franchise record for points in a single season.
LUONGO THE LEADER
A leader in every regard, Roberto Luongo retires as the last goaltender to captain an NHL team. He
wore the ‘C’ on his mask for the Canucks from 2008-09 to 2009-10, at the time making him the first
netminder in 60 years to serve as captain of an NHL team - Bill Durnan was the last before him in 1947-
48 with the Montreal Canadiens.
* Luongo’s leadership in the community also was brought to the forefront when he addressed the crowd
at BB&T Center before a win on Feb. 22, 2018. A longtime resident of Parkland, Fla., Luongo delivered
an emotional speech as the Panthers honored victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High
School. Speaking for nearly three minutes, he expressed his love for the Parkland community, called for
positive action in the wake of tragedy, addressed family and friends of the victims and commended the
efforts of teachers and students.
* Through his welcoming personality and lighthearted take on life in the NHL, Luongo was respected by
teammates and opponents alike. After announcing his retirement in true @strombone1 style, Roberto
Luongo received messages from former teammates and opposing players, including Martin Brodeur,
with whom he won a gold medal at the 2010 Olympics.
* Luongo also received a congratulatory message from Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who now
has the most career regular-season wins among active goaltenders (449).
* Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov also sent a heartfelt message to his former teammate.
