In Defence Of Roberto Luongo
by Sean Zandberg on May 12, 2009 4:18 PM PDT
in Luongo
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Print"They had a few chances early, and I made a few saves. But the rest of the way, I didn't help my teammates out. I'm sorry, guys," Luongo said and then he teared up and walked away. Classy, heartbreaking stuff from a team captain after a series loss.
Not even 12 hours after the Canucks were ousted from the playoffs many fans and mainstream media were not only putting a lot of blame on Roberto Luongo, they were/are also saying it might be a good idea to trade him before he becomes an unrestricted free agent after next season, claiming the $8 million he is making may handcuff Mike Gillis' ability to remake the team.
To those people I offer a toast. I am holding up my glass of "shut the hell up!" It's unbelievable how so many people not only knee jerk after a loss, but also lose their sense of reality. Personally, I am disappointed with Luongo's performance against the Hawks, but he wasn't exactly terrible either. The whole team failed. Many of the Hawks' goals were practically unstoppable. That's how precise their snipers are. The Canucks offered Luongo no support in Round 2, or, inconsistent support. Their fails gave Chicago completely favorable scoring chances on many occasions. Several of these chances WERE stopped by Luongo. Asking Luongo to play a whole series at the level Kirk McLean did in Game 1 in the 1994 Finals is absurd. But it seems that that's what he would have had to do to win this series.
Am I exaggerating?
OK, let's go back to the "trade Luongo" topic. I say Mike Gillis will NOT pull that trade. I think it's fair to say that MG is going to build another competitive team this summer even with Luongo's big salary. We have to trust that he will accomplish that by now. He is going to do everything in his power to build a Canucks team that can win and in the process, hope that Louie likes what he sees and signs an extension.
Yes, Luongo did say that he will want to play for a team that has the best chance to win it all after next season. I think that is part of what angers fans as well. I say: have faith that Gillis will build a winner and Louie may just sign here again.
Unreal. I should have waited a few more days before I addressed this, but I just can't contain my anger. I defend Roberto Luongo and his contract. I think he IS a world class goalie that Canucks fans should be grateful for, especially after the Cloutier, Snow, Irbe, etc years.
I will say this though: I think it COULD BE a good idea to remove the captaincy from Lou. Don't goalies already have enough pressure on them? If it would help Luongo I'd say do it.
There is so much to talk about in relation to these Canucks. Are Alain Vigneault's days numbered? Who is Gillis going to re-sign or let go?
We'll tackle those issues soon or update you on any developments there.
In the meantime, thank you Roberto Luongo and your team for the insane ride this year. There were so many adversities (death of friends, Luongo injury, massive losing skid) for the Canucks and I am proud of how you performed under all these circumstances. I'm disappointed and expected more, but I'm proud of this team nevertheless.
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Oh yes, the GREAT Potvin in the prime of his career! (not)
Too bad though. I remember when the Nucks got him. I thought he’d be good…
Remember Bob Essensa?
by Sean Zandberg on May 12, 2009 4:34 PM PDT up reply actions
And Sean Burke!
By the way, this article is shit. Pure shit. He doesn’t cite who this “audience” is who wants him gone, leaving me to think he’s reading the kids at the CDC.
And, if we walk in Cam’s world for another second, why would trading him now be better than at the next deadline? Who’s going to unload a great deal of talent now (with a lower salary cap) when you could wait until the deadline and get a GM when he’s more vulnerable? Hardest part of trading him period is finding someone with the cap room.
Whatever, I’ve wasted too much time thinking about it. It’s absurd, after all this guy has done, for him to openly shopped by so many fools.
'Nucks Misconduct - Housing Swedish Millionaires Since 2000.
by Yankee Canuck on May 12, 2009 4:50 PM PDT up reply actions
I agree with you about the captaincy. The extra load of being captain may have hindered Louie from doing his job. Would that hurt Louie’s pride? Would that be awkward to give the C to a Kesler or Mitchell, possibly an Ohlund if he stays?
Personally I would change the Captain for next year and allow Lou to play his game.
yes
I don’t think it was too much pressure for Lou, but it ended up being a detriment to the team. He wasn’t sitting on the bench able to calm everyone down after a bad goal or penalty, he had to try to do it with his play while the team in front of him was rattled. It’s a better option to have someone who’s a skater on the bench as captain, so that he can talk to the team throughout the game. The goaltender is too isolated.
"Life is just a place where we spend time between games. Hockey is where we live, where we can best meet and overcome pain and wrong and death." - Fred Shero
by Karina on May 13, 2009 2:26 PM PDT up reply actions
Re: In defence of Roberto Lungo
This was the biggest game of Luongo’s career and he failed miserably. The wrap around 5th goal was horrible, he looked tired,unfocused and lazy all game, was he tired in game 6 of round 2?
“Many of the hawks goals were unstoppable”…that comment is flat out absurd, he saw almost everything, he was beat cleanly over the glove twice and by a backhand, all shots he saw, all saves I have seen him and many other goalies make before. He was beat by a weak wrap around, a poor rebound, the list goes on.Cant blame the media for calling a spade a spade, i know he sucked, hell even Luongo knows he sucked.
HE is not paid 7-8 million a year to beat Colorado in January…this is what he is paid for , to lead a team in the playoffs to victory, he thinks he is elite, the media and fans seem to think so, he is supposedly a shoe in for team canada…all i see is a bunch of hot air.
Fact
Poor 5 hole all year
Losing shootout record
Poor puck handler
For a guy who says that he wants to play for a team that gives him the best chance to win a stanley cup…I say lets get a goalie who gives us the best chance to win a stanley cup, because clearly when the chips are down and his boys bail him out twice and give him two 3rd period leads, he doesn’t have what it takes.
Zanstorm: you have no clue…let me put it to you this was using your own words….
we aren’t asking Luongo to play a whole series at the level Kirk McLean did in Game 1 in the 1994 Finals….about 50% of that would have won us game 6 last night.
BOTTOM LINE: the team was sunk on that unexcusable wrap around to tie it at 5, you could see the life immediately sucked out of the team..game set match…im just glad this wasnt game 7 of the finals…but with this guy we wont get there…he has shown he is not a big time player…just a good regular season guy.
I have to disagree on the wraparound. Take another look at how stupidly fast the attacker is, as well as the bounce the puck takes off a seam in the boards.
There aren’t many players who make that goal.
The wraparound was fast as hell fo sho
by Sean Zandberg on May 12, 2009 9:58 PM PDT up reply actions
I am guessing you did not watch the first round.
I'm old enough to understand. Jerks.
by rollonubears on May 14, 2009 6:41 AM PDT up reply actions
I’m a supporter of explorin every option. And that includes takin a long hard look at Captain Lou. Obviously hes a top goalie in the league, and wherever he plays, that team will win a lot more than they lose.
If we were able to get Malkin for Lou, don’t you consider it?
How bout Jeff Carter?
These are just names off the top of my head, but I would explore every option if I was Gillis.
And finally its not a knee jerk reaction from every fan. I’ve been pretty cool on Lou for the last few years. Hes good, but the step down from him to a middle class goalie is one which might not be a bad move if we were to pick up an elite forward/d-man instead.
I like writing angry pieces like this because some people won’t agree. I think the criticism of him is deserved too, but too much of it was placed on him. And I disagree completely with anyone who does that. Was this the Luongo of the Dallas series a couple years back? No. But I stand by my point that many of these shots were not stoppable, and this was not the same defensive system we played then either. Gaff after gaff after gaff in our zone. The team was fragile. Blame Luongo for that? Yes. But not completely.
Lou will rebound from this, which is also why I would not shop him, not even for Malkin.
I would take Malkin for Lou. It won’t happen though, so its a pointless discussion. Regardless, my thoughts on possibly movin Lou date back to way before the playoffs.
The summer will be interestin anyways.
Franchise player for franchise player debates are always somewhat pointless. They don’t happen much at all and the usual state of affairs if you’re trading a franchise player is that you very, very rarely get a proper return on value.
If I recall correctly Coachpb9617 over on LT took a long look at franchise player trades and trades in general. You’d have to pop over to Church of Kurri to ask him though, it’s been a long time since I read his comments on it (probably deadline related stuff).
not for malkin?
Believe me, Luongo is not alone, but he has shown that he can bounce back for the short term only. The light that he is put into by guys like yourself just blows me away. I am a goaltender, and a Luongo supporter, but half way through this season after all the talk of him on team Canada, and how he wants to play for the team that gives HIM the best chance for a stanley cup got me thinking. He talks like he is Roy or Brodeur , he isn’t, not even close. A great goalie at his age should be in their prime, top of their game, he makes way too many mistakes. His shootout record this year was poor, a top shoe in for team Canada. In the end I hope I am proven wrong and he turns out to be what he is definately capable of being, but when I see a donk like Byfuglien popping in two goals, getting in his head and the wrap around goals with 6 mins left in a do or die game, my first reaction is if he cant do it now, what grounds do you have to believe he can do it later? I like the guy, he is classy. He comes out and says all the right things before the game, its just during the game…..
a winner is a guy like ovechkin, who down 3-1 pops off at the media then goes out and leads his team to 3 straight wins…and for the record, i thought Lou shoulda stopped the tying goal in game 4..obviously a brutal give away, but hey 7 million dollar superman 2 mins to go, to take the series to 3-1 and he wiffs it between his arm and body…didnt see the glove react well in this series vs the st louis series…tells me he was tired.
by PlayoffGoalie on May 12, 2009 10:03 PM PDT up reply actions
I’m glad you don’t manage to watch or understand what you’re seeing during the game.
The tying goal in game 4 was tipped by Mitchell who should not have stuck his stick in there. Lou had that one set up perfectly before the deflection.
Hmm… shootout record. He saw all of 7 shots. Wow. That is statistically significant somehow. He’s not a great shootout goalie, he’s pretty average there, but the team has sucked on the SO as well. And, wait for it, the SO is so significant as a determiner for playoff success.
Other than that I can agree on the tiredness and that is about that.
As for goalies on the team in general: I do think that the team needs better goalie management, the backup needs more icetime and I think Lou needs to be pushed during the season by a backup who can take over if things are a bit off. It will push self-awareness too. I.e. if he’s not 100% or 90% or whatever the backup’s quality can be rated as he should pull himself from games.
Don’t forget that next year is a contract year for Luongo. You know how those situations motivate players to be better. Sad but true. I am putting Luongo into a light and I swear you will eat your words. He may not be Roy or Brodeur-calibre this season but he will be next season.
One thing we can agree on is that Luongo needs to learn how to play the puck. That would be a huge bonus. I’m tired of all his mental lapses when he leaves his crease to play the puck. Just terrible at it.
by Sean Zandberg on May 12, 2009 10:36 PM PDT up reply actions
the tip,the post,the contract
i saw the tip, did you see the blocker save khabibulin made on a real tip, mitchell tipped it very little, it was far enough out for a good NHL goaltender to adjust and make the save, average save for a good goalie,he overplayed it….hardly understand?? cmon i forgot more than you know about goaltending,your just a Luongo lover. Yes he saw all 7 goals that went in, not one screen shot, do you not think thats significant?? first two goals went to the same place, above the glove short side, great shots, but not unstoppable by the great Luongo…he has made those saves before as have many others.4th goal he was covering his post like he should have been on the 5th goal but didnt react in time to get set for the shot in the slot, that he again saw.even the 7th goal, great shot but from the hash marks on a back hand which again he saw.if you see it and dont stop it then its 2 things, your either not quick enough or your not in position…thats the significance of seeing the shots, had to spell that out for you i guess.
if you are defending Luongo on the wrap around, then you havent played hockey at any decent level to understand its goaltending 101, all he had to do is cover his post, if he wasnt he was lazy , tired or not focused.
my observation of his lousy shootout performance,lack of puck handling skills and a very average 5 hole wasn’t used in a playoff success context, the point was simply, he is over-rated, great goalies dont have that many weakensses.
i agree on the management, but this is a funny situation, no one bad mouths the guy, he craps the bed and the coach doesn’t call him out, he has a bad game he never gets pulled, he wants to play every game they let him, they hand him the captaincy…my point is I really dont see how he earned all this high and mighty god like treatment, he has won one playoff series in his career, never won a major award nor (and i could be wrong here ) led a major category in any single season (shutouts,gga,save pct,wins )
yeah ok, so maybe next year he lights it up then decides that the canucks aren’t " his best chance to win a stanley cup " then what you saying?
the difference between me and you is this: i dont think i give him that shot next year,simply put, if they do then a contract is negotiated for the next 4 years and if we pay him 8-10 million per year.gillis is nuts if he plays him and then lets him go to the open market. if he believes Luongo is the guy who will bring the cup, then he pays through the nose and commits to him. If Luongo doesn’t bring it, we sail into 10 more years of minimal success.All the eggs in the basket that just choked? c’mon is he that good Hell the 40 mill he makes wont even be spent in our province he will be basking in Florida or Montreal with 0 Stanley Cup rings.
All that being said, I would love to be wrong, he is the best goalie we have had here, he has so much talent, would love to see him be the goalie he can be, he sure can bring it at times, just lacks consistency and focus, if he ever gets that we gonna win a few cups…if he doesn’t he is a team wrecker.
by PlayoffGoalie on May 13, 2009 1:52 AM PDT up reply actions
I appreciate your input, PlayoffGoalie. I can’t disagree with your whole first paragraph.
Luongo was called out prior to game 6 by Alain Vigneault FYI.
He does get seemingly special treatment at times. But he is a goalie that challenges himself and does improve. Is he the best? No. Would I invest more years in him? Fuck yeah! I think we’ll see the Luongo of 2007 next season. That’s just my opinion. If I’m wrong you can come back here and MOCK THE SHIT OUT OF ME. :)
I appreciate your input, being a goalie yourself.
by Sean Zandberg on May 13, 2009 8:38 AM PDT up reply actions
yes
Vineualt did call him out, but carefully heh.
interesting article in the province today about the cost of having luongo vs spending the moeny elsewhere. looking at the big money goalies out of the cup run and the teams with the big money players doing well.
have we not tried to build around Luongo now for 3 years? doesnt seem to be working.
i dont disagree that he challenges himself and improves, but he is a 9 year veteran.
now here is where im gonna get lotsa bombs fired at me, and i wont defend this to the end, but here goes….id rather have SOMETHING LIKE 21 year old kid Price in Mtl for way less money and upgrade my defence…and i stress the words something like.
anyway ive said enough..good to blow off steam hah!
by PlayoffGoalie on May 13, 2009 9:06 AM PDT up reply actions
have we not tried to build around Luongo now for 3 years? doesnt seem to be working.
My main problem with all of this is how have they truly built a team around him? They build a defense, yes. But the forwards? There have been more Bulis’s in front of him than Burrows in the past three years. And if Kesler and Burrows didn’t both explode this year, it would have been 2007-0-8 all over again.
We simply need better caliber forwards and a commitment to offense. I’d rather let the defense take a hit talent-wise then lose Luongo.
Assume you have two giant holes with Sundin and someone from the Unemployment line gone. Those badly need to be filled with offensive upstarts. Not aging vets (we have that with Demo now) and not Hodgson.
'Nucks Misconduct - Housing Swedish Millionaires Since 2000.
by Yankee Canuck on May 13, 2009 9:31 AM PDT up reply actions
but the forwards
cant afford forwards when your payin your goalie 7-8 million..simple, its what you give up, you are building a defensive team, that isnt very good defensively, and your stud is playing just good and sometimes great..doesnt cut it.
by PlayoffGoalie on May 13, 2009 3:39 PM PDT up reply actions
wow...were/are you really a goalie?
I can’t believe this analysis. I completely disagree with your “tip” analysis. The blocker save Khabibulin made was hardly an “average” save. That may have been his best save of the entire series. Hard to blame a goalie for letting in a redirected shot, regardless of how “real” the tip was. As a goalie, you should know that the difference between a goal and a save can be as little as a fraction of an inch and the time to adjust to said redirection is a fraction of a second. I can’t put that one on him.
And shootouts? COME ON! First off, the individual skill competition is such a terrible way to determine the outcome of a team game. I will never blame a goalie for losing a bunch of shootouts. That is completely garbage. This is coming from a Hawks fan, check out what our shootout record was this year.
To me, you are just nitpicking, and nitpicking one of (if not THE) greatest goalies in the game today. The wraparound was kind of a bad goal, but that puck took a couple crazy bounces to get on Kane’s stick. If it was coming in on the side that he was already positioned on, then you have your “lazy, tired, or unfocused” argument, but keep in mind that it was wrapped around to the opposite post and Luongo couldn’t commit to that post until he knew the puck was going all the way around the back of the net. With 2 of his teammates back there, it wasn’t likely that the puck was in fact going to go all the way around, but then it took 2 bounces. It’s a little more complicated than your “all he had to do was just cover his post” assessment.
Sorry to keep hanging around on your site here, but I guess I am sort of a goalie apologist having played the position nearly my entire life. I just can’t believe the crap I am reading about Luongo. Really bugs me.
Well shit! With your opinions you are welcomed here anytime! The Luongo Wagon is getting bigger again!
by Sean Zandberg on May 13, 2009 12:52 PM PDT up reply actions
Not saying PlayoffGoalie isn’t welcomed here, of course. His opinion matters. I’m just glad to see someone else agree with me, more or less
by Sean Zandberg on May 13, 2009 12:53 PM PDT up reply actions
Cool, thanks! This whole Luongo saga has really caught my eye. Granted I hadn’t followed the Canucks too in depth before the past series, but all this criticism and trade talk is really the last thing I was expecting. Total kneejerk reaction and it happens all the time with every team. Bandwagon occupancy, be it for a team or individual, is constantly in flux and it drives me insane, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it take a nose dive like this in a matter of 2 weeks. Hard for people to take a step back and look at the big picture. I wonder what the talk would be if the Hawks had won 2-1 in Game 6.
38 years and still playing
played major junior..im qualified…and ill tell you what if you cant pick up a deflected shot from the top of the circle then im way better than you are…and your right, save of the series by khabibulin, it was 100% harder save to make, thats my point…unscreened tipped shots from the top of the circle are not difficult saves for 7 million dollar goalies…sorry that you have a tough time with that one.
shootouts suck, but they also count for one point in the standings like them or not our goalie wasnt very good and was outgoaltended frequently in them. hardly what i expect from a 7 million dollar guy…. i can live with the fact that Luongo isnt a good shootout goalie and I dont really think its that important , but its just one more thing that he is less than average in and i scratch my head that you drool all over him like he is the greatest goalie in the league…he isnt.
if your a goalie and you ever accept a wraparound goal like that, then your a weak goalie, there is no excuse for that goal. should the defencemen had that ? yes! was the puck moving fast and have a couple of bounces? yes! should luongo have been on his post? absolutely! its not complicated, sorry it is for you.
when you were jumping up and down cheering your 7 goals on monday night were you amazed at the game of the best goalie in hockey??
c’mon use your head here..he hasn’t earned it..he has won one playoiff series in his 9 year career…sorry dude but that has to be the measuring stick
by PlayoffGoalie on May 13, 2009 3:50 PM PDT up reply actions
I was going to ask the same question as Geoffhawk but since PlayoffGoalie has already answered I’ll take his word that he played Major Jr. but since we seem to be about the same age I’d like to know where so I can try to figure out who you are, b/c from your comments you were either the best jr. goalie in the world and didn’t make the NHL b/c of some freak accident or like me, you took too many pucks to the head and have some brain problems.
but Tenders Lounge is always friendly to goalies so i’ll take your word for it.
my viewpoint comes from a casual Canucks fan (i don’t live in Van or even BC). the team in front of Luongo is mediocre at best. without Luongo they would have been a playoff bubble team but instead he led them to a division title and an easy first round opponent. blame him for some bad goals (he’s doing that himself) but take it easy in your rant. and before you get too harsh on him never winning anything remember that he’s played on last-place clubs in NY and Miami, and for the past couple years he’s been on a marginal team in Van. there’s not a goalie in the world that could have carried this team any further than the 2nd round.
and for what it’s worth, i say Luongo will still be one of the two goalies dressing for Team Canada in Feb. http://tinyurl.com/o79ucu
by TendersLounge on May 13, 2009 7:10 PM PDT up reply actions
best jr goalie in the world...
because of my comments? buddy, I have some knowledge, have an opinion and voice it strongly…so what does this mean>>>
"b/c from your comments you were either the best jr. goalie in the world and didn’t make the NHL b/c of some freak accident "
I agree with the team in front of Luongo, I also agree that he is a major reason to their success, but we pay for that, its a big reason why the team is mediocre in front of him… but like i said before he is paid the big dollars to produce when it counts, and hee didnt, he played like a 5 million dollar goalie vs chicago, if we are gonna get that when it counts, then lets invest 2 mill elsewhere.
as far as figuring out who i am, im not here for that, this is the first time i have voiced on this thing, and your gonna look me up, i dont think so, my knowledge is obvious.
mainly my answer to your above post is this, for what Luongo wants in salary, he will never have a top notch team in front of him in this cap era, im sure detroit would love him and vice versa, but how do you work that one out…
by PlayoffGoalie on May 14, 2009 10:25 AM PDT up reply actions
i actually agree
@Geoffhawk, thanks for checking out TendersLounge.
@PlayoffGoalie, i actually agree w/ you (and others who are pitching this idea) that the time may be right to work out a trade for Luongo. the simplest way i can put it is the Canucks are not good enough for a goalie like Luongo, and i think that’s what you’re saying. i think saying the reason for that is b/c of his contract is a too simplistic but it’s certainly a part of it. the Canucks were never great before he arrived (please don’t throw out the ’94 team as they played way over their heads for two months, believed their own hype the following summer then came back to earth next season)
Luongo and Price are in similar positions next year. they’ve both received too much hype, have had expectations set too high and now the fans are turning on them even though they’re the ones who set the unrealistic expectations. it’s impossible to ring a bell and now that Price and Luongo have heard the trade talk it’s going to be tough to get it out of their heads. playing for a CDN team has to be one of the greatest experiences for a hockey player but i think it can also be the worst when things go off track.
by TendersLounge on May 14, 2009 10:57 AM PDT up reply actions
Canucks fans – I think you have found your answer in net. Trade Luongo and sign PlayoffGoalie. This guy sounds incredible! And I’d be willing to bet that he would sign for a measly sum compared to Lou, freeing up valuable cap space.
funny comment
you just gave away your age, bring a good point or go play on facebook little man.
go work on covering your posts for those complicated wrap arounds rookie.
by PlayoffGoalie on May 14, 2009 10:27 AM PDT up reply actions
so because I've only played goal for 18 years
I can’t discuss goaltending with you? Chill out. If you want to see good points (without bragging about how great of a goalie I am) see a couple posts above.
I don’t think anyone was arguing that Luongo had a great series. He obviously didn’t, but I think you are over-simplifying (see nitpicking) with many of your “good points” which is why I questioned if you were actually a goalie, but thanks for clearing up your status as a top-flight netminder. Look, I don’t want to soil this blog with a childish argument (Zanstrom and Yankee Canuck, I apologize), I just got a little defensive when your rebuttle to my salient points was something to the effect of “well I’m sorry these shot are so hard for you to stop, but since I’ve played for 38 years at such and such a level, I’m better than you and these are easy saves for me.”
the difference between me and you is this: i dont think i give him that shot next year,simply put, if they do then a contract is negotiated for the next 4 years and if we pay him 8-10 million per year.gillis is nuts if he plays him and then lets him go to the open market. if he believes Luongo is the guy who will bring the cup, then he pays through the nose and commits to him
How the heck to get an 8-10m number? If he’s asking that amount, you let him walk or pull a Pronger losing trade for youth and picks and resign Labby to run a tandem with Schneider, and keep Sanford as the emergency backup. If you’re paying a league max for a player it’s gotta be Ovechkin, Crosby or Malkin or someone else who wins you that many games over replacement value – ffs even Datsuyk isn’t getting league max. I agree with your analysis on payment, but for different reasons. He’s a great goalie, and is likely to have a very strong career ahead of him, but in no way can you justify an 8-10m cap hit. You can go with youth and/or a cheaper tandem and have similar success at least for the regular season.
my observation of his lousy shootout performance,lack of puck handling skills and a very average 5 hole wasn’t used in a playoff success context, the point was simply, he is over-rated, great goalies dont have that many weakensses.
I will point you to this article. There aren’t very many goalies who are greater currently playing. He may not be ‘the one’, but he’s in the top 5 in the league I’m pretty sure, not just based on this article, but based on his play and general numbers.
i agree on the management, but this is a funny situation, no one bad mouths the guy, he craps the bed and the coach doesn’t call him out, he has a bad game he never gets pulled, he wants to play every game they let him, they hand him the captaincy…my point is I really dont see how he earned all this high and mighty god like treatment, he has won one playoff series in his career, never won a major award nor (and i could be wrong here ) led a major category in any single season (shutouts,gga,save pct,wins )
I see where the captaincy comes from, and I think there is a bunch of stuff we don’t see in terms of team leadership and locker room stuff that led to that.
On the more speculative side, I am, as you are, a bit surprised at how they handle him on the ice though. It seems like the kid gloves are always on, which is a bit odd for a guy who supposedly is insanely competitive.
On a similar note, I don’t agree with the Tortorella under-the-bus style of management, or calling people out in public in general. But clearly there is something odd going on in the handling of the team goalies. I don’t know what, but it would seem to be something that may be detrimental to the quality and readiness of the backups.
replies
8- 10 mill, you think Luongo is going to not want a raise, by most guys on this forum, he one of the best if not the best goalie in hockey…pick your stance. Time will tell but we will see what Luongo is made of, he wants a winner, he will sign long term for less or relatively the same, if he goes for the jugular, he is greedy and wont ever win a cup.
shootout is blown way out of proportion, im not that passionate about my views on this, its just an observation that he isnt good at them. i am a season ticket holder and have seen everyone he has been in at home…but whatever
good comments rsm.
by PlayoffGoalie on May 14, 2009 10:34 AM PDT up reply actions
I just re-upped his sponsorship at Hockey Reference. Now he can’t leave.
'Nucks Misconduct - Housing Swedish Millionaires Since 2000.
Reactionary?
Um… isn’t quantifying your point by using “many fans” and including a link to one mainstream source a bit of a reaction in itself?
Sure, a few of us kneejerked — but it’s a coping mechanism, no?
I see Ed Willes heard you too. It’s a free for all!
'Nucks Misconduct - Housing Swedish Millionaires Since 2000.
"Are Alain Vigneault's days numbered?"
One more year. That’s all I’m giving him to……just get out of the 2nd round even. He’s never been past round 2 whether it’s been with the Canucks, Canadiens, or even the Manitoba Moose, as a head coach. He’s 0-4. I think if he fails again next season he has to go. This defensive system he keeps trying lost the series. When the score is 2-0 and the Canucks are winning I expect an all-out offensive assault, not to sit back a la game 2. AV was totally outcoached in this series and game 4 showed it all.
I want a coach that can take this team further than AV has done with 3 teams. He has one year to prove he is a coach that can break through this shell and gun for a cup run.
And no one should blame Luongo for losing game 6. Did people forget Khabibulin gave up 5? If this team was interested in playing defense two nights ago then we’d be talking about game 7.
Seattle Seahawks: We've got Brian Russell and TWO kickers!
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