One of the most successful goaltenders in NHL history is being recognized.
On Sunday, the NHL announced the six goaltenders named to the NHL Quarter-Century Team. Among the masked men honoured is former Vancouver Canucks goaltender and Hockey Hall of Famer Roberto Luongo.
Luongo is one of the best goaltenders in franchise history. He was traded to the Canucks from the Florida Panthers in June 2006. He was already one of the most skilled backstops in the NHL, but he became a household name in Vancouver.
Along with taking the Canucks to the playoffs six times during his seven-plus seasons with the team, including the magical 2010-11 season. That year, his efforts took Vancouver to the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in franchise history, ultimately losing to the Boston Bruins in a rather infamous seven-game series.
That season, the Montreal native won the William M. Jennings Trophy for the fewest goals allowed, also helping the Canucks win the President’s Trophy. Luongo and company also finished with the league’s best record during the regular season in 2011-12.
When he was traded back to the Panthers during the 2013-14 season, Luongo left Vancouver statistically as one of the best Canucks of all time. His 252 wins and 38 shutouts are the most in franchise history, sitting second behind the legend Kirk McLean in shots faced games played (448), (12,693) and saves (11,663). Luongo’s .919 save percentage is only behind former goalie partner Cory Schneider (.927).
Across his 19 seasons in the NHL, Luongo became just the third goaltender to play 1,000 games in his career, sitting third all-time behind fellow Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur (1,266) and three-time Stanley Cup champion Marc-Andre Fleury (1,051) with 1,044 appearances. He’s fourth in wins (489), second in losses (392) and ninth in shutouts (77).
The other goaltenders named to the Quarter-Cenuty Team are Hall of Famers Patrick Roy, Brodeur and Henrik Lundqvist, as well as Fleury
