Playing career
Luongo began his major junior hockey career at the age of 16. He joined the QMJHL's Val-d'Or Foreurs in 1995-96, but posted only 6 wins in 23 games. The following season, as the team's starter, he improved to 32 wins, a club record, and was also awarded the Mike Bossy Trophy as the league's best professional prospect. In 1997-98, Luongo established a QMJHL single-season record with 7 shutouts[1] and backstopped the Foreurs to a Memorial Cup appearance. After he was traded to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan for the 1998-99 season, he made his second straight Memorial Cup appearance, but was ousted in the round robin.
During his major junior career, Luongo also made two apperances for Team Canada in 1998 and 1999, winning silver, as well as Best Goaltender and All-Star Team honours in 1999.
New York Islanders
Using the Toronto Maple Leafs' first round pick in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft (acquired in a deal that sent Wendel Clark back to Toronto), the New York Islanders drafted Luongo fourth overall, making him, at the time, the highest drafted goaltender in NHL history.
Although the Islanders returned 18-year-old Luongo to the QMJHL, they had every intention of getting him dressed for a 1998-99 NHL game, but contractual problems changed the plan.[citation needed] In 1999-00, Luongo made his professional debut with the Lowell Lock Monsters, the Islanders' AHL affiliate. Early in the season, Luongo was called up by the Islanders and made his NHL debut on November 28, 1999 stopping 43 shots in a 2-1 win against the Boston Bruins.[2]
However, after just 24 games as an Islander in his rookie season, GM Mike Milbury would trade Luongo to the Florida Panthers on the day of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft along with Olli Jokinen for Mark Parrish and Oleg Kvasha. As both Jokinen and Luongo would eventually develop into superstars with the Panthers, the trade would earn Milbury widespread criticism.
In Luongo's only season with New York, he posted 7 wins with a 3.25 GAA and a .904 save percentage.
Florida Panthers
Atlanta Thrashers forward Peter Bondra scores on Luongo.
In Luongo's first few seasons with Florida, he posted impressive numbers, featuring a consistently high save percentage. However, on a struggling Panthers team, he would not record more than 20 wins in a season until 2003-04 — somewhat of a breakout campaign for Luongo.
In 2003-04, he placed second in voting for the Vezina Trophy after facing the most shots in a single season by an NHL goaltender (2,475), a mark previously held by Felix Potvin.[3] Despite facing an unprecedented amount of shots, Luongo posted a 2.43 GAA and a .931 save percentage, which was first among goalies with 50-plus starts (Luongo had 72). Not surprisingly, Luongo also set an NHL record for most saves in a single season with 2,303 while picking up 7 shutouts, good enough for fifth in the league. Ultimately, Luongo lost out to fellow Montrealer Martin Brodeur for the league's top goalie.
Prior to the announcement of the 2004-05 NHL lockout, Luongo competed for Team Canada in the 2004 World Cup as Brodeur's backup, earning gold. Two years later, he would also play behind Brodeur in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
When the NHL resumed in 2005-06, Luongo posted 35 wins and a career-high 8 shutouts for Florida before being traded away to Vancouver in the off-season.
Because Florida never made the playoffs in Luongo's duration with the team, he was a regular competitor for Team Canada in the World Championships, earning two gold medals (2003, 2004) and one silver (2005).
Vancouver Canucks
Luongo warming up before a game in 2007
Prior to the start of the 2006-07 season, Luongo was in the midst of contract negotiations with Florida, and expected to sign[4] when GM Mike Keenan traded him to the Vancouver Canucks. In a blockbuster deal, Luongo was packaged with defenceman Lukáš Krajíček and a sixth round draft pick in exchange for forward Todd Bertuzzi, defenceman Bryan Allen and goaltender Alex Auld. Immediately following the deal, Vancouver signed Luongo to a four-year, $27-million deal.
Luongo's first season with the Canucks was hugely successful from both individual and team standpoints. Midway through the campaign he made his first All-Star Game appearance as a starter — his second appearance overall — and was named the Skills Competition's top goalie. He led the Canucks to a Northwest Division title, and consequentially, a playoff appearance after they failed to make one the previous season. At the end of the regular season, Luongo had shattered Kirk McLean's franchise record of 38 wins in a season with 47. That same mark would also tie Bernie Parent's thirty-three-year record of wins in a season, although Martin Brodeur would also reach and succeed that mark in the same season (Luongo and Brodeur's achievements are, however, considered to be somewhat skewed, given that it was the first season the NHL made ties obsolete with shootouts, generating more wins than in the past). It was also assumed that Luongo would achieve better statistics than in the past, backstopping a more successful team compared to the Panthers, who had never made the playoffs in Luongo's tenure with them.
Incidentally, the 2007 postseason was Luongo's first playoffs of his career; in his first game, he almost set an NHL record for most saves in a game with 72, en route to a 5-4 quadruple overtime victory over the Dallas Stars. He was just one save shy of tying the mark set by Ron Tugnutt and Kelly Hrudey of 73. Luongo would go on to win his first playoff series in seven games, but would lose to the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Anaheim Ducks in the second round. Game 5 of the series with Anaheim saw Luongo come close to his previous 72-save performance, stopping 60 of 62 in a losing effort, in which Vancouver was eliminated. Oddly, Luongo had missed the first three minutes of the first overtime, to what was first believed to be an equipment malfunction. However, after the series had ended, it was revealed that Luongo, instead, had an untimely case of diarrhea.[5]
Shortly after the end of the post-season, Luongo was up for three major NHL awards, the Vezina, Pearson and Hart. However, Luongo finished second in voting for all three awards, behind Brodeur for the Vezina and Sidney Crosby for the Hart and Pearson.[6]
After a season of great accomplishments, 2007-08 paled somewhat in comparison. For the most part of his second campaign with the Canucks, Luongo kept pace with his previous season's work and continued to set impressive statistics, most significantly, a three-game shutout streak spanning 210:34 (a Canucks franchise record).[7] Also, although he did not attend in order to be with his pregnant wife, he was also voted in as the 2008 NHL All-Star Game's Western Conference starter for the second consecutive season. However, in Luongo's last eight games, crucial to the Canucks' playoff hopes, he went 1-7 and allowed an uncharacteristic 25 goals in that span. The Canucks, who at several points in the season had the division lead, would end up missing the playoffs.
Awards & achievements
NHL
NHL YoungStars Game - 2002
Named to the NHL Second All-Star Team - 2003, 2007
Mark Messier Leadership Award - March 2007
NHL All-Star Game - 2004, 2007 (starter)
Team
Most Exciting Player Award (Vancouver Canucks) - 2007
Cyclone Taylor Award (Canucks MVP) - 2007, 2008
Molson Cup (Most Canucks three-star selections) - 2007, 2008
International
Best Goalie (World Junior Ice Hockey Championships) - 1999
All-Star Team - (World Junior Ice Hockey Championships) - 1999
Luongo began his major junior hockey career at the age of 16. He joined the QMJHL's Val-d'Or Foreurs in 1995-96, but posted only 6 wins in 23 games. The following season, as the team's starter, he improved to 32 wins, a club record, and was also awarded the Mike Bossy Trophy as the league's best professional prospect. In 1997-98, Luongo established a QMJHL single-season record with 7 shutouts[1] and backstopped the Foreurs to a Memorial Cup appearance. After he was traded to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan for the 1998-99 season, he made his second straight Memorial Cup appearance, but was ousted in the round robin.
During his major junior career, Luongo also made two apperances for Team Canada in 1998 and 1999, winning silver, as well as Best Goaltender and All-Star Team honours in 1999.
New York Islanders
Using the Toronto Maple Leafs' first round pick in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft (acquired in a deal that sent Wendel Clark back to Toronto), the New York Islanders drafted Luongo fourth overall, making him, at the time, the highest drafted goaltender in NHL history.
Although the Islanders returned 18-year-old Luongo to the QMJHL, they had every intention of getting him dressed for a 1998-99 NHL game, but contractual problems changed the plan.[citation needed] In 1999-00, Luongo made his professional debut with the Lowell Lock Monsters, the Islanders' AHL affiliate. Early in the season, Luongo was called up by the Islanders and made his NHL debut on November 28, 1999 stopping 43 shots in a 2-1 win against the Boston Bruins.[2]
However, after just 24 games as an Islander in his rookie season, GM Mike Milbury would trade Luongo to the Florida Panthers on the day of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft along with Olli Jokinen for Mark Parrish and Oleg Kvasha. As both Jokinen and Luongo would eventually develop into superstars with the Panthers, the trade would earn Milbury widespread criticism.
In Luongo's only season with New York, he posted 7 wins with a 3.25 GAA and a .904 save percentage.
Florida Panthers
Atlanta Thrashers forward Peter Bondra scores on Luongo.
In Luongo's first few seasons with Florida, he posted impressive numbers, featuring a consistently high save percentage. However, on a struggling Panthers team, he would not record more than 20 wins in a season until 2003-04 — somewhat of a breakout campaign for Luongo.
In 2003-04, he placed second in voting for the Vezina Trophy after facing the most shots in a single season by an NHL goaltender (2,475), a mark previously held by Felix Potvin.[3] Despite facing an unprecedented amount of shots, Luongo posted a 2.43 GAA and a .931 save percentage, which was first among goalies with 50-plus starts (Luongo had 72). Not surprisingly, Luongo also set an NHL record for most saves in a single season with 2,303 while picking up 7 shutouts, good enough for fifth in the league. Ultimately, Luongo lost out to fellow Montrealer Martin Brodeur for the league's top goalie.
Prior to the announcement of the 2004-05 NHL lockout, Luongo competed for Team Canada in the 2004 World Cup as Brodeur's backup, earning gold. Two years later, he would also play behind Brodeur in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
When the NHL resumed in 2005-06, Luongo posted 35 wins and a career-high 8 shutouts for Florida before being traded away to Vancouver in the off-season.
Because Florida never made the playoffs in Luongo's duration with the team, he was a regular competitor for Team Canada in the World Championships, earning two gold medals (2003, 2004) and one silver (2005).
Vancouver Canucks
Luongo warming up before a game in 2007
Prior to the start of the 2006-07 season, Luongo was in the midst of contract negotiations with Florida, and expected to sign[4] when GM Mike Keenan traded him to the Vancouver Canucks. In a blockbuster deal, Luongo was packaged with defenceman Lukáš Krajíček and a sixth round draft pick in exchange for forward Todd Bertuzzi, defenceman Bryan Allen and goaltender Alex Auld. Immediately following the deal, Vancouver signed Luongo to a four-year, $27-million deal.
Luongo's first season with the Canucks was hugely successful from both individual and team standpoints. Midway through the campaign he made his first All-Star Game appearance as a starter — his second appearance overall — and was named the Skills Competition's top goalie. He led the Canucks to a Northwest Division title, and consequentially, a playoff appearance after they failed to make one the previous season. At the end of the regular season, Luongo had shattered Kirk McLean's franchise record of 38 wins in a season with 47. That same mark would also tie Bernie Parent's thirty-three-year record of wins in a season, although Martin Brodeur would also reach and succeed that mark in the same season (Luongo and Brodeur's achievements are, however, considered to be somewhat skewed, given that it was the first season the NHL made ties obsolete with shootouts, generating more wins than in the past). It was also assumed that Luongo would achieve better statistics than in the past, backstopping a more successful team compared to the Panthers, who had never made the playoffs in Luongo's tenure with them.
Incidentally, the 2007 postseason was Luongo's first playoffs of his career; in his first game, he almost set an NHL record for most saves in a game with 72, en route to a 5-4 quadruple overtime victory over the Dallas Stars. He was just one save shy of tying the mark set by Ron Tugnutt and Kelly Hrudey of 73. Luongo would go on to win his first playoff series in seven games, but would lose to the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Anaheim Ducks in the second round. Game 5 of the series with Anaheim saw Luongo come close to his previous 72-save performance, stopping 60 of 62 in a losing effort, in which Vancouver was eliminated. Oddly, Luongo had missed the first three minutes of the first overtime, to what was first believed to be an equipment malfunction. However, after the series had ended, it was revealed that Luongo, instead, had an untimely case of diarrhea.[5]
Shortly after the end of the post-season, Luongo was up for three major NHL awards, the Vezina, Pearson and Hart. However, Luongo finished second in voting for all three awards, behind Brodeur for the Vezina and Sidney Crosby for the Hart and Pearson.[6]
After a season of great accomplishments, 2007-08 paled somewhat in comparison. For the most part of his second campaign with the Canucks, Luongo kept pace with his previous season's work and continued to set impressive statistics, most significantly, a three-game shutout streak spanning 210:34 (a Canucks franchise record).[7] Also, although he did not attend in order to be with his pregnant wife, he was also voted in as the 2008 NHL All-Star Game's Western Conference starter for the second consecutive season. However, in Luongo's last eight games, crucial to the Canucks' playoff hopes, he went 1-7 and allowed an uncharacteristic 25 goals in that span. The Canucks, who at several points in the season had the division lead, would end up missing the playoffs.
Awards & achievements
NHL
NHL YoungStars Game - 2002
Named to the NHL Second All-Star Team - 2003, 2007
Mark Messier Leadership Award - March 2007
NHL All-Star Game - 2004, 2007 (starter)
Team
Most Exciting Player Award (Vancouver Canucks) - 2007
Cyclone Taylor Award (Canucks MVP) - 2007, 2008
Molson Cup (Most Canucks three-star selections) - 2007, 2008
International
Best Goalie (World Junior Ice Hockey Championships) - 1999
All-Star Team - (World Junior Ice Hockey Championships) - 1999
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