Top #50 Canucks players of all time: #4 – Roberto Luongo

Luongo’s play in 2006-07 changed the Canucks’ fortunes practically overnight. His 47 wins in 76 games played both set single season franchise records, and he would’ve tied the league record for victories had Martin Brodeur not broken it the same year. Lu’s efforts propelled the Canucks to a Northwest Division title, and made him a finalist for both the Vezina and the Hart. His very first playoff game was the stuff of legends; a 72-save performance that required quadruple overtime for the Canucks to beat the Dallas Stars.

In 2008, new general manager Mike Gillis defied league rules by naming Luongo the 12th captain in team history. Goalies hadn’t been allowed to officially wear the ‘C’ since Bill Durnan had for the Canadiens in 1947. Luongo got around it by putting the ‘C’ on the chin of his mask. The added pressure and responsibilities that came with that assignment resulted in Lu stepping down in 2010, but it was clear that his play provided all the leadership he needed. That’s why the Canucks committed to the face of the franchise by signing him to a 12-year contract extension that same year.

Luongo represented the Canucks extremely well in Vancouver and beyond. He was a regular visitor to Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, helped cultivate a renowned locker room culture, was voted into three different All-Star Games by the fans and won a pair of Olympic gold medals for Canada, most notably at Vancouver 2010. But he and the Canucks’ struggles in the postseason (particularly against the Blackhawks) raised concerns about their overall championship ceiling.

The crowning year of Lu’s Canucks tenure was, naturally, the President’s Trophy winning 2010-11 season. Luongo’s 38 wins led the NHL, while he and backup Cory Schneider’s combined save percentages won them the William Jennings Trophy. While Luongo again proved shaky in the opening round against the Blackhawks, he was flawless when it counted in Game 7 and carried that momentum into the next two rounds against the Predators and Sharks.

The Cup Final is where the fork in the road lies for Lu’s final legacy. Some people believe that his rough outings against the Bruins (Games 3 and 7 especially) are enough to undo the goodwill built up by the Canucks’ franchise leader in both wins (368) and shutouts (38). Others will point to the fact that losing is a team effort, and his three wins in the Final, two of which were 1-0 shutouts, should speak for themself. Regardless of where one personally falls on that spectrum, the Canucks as an organization have made their position known.

In the years to follow, Luongo was forced to regularly prove himself as the starter over and over again. Cory Schneider might’ve unseated him if not for Lu’s long contract, and Eddie Lack’s eventual start in the 2014 Heritage Classic was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Luongo requested a trade in the aftermath of that final insult, and found his way back to the Panthers where he eventually retired in 2019 and finally got to hoist the Stanley Cup twice as a team executive in 2024 and 2025. After Luongo was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame alongside the Sedins in 2022, the frosty relationship between he and the team thawed enough to earn him a spot in the Canucks’ Ring of Honour in December 2023, but not enough for his #1 jersey to land among Henrik and Daniel’s retired banners.

In the end, Luongo will be remembered in Vancouver for more than just the wins and losses. He’ll be remembered for the brilliant five-alarm saves that earned loud ‘LUUUUUU’s from the Rogers Arena crowds and the great calls they brought out of Jim Hughson and John Shorthouse. He’ll be remembered for the colourful pads of his early seasons, or the different signature Johnny Canuck masks he donned across his eight seasons here. And he’ll certainly be remembered for the self-deprecating humour of his poetry and Twitter account that made him feel just as connected to the Canucks experience as any online fan.

Roberto Luongo’s legacy is as complicated in this city and province as they come. And nothing makes you the ultimate Vancouver Canuck more than that.