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Roberto Luongo had an interesting eight-year run, in between stints with the Florida Panthers and playing for the Vancouver Canucks. Luongo’s return to South Florida brought the Panthers their first sense of stability between the pipes since he left in 2006. This season, the pesky, young, tough to play against Panthers have been around a playoff position all season long, and Luongo is the biggest reason why.
Luongo’s 29 save performance at Joe Louis Arena against the elite Detroit Red Wings epitomizes the Panthers’ season. The Wings outplayed the Panthers all day, but Luongo kept them in the game long enough for their young stars to step up. It’s a renaissance of sorts for Luongo, who was written off after an ugly last few years in Vancouver. While the markets are noticeably different — Vancouver is a hockey hotbed and, to put it kindly, South Florida isn’t — there’s plenty of explanations for why Luongo is again looking like an elite NHL goalie at 35 years old.
I’d say the biggest reason for Luongo’s stellar play is simply comfort — he never really wanted to leave Florida when he was traded in 2006, and maintained a home in the Fort Lauderdale area ever since. Being able to play in a place where he feels at home and in his comfort zone has allowed Luongo to showcase the greatness he’s shown in the past. It also doesn’t hurt that for as poorly run as the Panthers have been in the last decade or so, they have nothing on the circus that the Canucks were during his last days with the team.
Fans in South Florida have been sold on “potential” and the “future” for far too long, but it really appears the future is now. Aaron Ekblad, the No. 1 pick in 204, is looking like a franchise-type defenseman, and the team’s plethora of young forwards are starting to produce consistently, as the team would be in the playoffs if the season ended now.
Luogno should be lauded for his work, as his veteran presence and stability between the pipes has allowed the young players to play their games and know there is a rock in net to bail them out if anything goes wrong.
