Roberto Luongo

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Luongo was selected fourth overall by the Islanders in the 1997 NHL entry draft. After his rookie season, he was traded to the Panthers. In five seasons with Florida, he set team records for games played, wins, and shutouts, but the Panthers did not qualify for the playoffs during his initial stint. He was traded to Vancouver in 2006. In his first season with the Canucks, he won 47 games and was runner-up for the Hart and Vezina Trophies. He became the first NHL goaltender to serve as team captain since 1947–48, serving for two seasons. In 2010–11, he helped the Canucks reach Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. He returned to the Panthers in 2013–14 and spent the remainder of his career there, qualifying for the playoffs only once. After retiring, he joined the Panthers' front office and won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2024 and 2025.

In Their Own Story

The arena in St. Leonard, Quebec, where Luongo played his minor hockey, was renamed the Roberto Luongo Arena in August 2009. It is the second arena in the community to be named after an NHL goaltender, following the Martin Brodeur Arena renamed in 2000. Luongo grew up just four blocks away from Brodeur in Saint-Leonard. His father, an Italian immigrant from Santa Paolina, Avellino, worked in construction and furniture delivery, while his mother, an Irish-Canadian, worked in marketing with Air Canada. Luongo is fluent in English, French, and Italian. He began playing organized hockey at age eight as a forward, switching to goaltender at 11 after his team's usual goaltender did not show up and he posted a shutout.

Reader's Guide

Luongo is a two-time NHL All-Star (2004, 2007) and won the William M. Jennings Trophy in 2011. He was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy (2004, 2007, 2011), the Lester B. Pearson Award (2004, 2007), and the Hart Memorial Trophy (2007). He ranks third all-time in games played (1,044) and fourth in wins (489) among NHL goaltenders. He employed the butterfly style.

Did You Know?

• Luongo was the last active NHL goaltender to have played in the 1990s.
• He won gold medals at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics with Team Canada.
• He set QMJHL playoff records for games played (56), minutes (3,264:22), wins (38), and shots faced (1,808).