Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Luongo to sit, Schneider to start versus Bruins

Roberto Luongo

Roberto Luongo will be on the bench to start tomorrow’s Stanley Cup rematch in Boston. Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault is going with backup Cory Schneider instead of the Canucks’ franchise goalie.

The news comes as a surprise to many. (Including a certain dashing hockey blogger who went on TV yesterday and all but guaranteed Luongo would start.)

According to the Canucks’ Twitter feed, Vigneault said the decision was based more on Schneider, a Massachusetts native and Boston College alum who will get to start in front of family and friends, than Luongo, the guy who was ventilated in all three games at TD Garden during the Cup finals.

Odd, since Vigneault has long maintained the goalie who gives the Canucks the best chance to win will play. It’s why he started Schneider seven straight times in November.

On Wednesday, Luongo shut out the Wild, so it’s not like he’s struggling.

“I would have liked to play this game, but in fairness to Cory he’s from here and deserves to play this game,” Luongo told reporters.

Of course, perhaps this is just Vigneault’s way of saying tomorrow is just another regular-season game.

“If we win tomorrow, they’re not going to give us the Cup back,” he said.

Related: To fight back or turn the other cheek – Sedin says “it’s a no-win situation”