Comments on: Report: Luongo won’t accept deal to Chicago or Toronto, only Florida

By: leafs2013

leafs2013 — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 19:07:55 +0000

Vancouver is not in northwest canada.

By: babykaby

babykaby — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 09:05:58 +0000

It is very easy to call a guy a coward, insult him in every way possible, when you are just a made up name with no face, hiding behind a computer screen. Luongo is not perfect, nobody is, including all of you Bozo’s making comments that have never accomplished any sort of success in your jobs. I don’t believe anyone held a gun to anyone’s head and forced them to give Luongo that contract. Money cannot buy or guarantee success, it can only promise the possibility of it. I also will never believe a player works the entire regular season to get to the playoffs then decides he doesn’t care, so he makes no effort to win the big games. To say that that has happened with this guy is just ridiculous. Luong probably is hoping for Florida so he can be with family and get as far away from the proven uncivilized, insane idiots (remember the riots) that make up the Vancouver fan base.

By: jimmymarlinsfan

jimmymarlinsfan — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 21:58:22 +0000

As a life long Panthers fan, come on Roberto, force their hand, I’d love to see you back down in south Fla, ready to bring a cup to add to the mounting Larry obrien trophies

By: theawesomersfranchise

theawesomersfranchise — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 17:52:59 +0000

Hockey is a team game and he has been fortunate to have a better team than everyone else around him.

He had no pressure on team Canada, it looked like Marty had blew it already. If he was named starting goalie, Im sure he would have screwed up.

He led nobody to nowhere, he was garbage vs the Blackhawks that year and this team led HIM through straight onto the finals.

By: nichis01

nichis01 — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 17:45:09 +0000

In Roberto Luongo’s defense, he has a 46 win season under his belt, led the Canucks to back-to-back Presidents Trophy’s and brought Canada the Gold Medal in the 2010 Winter Olympics on the biggest stage possible. He’s got the ability to dig down, he just doesn’t do it enough when it comes to playoffs time. I also forgot he led the Canucks to game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

By: drewsylvania

drewsylvania — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 13:23:23 +0000

Maybe so. But Florida had a -24 goal differential last year. Basically, their record should have been a lot worse than 38-26-18. Adding Luongo would help, but they’d be giving up a lot, as well.

By: drewsylvania

drewsylvania — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 13:20:27 +0000

Much like most of the Canucks, except for Kesler…

By: drewsylvania

drewsylvania — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 13:19:38 +0000

Seems exactly right.

By: drewsylvania

drewsylvania — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 13:18:39 +0000

Maybe, but that was Montreal.

By: jrmehle

jrmehle — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 05:27:29 +0000

News flash: Parise is not signing in Pittsburgh.

By: fahmundamahbalsaq

fahmundamahbalsaq — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 02:58:09 +0000

Roberto sucks! He should be happy any team wants his ass!

By: davego6

davego6 — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 00:29:24 +0000

The best thing for the whole league to do is leave him in Vancouver where he is going to hand cuff that team for the next 10 years with that ridiculous contract!

By: surebuddy79

surebuddy79 — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 19:36:34 +0000

Him wanting to goto Florida is actually his wife wanting him in Florida. Has nothing to do with anything else. Sure he wants a cup, but he wants to keep his family intact. Otherwise his $60+ million will be only half that amount if you catch my drift.

By: nichis01

nichis01 — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 19:20:54 +0000

George Laraque was given a no-trade clause when he signed with Montreal I think. If he can get on, anyone can.

By: theawesomersfranchise

theawesomersfranchise — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 18:47:01 +0000

The point is he is running away from pressure as usual

By: nichis01

nichis01 — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 18:39:43 +0000

The was actually talks of a Roberto Luongo for Rick Nash deal in place I heard. But since Columbus got Bobrovski, that’s over and done with.

By: jamesooten

jamesooten — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 18:35:15 +0000

Sergie, you throw up some very interesting points, however your unnamed source you mention is Aaron Portzline, he is a writer for the Columbus Dispath. I have heard him several times on the radio here in Toronto he seems to be spot on with his posts. Follow him on twitter.

By: nichis01

nichis01 — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 18:32:56 +0000

Jordan Staal never asked for a trade from Pittsburgh to go to Carolina. He just didn’t want to sign a long-term deal to stay there. In his mind, and also in Ray Shero’s mind, he was ready for an expanded role. What Ray Shero did was honestly incredibly smart. Trade Jordan Staal while his grade value is high now instead of waiting for next year to come around when you’re forced to deal with a player who doesn’t really want to sign. This way Shero picked up Brandon Sutter to fill Staal’s spot, and also opened up cap space to go after Zach Parise.
If you combine the Michalek deal to Phoenix, now Shero has opened up more than enough space to give Crosby and Malkin that secondary scoring they need. Although its tough to say that Zach Parise is a secondary scorer.

As far as Luongo goes, I live in Vancouver and have been following this story for a long time. There was led to believe that originally there was a list of 5 or 6 teams that Luongo said he would go to. Chicago, Toronto, and Florida all being on the list apparently. Chicago doesn’t make sense for so many reasons. But it’s been obvious that Butke has been after Luongo. I personally don’t think that Luongo would wanna go to TO because the news there is the worst in the league. They are like virtual children with magnifying glasses standing over you as they burn the limbs off your body.
As soon as Schneider got the start in the last 3 games, I knew Luongo’s time here was done. I immediately thought that Tampa Bay was the best fit for Luongo. Steve Yzerman who he is great friends with. Mattius Ohlund who he knows well. And you have the best scorer in the game in Stamkos. The only thing Tampa needs to be a scary team is a goalie and a top 4 defenseman. If I was Lou, that’s where I’d go.

By: kitshky

kitshky — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 18:01:52 +0000

I think you’ve missed the point sergie …

This site is reserved for 1 line comments like “guys a loser LOL”, “he just sucks”, “he wussed out and thats why I h8 him” … and so on. None of us have time for your reasoned, fact based, objective take.

By: kitshky

kitshky — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 17:56:20 +0000

Exactly, I was gonna make a similiar comment. I think people on this site should maybe take a second and look beyond Vancouver, Boston, Philly, Pitts, and T.O. once in awhile.

Tallons put together a hell of a team down there, and Luongo could be one of the final pieces to push them over the edge.

By: habsman

habsman — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 17:37:33 +0000

Nice post Sergei,

Thoughtful and informative.

I’m guessing you’re not from Boston?

By: highlander24

highlander24 — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 17:37:10 +0000

He’s really just not that good.

By: freneticgarfieldfan

freneticgarfieldfan — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 17:35:25 +0000

” The Canucks players scored a total of 3 goals in their four SCF losses to the Bruins.” – and Lou gave up some 18 goals in those games, and was pulled twice…

By: firemarshal1

firemarshal1 — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 17:20:25 +0000

Like I said before, Vancouver should take a third round pick from Florida and run with it, before Tallon get’s second thoughts and moves else where for a goalie.

By: ironmike778

ironmike778 — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 17:18:45 +0000

No, he deserves any criticism he gets. He ran his mouth in the Finals and didn’t back it up, then he wussed out of that game in Boston last season. He’s a fraud.

By: sergeikremlin

sergeikremlin — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 17:13:17 +0000

Instead of him being a heartless choke artist who doesn’t care at all about winning hockey games, is it not possible that, after spending six years of his life living in northwest Canada, that, now that he is on the trading block, he wants to take this opportunity to get as close to his family as possible, considering he will likely be with a potential new team for the rest of his career into his late 30′s/early 40′s?

Is it really fair to crucify a guy who wants to be with, or at the very least, near, his family while he plies his trade, after making a sacrifice for more than half a decade away?

I’d also like to point out that this is an “unnamed sources” report coming out of the center of the hockey universe in Columbus.

And, I’d also like to reiterate that Luongo has had seven consecutive 30+ win seasons, including a 47-win Vezina-worthy year, as well as, an Olympic Gold Medal on home soil, in that pressure cooker, and put up two shutouts and a two-goal against game in the Canucks’ three wins in the Cup final two seasons ago. He likely would be a Conn Smythe and Stanley Cup champion if he got any goal support whatsoever. The Canucks players scored a total of 3 goals in their four SCF losses to the Bruins.

Personally, I think Luongo has battled as hard as he could, had a tremendous amount of success in his tenure in Vancouver and Internationally, has been a great team guy in the locker room, has taken as much criticism as any player in the NHL, and gotten zero thanks for his efforts outside of the Canucks brass.

Maybe he just wants to breathe and spend some time with his family, while trying to win games for a team that needs a no. 1. (cause the guy wants to play and win games, not sit on the bench behind Schneider).

By: bcisleman

bcisleman — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 17:07:28 +0000

Everyone’s assuming that Lu will not compete for the Cup in FLA. No one has apparently noticed that FLA was the only EC team to take NJD to 7 games and that they have a wealth of prospects. A quality #1 like Luongo might just take them into bonafide contention.

By: homelanddefense

homelanddefense — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 16:37:40 +0000

I agree 100%. Chicago and Toronto care about hockey, he would be in the pressure cooker in those places. So he naturally picks Florida. Im surprised he didnt ask to be traded to Columbus.

By: ironmike778

ironmike778 — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 16:27:53 +0000

Coward doesn’t want any pressure. We knew this in January when he chickened out of a start in Boston. Maybe Florida will pump his tires.

By: theawesomersfranchise

theawesomersfranchise — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 16:18:58 +0000

Been saying it for years, Roberto has no hockey heart and is somebody that doesn’t have the ability to dig down. It goes to show how clueless the Canucks were letting this guy be Capitan. He is a coward and will always choose the path of least resistance.