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Luongo: ‘I was emotional and I said what I said’

Cory Schneider and Roberto Luongo

If there was a most memorable sound bite from the 2013 NHL trade deadline, there’s no question it was “My contract sucks,” by Roberto Luongo.

Luongo delivered the remark, only half-jokingly, after the Canucks failed in their efforts to trade the veteran goalie. The 34-year-old even said he would “scrap” his 12-year, $64 million deal if he could.

Shortly after, Vancouver general manager Mike Gillis suggested Luongo may not have meant what he said.

“I think that he was very emotional and I think these days are emotional for everybody,” said Gillis.

“So, when you have a day like this where your whole life could be turned upside down, then you speak to you guys (media) right after, I think there’s an opportunity for things to be said that in the clear light of day might not be reflective of how he really feels.”

Today, Luongo addressed his remarks.

“I was emotional and I said what I said,” he said, per the Vancouver Sun’s Elliott Pap.

Luongo will be on the bench again Saturday night versus Calgary as Cory Schneider, fresh off a shutout of the Oilers, gets another start.

Meanwhile, Vancouver hockey fans are still talking about what happened -- or rather, what didn’t happen -- Wednesday. The big question: Did the Toronto Maple Leafs actually have any intention of taking Luongo, or were the Canucks just strung along as a way for Leafs general manager Dave Nonis to get back at Vancouver GM Mike Gillis?

From The Province:

The tension between Nonis and Gillis, which threatened to blow a couple of times during this process, reached a tipping point on Wednesday in the final hour before the deadline. To that point, the Leafs had been preoccupied with Kiprusoff, the veteran Calgary ‘keeper, who they felt best served their need for an established goalie.

Kiprusoff, however, told the Leafs he wasn’t interested in relocating to Toronto, which threw Nonis and Gillis back together. Actually, it threw together Nonis and Lorne Henning, the Canucks’ assistant general manager, and Henning suggested the Leafs offer young goalie Ben Scrivens and a pair of second-round draft picks as compensation for Luongo.

Nonis, who’s petrified of Luongo’s contract, thought about this, then countered with his own offer: Eat part of Luongo’s contract and we might have something. That proposal was rejected, which you’d think would have ended this chapter of the saga.

You have to know it couldn’t possibly be that easy.

The Canucks are incensed that Nonis introduced this new wrinkle in the 11th hour of the negotiations. They believe this was his payback to Gillis, who succeeded him as the Canucks’ GM in 2008, and owner Francesco Aquilini, who abruptly dismissed Nonis days before hiring Gillis.

It’s not clear when Luongo will be back in goal for the Canucks, who find themselves jockeying with the Minnesota Wild for first place in the Northwest Division. Vancouver hosts Phoenix Monday, but doesn’t have back-to-back games until April 15 and 16 in Nashville and St. Louis, respectively.