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Poll: Is Luongo on track for the Hall of Fame?

Totonto Maple Leafs v Florida Panthers

SUNRISE, FL - APRIL 10: Goaltender Roberto Luongo #1 of the Florida Panthers defends the net against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the BB&T Center on April 10, 2014 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

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A lot of things come to mind when you hear the name Roberto Luongo.

Naturally, there’s the goalie battle he had with Cory Schneider as a member of the Vancouver Canucks, which only seems odder today. One might also think of his often-hysterical and frequently self-deprecating Twitter feed. Even Luongo hates his lengthy contract, so that tends to cloud judgments about him, too. Few really throw the phrase “Hall of Fame” around, though.

There’s a pretty solid argument that people should, even if goalies tend to face a tougher road to the HHOF than skaters. Let’s take a quick look at some of his credentials and maybe a few minuses:


  • He owns a couple gold medals and was the starter in Canada’s 2010 thrilling win.
  • In the last decade, only Martin Brodeur’s 323 wins tops Luongo’s 318. He’s nearing 400 in his career as he sits with 373.
  • It’s not just about wins, though; his individual stats are solid too. Luongo and Henrik Lundqvist both average a .920 save percentage since 2003-04, leaving them in select company as truly reliable “elites.”
  • Luongo put up strong numbers on a bad team (Florida) and in a hockey hotbed (Vancouver).
  • That said, many will hold a high-profile down note or two against him. Most notably, Luongo struggled in the last five games of that memorable 2011 Stanley Cup Final. He combined a Game 5 shutout with losses in which he allowed three goals twice, four tallies once and a whopping eight in Game 3. The Chicago Blackhawks also gave him fits over the years.
  • Also, as stable and solid as Luongo’s been, he’s never won a Vezina Trophy. Some voters gravitate toward flashier numbers and awards, after all.

At 35, Luongo still has plenty of time to add trophies and wins to his potential Hall of Fame resume. Still, it’s fun to prognosticate based on his current path and ask if he’s worthy of Hall of Fame induction.

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Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins