Roberto Luongo has played 1,002 games in the NHL, reaching the 1K milestone back in April of last season. However, the Florida Panthers waited until Saturday to congratulate their goalie, and we imagine that they were waiting until the Vancouver Canucks could be present for the moment.
Before the two teams faced off, the Panthers held a ceremony celebrating Luongo’s milestone, unveiling a framed portrait of the goalie.
Additionally, both teams shared video tributes to Luongo on Twitter.
Luongo has played 530 games for the Panthers across two stints and 448 for the Canucks — as well as 24 for the New York Islanders — so it’s only fitting that both teams were there to honor him.
However, it was James Reimer, not Luongo, in net as the Panthers played the Canucks. Luongo has been on injured reserve since suffering a knee injury in Florida’s season opener. He's expected to return before the Panthers play in Canucks on January 13th, and either way, he's likely to get an incredible send-off from the crowd in Vancouver.
Asked about what it took to play in 1,000 NHL games, Luongo gave an absolutely priceless answer on Saturday morning.
