Luongo happy to be back in Vancouver after difficult exit

The scene was similar – but jolting at the same time – as goaltender Roberto Luongo held court with the Vancouver media at Rogers Arena on Tuesday.
There he stood in front of a podium in the Norm Jewison Media Room, as he had many times during his days as a Canuck, but this time he was wearing an organge Florida Panthers cap and tee shirt, and the backdrop was a large cat. It was a sign that the times have changed for Luongo, who will play his former Canucks squad Thursday in his first game back on the ice that he called home for seven-plus seasons and won Olympic gold with Canada in 2010.
“The best part is, we’re here for a few days, so it’s not rushed and you get a chance to enjoy it and see some people that I haven’t seen in a while,” he said.
In another contrast with his days as a Canuck in this room, he looked relaxed and was affable at times, appearing to enjoy himself – whereas in earlier times he definitely did not.
Luongo’s return upstaged the Canucks’ game with the New York Islanders on Tuesday night. Thursday’s contest will be his game at Rogers Arena since he abruptly left the Canucks in a trade while they were on the road last March.
“I was here this summer actually,” he said. “Team Canada had a little bit of a reunion, so it’s not the first time I’ve been back in here, but obviously this is a little bit of a different context. But I’m just looking forward to the week and being back and enjoying my time.”
Team Canada held a “gala” on the ice, where players received their Olympic rings. Although Luongo said the arena looked “a little bit different” Tuesday, it did not feel foreign to be on the ice in a practice with a Canucks opponent.
“For some reason, I don’t look at it that way. … To be honest with you, I’ve really been looking forward to coming here and spending these few days practising and seeing the (Vancouver) guys, the trainers,” he said. “When the trade happened, it happened in a rush, and we were on the road. So I didn’t really get a chance to say goodbye to everybody.”
Big things were expected of Luongo when he was dealt to the Panthers – and they still are. But he has helped the young Panthers (17-11-9) show improvement. He finds it “really exciting” that they are in playoff mix in the Eastern Conference.
“There was a little bit of the unknown coming into the season,” said Luongo. “We’ve got a lot of young guys, a new coach (Gerard Gallant), so I think right now we’re progressing well. We’re really close to being a really good team.”
Of course, they are still a long way from a Stanley Cup, which Luongo came within a game of winning with the Canucks in 2011. While he has “moved on” from a Canucks tenure that was as tumultuous as it was satisfying, he regrets that they never won it all with him in net.
“I’m just disappointed I wasn’t able to bring a Cup here,” he said. “I think this market wants one more than anything. If anything, that’s the main thing that I’m disappointed about.”
Another major regret, which was not of his doing, was former Vancouver coach John Tortorella’s decision to bench him for the Winter Classic against the Ottawa Senators. The game at B.C. Place Stadium, which the Canucks lost, was Luongo’s last in a Vancouver uniform. (Ironically, he was in vintage duds instead of the usual ones.) Luongo’s displeasure with being bypassed prompted a renewed trade request that led to his move to Florida at the deadline.
“There was no hiding that I did want to play that game and, if I did, I would, maybe, still be here,” he said. “Who knows?”
But Luongo does not feel disrespected by the Canucks, thinking instead that he must deal with whatever hand he has been dealt and earn everything. And, it’s clear that he is enjoying life with the Panthers, his team of choice, after he had “given up” on a trade while former general manager Mike Gillis dithered for 12 to 18 months before swinging a deal.
The Montreal native is also more comfortable with his public persona, which he came to enjoy near the end of his time with the Canucks when, he feels, he “figured that whole thing out” as far as what fans and media expected. He was also pleased that people finally got a chance to see the way he is with teammates “away from the cameras.” But he lamented the lateness of the lessons he learned about dealing with his fame.
“It’s kind of a shame that that’s the way it happened,” said Luongo. “Sometimes, you have to go through some adversity to realize and understand and do the right things. Just my whole perspective on a lot of stuff has changed over the last couple of years, and the way I handled things.
“I’m just trying to have as much fun as I can out there, realizing that I’m 35 now. I just want to have fun playing the game and play hard and do the best that I can.”
He is enjoying life in a market in which fans and media don’t flock to him on every occasion, but he would also like to have some of his old notoriety now that he is based in the sunbelt.
“It’s nice to be able to come to the rink, do your thing and, afterwards, just go home and live your life,” he said. “On the other side, sometimes it’s also nice to see people just going crazy for you everywhere you. Both sides are great. You just have to learn to enjoy both sides of it.”
According to Panthers captain Willie Mitchell, an ex-Canuck, the former Vancouver goaltender has displayed different side of himself in Florida. Today’s Luongo reminds Mitchell of the one he saw during his early years in Vancouver, not the one evident during the last few seasons.
“He went through a lot here,” said Mitchell. “I know Roberto well and I think he was just trying to appease a lot of people instead of being himself. In comfortable surroundings, he’s being himself, and we’re seeing that in his performance. He’s been one of the best goalies in the league this years. There’s no doubt.”
Luongo sports a 7-7-2 record, 2.28 goals-against average and .924 save percentage. Thanks largely to him, the Florida goaltending tandem of Luongo and Al Montoya ranked ninth among NHL goaltenders before Tuesday’s games.
Mitchell, who was unceremoniously discarded by the Canucks after he suffered a career-threatening concussion and then went on to win two Stanley Cups with the Los Angeles Kings, praised Luongo for handling his difficult final two seasons in Vancouver “like a pro.”
“I think the only way you can handle that type of situation is to make light of it, which is what he did,” said Mitchell.
He believes that Luongo’s situation in Vancouver was a unique one that “just manifested itself” before going “off the rails.”
Now, after Luongo pulled off many surprises in Vancouver during his time here, the goaltender, his Panther teammates and coaches, and fans are wondering what he can pull off in Florida.
“I’ve actually won a few shootouts, so that’s kind of nice,” said Luongo.