Roberto Luongo conducting himself with absolute class as his departure nears
When Roberto Luongo leaves the Canucks, he will depart as the city’s greatest-ever goaltender.
When he is traded, he will leave with a gold medal, two shutouts in the Stanley Cup final, and a resume which says “Hart Trophy finalist.”
He will leave with at least 13 more wins and 13 more shutouts than Kirk McLean — and that’s in 130 fewer Canucks games.
He will leave behind the memory of Game 5 against San Jose in 2011, when he made 20 saves in overtime, and Game 1 against Dallas in 2007, when he made 26.
He will leave behind that performance against Anaheim in the second round of the 2007 playoffs. The one with the bathroom break, and the momentary lapse of focus. His performance, the 56 saves, will forever be etched on the list of greatest individual performances in Canucks history.
Despite all of it, Luongo may be remembered most for his exit.
Cory Schneider called it graceful. It is precisely that. The measure of a man’s maturity is the dignity he creates in the most trying of circumstances. It’s keeping cool in impossible situations. Luongo is doing that. He’s doing it with humility and class.