Florida Panthers
Roberto Luongo could get Hall of Fame call today
Roberto Luongo will be a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame — but will that invitation come today?
Luongo, who ranks fourth on the NHL’s all-time win list, is a first-year eligible player for the Hall of Fame and could be voted in later this afternoon as the Hall of Fame selection committee votes.
The Class of 2022 will be announced on NHL Network at 3 p.m.
Per NHL.com, candidates must receive at least 75 percent of the vote from the selection committee.
A maximum of four former male players, two former female players, two builders or one builder and one former referee/linesman may be inducted in a single year.
Luongo stands a pretty good chance of getting in on his first ballot.
His former teammates in Vancouver — Daniel and Henrik Sedin — are on their first ballot of eligibility as is Henrik Zetterberg.
There are five players in the Hall of Fame with ties to the Florida Panthers — although Luongo would be the first player who spent a big chunk of his career with the team to make it.
The others: Pavel Bure, Joe Nieuwendyk, Ed Belfour, Dino Ciccarelli and Igor Larionov.
Luongo was originally selected fourth overall in the 1997 draft by the New York Islanders but was traded along with Olli Jokinen to the Panthers in 2000.
He became one of the league’s best goalies while with the Panthers but was traded to Vancouver in 2006 after a contract dispute with then-GM Mike Keenan.
The Panthers got Luongo back in 2014 and he finished his career with Florida. His final game came in 2019.
Luongo’s No. 1 is the only player number to be retired by the team.
He is currently part of the team’s front office.