FHN Today: Roberto Luongo Officially in Hockey Hall of Fame

Roberto Luongo was officially inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as he received his plaque from Dominic Hasek and gave an emotional speech.

Luongo was joined in the Class of 2022 by former Vancouver teammates Daniel and Henrik Sedin as well as Daniel Alfredsson, Riikka Sallinen and builder Herb Carnegie.

“When I got the call, the first thing I asked was if you guys were in too, because I wanted it so bad to go in with you guys,” Luongo said to the Sedin twins.

“Just being your teammate for eight years was such an honor. I’m proud to say that I played with you guys.”

Luongo originally came to the Florida Panthers in a 2000 trade with the Islanders and ended up spending two stints with the organization.

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Ranked second all-time in games played by a goalie, Luongo played in 1,044 games with the Islanders, Panthers and Vancouver Canucks.

Luongo remains with the Panthers, working in the team’s front office since his retirement in 2019.

“Both franchises mean so much to me,” he said, “and they’re both equally important.”

He holds just about every goaltending record in both Florida and Vancouver history — with the Panthers retiring his No. 1 in 2020 before everything shut down a few days later.

“Roberto Luongo is an icon of not just one, but two, NHL franchises,’’ NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said, “and represents the proud tradition of Quebec goaltending that has nurtured and produced so many of the all-time greats.’’

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW

Some fans may not be happy with the Panthers’ record right now, but the team was always going to be working out some wrinkles due to their many changes over the summer.

Coach Paul Maurice said while he would always like a better record, he is “happy” with the way his team played in their first month together.

— Sam Bennett is warming up with four goals in the past three games after getting a ton of scoring chances early in the season.

— The Panthers were able to withstand the loss of Aaron Ekblad thanks to the play of their defensive-minded forwards. It should bode well moving forward.

— Check out the FHN YouTube Channel which can be accessed RIGHT HERE or click on the video below.

Following Monday’s practice in Sunrise, we heard from Maurice, Ryan Lomberg and Colin White.

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NATIONAL HOCKEY NOW

The Calgary Flames will be coming to South Florida in a few days and we are all looking forward to the big reunion.

Jonathan Huberdeau is getting ready with some new linemates.

– Patrice Bergeron and Tage Thompson had a nice moment on the ice before the Boston Bruins played the Sabres.

— Brock McGinn scored the game-winning goal in not one but two games for the Pittsburgh Penguins last week.

— The Los Angeles Kings are trying out a new power play.

PANTHERS ON DECK

WASHINGTON CAPITALS AT FLORIDA PANTHERS

• When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
• Where: FLA Live Arena, Sunrise
• TV/Streaming: Bally Sports Florida; ESPN+
• Radio: WQAM 560-AM; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932
• Last season: Panthers won 2-1 (d. Capitals 4-2 in first round)
  
• All-time regular season series: Washington leads 67-43-12, 9 ties