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nuxfan
PickupHockey All-Star
3670 Posts |
 Posted - 03/29/2010 : 13:22:22
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Beans:
quote:
It's not like Luongo has had to do anything at captain. There is a rule that says if the goalie is captain the team has to appoint one of the assists to be the contact to the ref. Back in the day when the goalie was captain they would take periodic 'breaks' to go and talk to the refs to the NHL put in a rule to avoid that.
Luongo as the captain has zero bearing on his play or anything else.
I wasn't referring to his on-ice duties, but rather the off-ice pressure. Captains do quite a bit for their teams in the locker room, on the ice, lead by example, etc. They pretty much have an obligation to talk to the press every night when asked to, help mediate disputes in the locker room... the list goes on. And I won't even get into the pressure to succeed and the extra pressure you get. Being a captain of an NHL team in Canada must be grueling.
I'm not saying Luongo wouldn't do those things normally, he's a strong voice and personality on the team. But there is a difference between doing them voluntarily when you're not the captain, and having to do them because you are the captain - not everyone is born to lead the way a team captain needs to. Personally, I'd like to see him just go back to goaltending - there is already plenty of pressure on him in that regard in Vancouver. |
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Alex116
PickupHockey Legend
6113 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2010 : 14:45:53
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I was one of few who hated the naming of Luongo captain. As said, he's not the same as a skater being captain on the ice, however, also as noted, i agree that there are certain responsibilities in the locker room, with the media, etc that he may simply not be wired to excel at. Sorry Beans, but a guy like Kesler would suit this role more! With Luongo, playing in a pressure cooker like Vancouver (especially with the history of failures in net) just doesn't need this added pressure / duty!
Beans, as for the Canucks' failure to get past the second round being possibly due to Luongo's relationship / locker room respect, it's possible it has a slight affect, but i don't buy it. Those who blame Luongo and call him a choker look mostly to game 6 last year in Chicago. Yes, he def came up with a stinker at the worst possible time. One or two key saves may have forced a game 7 i suppose but it's funny how no one really gives Chicago credit for being a very good team and playing an excellent series. Keep in mind, Vancouver did have home ice advantage, BUT, Chicago actually had more points than them during the season and the *division winner rule seed the Canucks ahead of them!
Second thing those who call him a choker tend to look at was the Niedermayer goal in game 5 vs Anaheim two years before that! That's the year the Canucks declared they were in a mini rebuild only to see them finish with a105 points. STILL, that's 5 behind the team which eventually not only finished ahead of them, but went on to win the cup! Yes, Luongo will be the first to admit that he blew it on that goal, however, they were down 3-1 in the series to the eventual cup champs and it's unlikely they'd have come back. To put all the blame on the goalie, who not only stopped over 60 shots on goal, but was also named the 2nd star, isn't totally fair. He got them to where they were.
I know the many Canuck haters and Luongo haters will attack me for this but ironically, and i believe i've stated this before, i'm not even a huge Luongo fan myself. When you've been through the goalie circus we've experienced here in Vancouver, you'd realize why i don't hate him but i think he needs to work more on his attitude than his game! Currently he's in a mini slump and his numbers are still above avg. That's the problem in this city and the problem of him coming here and being touted as the saviour! He needs to stick to goaltending and let the rest of the team and coaches deal with their own. I absolutely HATE when he gives up a goal and throws his head back or his hands up in disgust. Sometimes it's at himself but other times it's at a defenceman who may have made a mistake. He shouldn't be doing that!
In closing, he made a costly mistake in the Anaheim series and came up with a rough game in the Chicago series, but look at his numbers. His GAA and Save % are both better in the playoffs, albeit it short in playoff experience, than they are in the regular season. Hardly the numbers of a choker!  |
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nuxfan
PickupHockey All-Star
3670 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2010 : 15:43:57
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Alex, I agree with you. I also was not a fan of Lu being made captain. At the beginning of the year I felt it should have been Mitchell, now it could be Kesler or Mitchell (assuming Mitchell signs long term with us next year). Either way, it could be someone else.
The game against Anaheim you mention is widely regarded (at least in Vancouver) as the greatest game Luongo has played as a Canuck. The fact that we went that far and deep that year, and held it together that long against a clearly overpowering Ducks team that eventually won the cup, was a minor miracle. The quad-OT game in round1 vs Dallas was also a great game. Luongo was at his high point going into that offseason.
We have not seen that form, really, since then. He has been good, and as you say, when he is on top of his game he is magical to watch (I think about the Detroit game a couple of weeks ago, with the possible exception of the Datsyuk floater he was brilliant), but what used to be a nightly occurence is no longer one. I think that the pressure of expectations has weighed on him, and putting even more pressure on with the C was not IMO a very good move.
We'll see what happens in the offseason - I think it will depend on how far the Canucks go this year. IMO anything less than an appearance in the conference finals will be seen as a failed season, and management will have to look at options over the summer. |
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Is Luongo Really a Top Goalie?? 
