Comments for The Roberto Luongo Conundrum at http://hockey.dobbersports.com , comment 1 to 32 out of 20 comments http://hockey.dobbersports.com Sat, 25 May 2013 08:49:23 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/3737-the-roberto-luongo-conundrum#comment-14759 "Every loss, every season, and it seems like Luongo is questioned and analyzed under the spotlight." and this is different from every single goalie in the history of Vancouver hockey how?? i think this article side-steps the real issue of goalie graveyard rearing its ugly head again. Like a loser unlucky in love we convince ourselves that it will be different next time, with Schneider... please. Luongo was again a Vezina finalist, a Jennings winner and up intil the final week of post season was in Conn Smyth contention. You said it yourself -- 8 goals in 7 games doesnt get it done. It was a team failure, regardless of the efforts of the pundits and the unfaithful to pin it on Luo, and the Sedins, for that matter... - david Mon, 20 Jun 2011 10:37:03 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/3737-the-roberto-luongo-conundrum#comment-14754 I'm not the first guy to point our that it takes a different kind of team to win in the post season, and this isn't the first team that didn't really have the physical guys to go all the way. I'm sure the Sedins will score plenty of points in the regular season next year, but that's as deep as you can go--game 7 of the SC--with guys who Just Aren't That Physical. I don't think the question is about Luongo specifically--but it is about his contract. There are two questions to ask: 1) How cheap is it to replace Luongo with someone almost as good? 2) What kind of physical players can you get for the difference between what Luongo's making and the guy who's replacing him? The answer to question 1? The guy to replace Luongo is already in Vancouver, and his cap hit is about 900,000. The answer to question 2? The difference between Luongo's cap hit and the guy who will eventually replace him? Is almost 4.5 million! I think Schneider is about as ready as Neimi or Neuvirth or a bunch of other guys who were successful when they moved up. The question marks are on the Canucks' second and third lines--is 4.5 million enough to start answering those big questions? Hell yeah! - Ken Shultz Sat, 18 Jun 2011 18:47:57 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/3737-the-roberto-luongo-conundrum#comment-14752 everyone is entitled to their opinion, of course, but there's very little difference between your piece and the anti-thomas pieces I had to read for a year. - Repent Tokyo Sat, 18 Jun 2011 13:57:30 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/3737-the-roberto-luongo-conundrum#comment-14751 repent, no one is trash talking Luongo (well, at least I am not). My point has nothing to do with his talent on the ice. I hope you got that from what I wrote. - Jeff Angus Sat, 18 Jun 2011 13:34:34 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/3737-the-roberto-luongo-conundrum#comment-14750 I rode Luongo and Daniel Sedin to fantasy victory, so it was interesting to see them underperform in the playoffs. Luongo is definitely taking a disproportionate amount of the blame here. I agree with most of the points about his mentality. The way the Canucks lost multiple goals in quick succession on several occasions, shows that he does not respond well to getting scored on. However, IMO the Sedins should be getting just as much heat. In the playoffs you need your best players to be your best players. They were pretty much shut down by CHI, NAS and BOS. That's way short of good enough. Their pretty passing just doesn't work in the playoffs, and they are not physical enough on the forecheck or the back check. During the season they only take the ice in favourable situations, with Kesler and Malhotra doing the dirty work on the defensive faceoffs. They never crash the net or take people on one on one. They are essentially luxury players. The one image that I will remember most from this cup is Marchand punching Dainel. After being humiliated like that I think pretty much anyone else would have come out like a raging bull in game 7 to set the record straight, but Daniel played just like he played any other game. So while Luongo deserves scrutiny, I think the twins are just as much part of the problem. - ktox Sat, 18 Jun 2011 13:21:54 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/3737-the-roberto-luongo-conundrum#comment-14748 all i heard from the boston media 2 years ago was how terrible time thomas was, how his contract was an albatross and how he was an untalented, washed-up old man who would never have a starter job in the NHL again. maybe you guys should remember how that turned out before you pile on Luongo just like everybody always loves to do. And I'm a Carolina Hurricanes, fan, by the way. - Repent Tokyo Fri, 17 Jun 2011 18:24:27 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/3737-the-roberto-luongo-conundrum#comment-14746 "Luongo’s mercurial and moody off-ice personality having a negative effect on the team. Being on the west coast I have seen this first hand for the last 3-4 seasons. When he was appointed captain a few seasons back I started calling him Captain Poopy Pants for the exact reasons you outline in this article. How many times, when a goal gets past him he slumps his shoulders and looks skyward? Far too often and that body language rubs off on his team. He's never been readily accessible to the media and can be very curt and short while answering questions. Yes....Captain Poopy Pants is a name that he has rightfully earned - Mr Sausage Fri, 17 Jun 2011 16:14:09 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/3737-the-roberto-luongo-conundrum#comment-14745 I dont like Luongo. I think he is a prima donna but they were missing Hamhuis and Kesler was hurt. On top of all that, the Sedins did absolutely nothing. I dont think Luongo deserves the blame but great players come up big in big situations and his lack of doing so makes him the goat. I still think he was shakier than Ali in the Gold Medal game and had it not been for the real disparity in skill between the US and Canada then he woulda lost that too. I will go on record and say Luongo will never win a cup because he just doesnt have it between his ears or in his chest. Only time will tell... - derek Fri, 17 Jun 2011 15:28:14 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/3737-the-roberto-luongo-conundrum#comment-14744 It was a very good article. Great points and arguments. However, I wouldn't throw Luongo under the bus just yet. As many others have pointed out, there are plenty of other factors which lead to the loss. But one thing that most people forget is that the team DID make it to the Game 7 of the cup finals. That in itself is a huge feat. Vancouver shouldn't hang their head in shame but instead should celebrate the fact that they got 4 really good rounds of playoff hockey. The excitement, the energy, the city wide passion which has existed during these 4 rounds is nothing to shake a stick at. Ottawa went through the same thing in their long playoff run. Looking back, I dont remember the losses, but I do remember all the wins and the "where was I when they scored that winning goal" moments. A cup final is something to be expected (by pure chance) once every 15 years. Luongo and Vancouver should be rewarded for getting them that far. 1 win away from the cup... if he is good enough to get you that close, he is good enough to get you to the finish line. - paul faure Fri, 17 Jun 2011 15:21:59 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/3737-the-roberto-luongo-conundrum#comment-14743 Mr Angus, perhaps the best article you've done. And the responses have been insightful and rewarding. Whether or not one thinks Luongo shares a disproportionate amount of the blame for the Canucks failure to win the Stanley Cup, let's remember two things: 1) the Boston Bruins earned this win. 2) Roberto Luongo is a better than average goalie. - Steffen Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:54:06 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/3737-the-roberto-luongo-conundrum#comment-14742 Very true, Jeff. Pro sports is a harsh game, and not always fair to those involved (especially coaches!). I just think the media needs to realize that they are as much creating the environment that Luongo lives in as they are reflecting it. This is the fourth media report I've read since the final calling for Luongo's head. I haven't seen any that question whether the Sedins are capable of leading a team through 2 months of tight-checking playoff hockey that stifles their style of game. It's as if that's taken for granted, but Luongo needs to be publicly media-torched. Look at this blog...there are as many comments defending him as not. Why doesn't the media reflect that reality? I'm from Edmonton, so nobody is happier to see Luongo lose than I. But the fact is that there are 14 other goalies out there who didn't get the playoff job done, either. If Vancouver decides that their relationship with "Looouu" is finished, so be it. But that will be a choice largely based on mob mentality and hair-splitting analysis over a very tight loss. If Chara had not saved his own give-away in Game 7, I doubt we would be having this conversation right now. BTW, very well written column, even if I'm critical of the perspective. - Mark Moosier Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:44:26 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/3737-the-roberto-luongo-conundrum#comment-14740 I just read what Jason Botchford wrote: "Luongo is big, imposing and effective when his team plays clean in front of him, limiting odd-man rushes and clearing rebounds. If the Canucks are defensively sound, he's great. But when things turn, when injuries mount, when breakdowns pile up, he's failing to make the acrobatic saves to turn the tide and change momentum. It repeated itself this year." Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Canuck+Luongo+will+question+more+than+ever/4960868/story.html#ixzz1PZUQpSEE What Botchford said is dead-on..... Luongo's weaknesses.... poor reflexes, lateral mobility, and rebound control..... necessarily requires great defense in front of him in order for Luongo to do well. He needs the team to help him clear those rebounds. He needs the team to limit odd-man rushes because he doesn't have the reflexes or mobility to make saves on dekes, snipes, or cross-ice two-on-one passes. It's time we go with Schneider. He is much more mobile and reflexive than Luongo while being almost as big and imposing. You only lose 1 inch with Schneider. More importantly though, he's more calm, composed, and mentally together. - James Smith Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:39:27 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/3737-the-roberto-luongo-conundrum#comment-14739 I think he should get a mental preparation counselor. Every team some have personal motivation and focus coaches. Like other players, Luongo has problems with these things, which lead to the dreaded inconsistency tag that many fantasy players are scared to death of. We've seen what Luongo is capable of doing, it's just giving him the right mindset to do it all the time, like he used to. - JULES Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:21:48 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/3737-the-roberto-luongo-conundrum#comment-14738 "Deserving"?? Luongo deserves to get traded. His game right now has serious holes. His reflexes and lateral mobility are average at best. His rebound control is below average. Worst of all, though, his mental toughness is very questionable. Unfortunately, for whatever reason.... some people can't bring themselves to acknowledge all of the above. They still want to think of Luongo as the same goalie he was 4-5 years ago. That Luongo has long gone. His game has deteriorated quite a bit since. He's basically an average-to-decent goalie who looks like a great goalie at times because of the great team he gets to play in front of. But when that "great" team doesn't play well, Luongo gets exposed pretty badly in lopsided Boston/Chicago type games. And then fans will try to defend him with statements like "but the team didn't play well in front of him so you can't blame Luongo". Here's the thing.... great goalies have the ability to keep their teams in games they aren't playing well in..... Luongo unfortunately is no longer a great goalie. Put a great defensive game in front of him, sure.... most of the time he'll make the saves he should make and won't make a mistake (see the shutouts he put up against Boston). Put a poor defensive game in front of him, and you'll witness the reincarnation of Dan Cloutier. You can't afford to pay a goalie the money Luongo is making if that's all he'll give you. Most goalies can play well (or more like "look good") in front of great defenses. So Luongo is not offering anything that most other NHL goalies can't do. - James Smith Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:14:05 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/3737-the-roberto-luongo-conundrum#comment-14737 Roberto Lebrongo ;) - dodospice Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:58:11 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/3737-the-roberto-luongo-conundrum#comment-14735 Mark, sometimes "deserving" has nothing to do with it, unfortunately. - Jeff Angus Fri, 17 Jun 2011 10:11:36 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/3737-the-roberto-luongo-conundrum#comment-14733 I think Luongo learns from this experience and from the way Thomas (who is 5 years older) treated the finals. I also think if the puck hadn't bounced over Henrik's stick in those first few minutes of game 6... - mrgreer77 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 09:48:55 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/3737-the-roberto-luongo-conundrum#comment-14729 It's interesting how the media (and like it or not, Jeff, you are now part of the media)generally acknowledges that Luongo was one of many factors in the loss, but choose to focus on him and not those other factors (poor scoring, inconsistency on the road, etc). You're digging his grave for him while at the same time saying he doesn't deserve to die. - Mark Moosier Fri, 17 Jun 2011 08:37:57 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/3737-the-roberto-luongo-conundrum#comment-14727 it's crazy to blame him. they should be turning to their captain who became more invisible as the pressure mounted. sedin has to be the weakest captain in the league right now. great talent but not a leader, kesler would be better suited...he was very visible and played injured. there won't be any shortage of trade partners should canuck's management decide to move lou. - david lynch Fri, 17 Jun 2011 08:21:02 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/jeff-angus/3737-the-roberto-luongo-conundrum#comment-14722 The expectations on Luongo are ridiculously high, partly his fault, partly because of the team. He is the highest paid goalie in the league which in most people's mind means he should be the best goalie in the league. Plus as has been stated Vancouver is expected to win. I think he is a top 10 goalie for sure, maybe top 5 but he does struggle with consistency and has a tendency to "blow up" for a few games in a row. I think @andrewklassen is right its all a mental thing with him. He struggled against Chicago b/c they were in his head not becuase he suddenly became a bad goalie. I've always thought that in a seven game series I'd take him over everyone but 3 or 4 goalies because he will steal you a game or two and you can live with him playing like crap for two games if you are the better team. In a one game tournament, like the Olympics, there are probably 10 or 15 other goalies I'd rather have because you never know which Luongo will show up. - David Goodburn Fri, 17 Jun 2011 07:17:48 +0100