"Roberto is a cornerstone of Panthers history and an icon of the game," said Panthers Owner & Governor Vincent J. Viola. "He has represented himself and the Panthers with tremendous dignity, determination and a standard of excellence throughout his career. Roberto exemplifies what it means to be a Florida Panther. His level of commitment to this franchise, his teammates, his family and the South Florida community is second to none. There is no player more deserving to be the first Florida Panther to have his jersey number retired."
"A true professional, competitor and gentleman, Roberto set the standard for players in this organization," said Panthers President of Hockey Operations & General ManagerDale Tallon. "There was never a question in any of our minds that Roberto would be the first Panthers player to have his number retired by the franchise. One of the game's most iconic goaltenders, he gave his heart and soul to the Panthers and the South Florida community and carried himself with dignity, modesty and humor. Roberto is most deserving of this honor and we are thrilled for him, and his family.
Luongo, 40, retired from the National Hockey League on June 26, 2019, ending a 20-year playing career. The native of Montreal, Quebec, ranks second in NHL history in games played by a goaltender (1,044), third in wins (489) and ninth in shutouts (77). He is one of only three goaltenders in NHL history to have played 1,000 NHL games.
"I want to thank the entire Panthers organization for this incredible recognition," said Luongo. "It's quite an honor to be the first player to have his number retired by the Panthers. I'm truly looking forward to sharing this special night with my friends, family, teammates and the Panthers fans."
The Panthers originally acquired Luongo through a trade with the New York Islanders on June 24, 2000. As a rookie with Florida (2000-01), Luongo appeared in 47 games and finished the season with a .920 save percentage and five shutouts, setting franchise records for a rookie netminder. Over his first five seasons with the Panthers he played the third-most games among goaltenders in the NHL (317), tied for third-most shutouts (26), was a finalist for the 2003-04 Vezina Trophy, played in the 2004 NHL All-Star Game and set all Panthers major franchise goaltending records. Traded to the Vancouver Canucks on June 23, 2006, the Panthers reacquired Luongo on March 4, 2014. In his first game back in a Panthers sweater, on March 7, 2014, Luongo posted a shutout victory against the Buffalo Sabres at BB&T Center.
Luongo played 11 seasons with the Panthers, owning the club's franchise records for games played by a goaltender (572), wins (230), shutouts (38), saves (16,068) assists/points (13), single-season games played by a goaltender (75, 2005-06), single-season wins (35, 2005-06, 2015-16), single-season saves (2,303) and single-season shutouts (tied-7, 2003-04). His 572 games played in a Panthers uniform marks the fourth-most in franchise history by any player. Through his career with the Panthers, Luongo represented the club at the NHL All-Star Game three times (2004, 2015, 2016).
The Parkland, Fla., resident helped lead the Panthers to an Atlantic Division title and a franchise-best 103-point regular season in 2015-16. On the international stage, Luongo is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, helping backstop Team Canada to gold in 2010 and 2014. In his career with Canada at the IIHF World Championship, Luongo clinched gold at the 2003 and 2004 tournaments and also captured gold with Canada at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.
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