From Two Goalies to Another: Tallas & McLennan Honor Luongo

With everything that's happened around the world in recent weeks, it already feels like months have passed since the Florida Panthers raised Roberto Luongo's No. 1 jersey into the rafters.
In reality, it's been less than three weeks!
That being said, it's never too early to revisit a good memory, especially when we could all use a little Lu-related news to brighten things up. And when it comes to his jersey retirement ceremony at BB&T Center on March 7, the smiles were certainly plentiful.

From the highlight videos spanning his entire career to a handful of passionate speeches from his personal friends, Luongo's ceremony offered more than enough memorable moments to fill several articles. But, why rush? Let's take things slow and savor the memory a little bit at a time.
After all, when you wrap up a nearly two-decade career ranking second in NHL history in games played by a goaltender (1,044), third in wins (489) and ninth in shutouts (77), the list of things to talk about and the amount of people that'd love to talk about them is obviously very, very long.
So, for today, let's just focus on two of the speakers from Luongo's ceremony - Robb Tallas and Jamie McLennan. I mean, since they also spent a good chunk of their lives in between the pipes stopping pucks, who better than them to enlighten us on how impressive Luongo's career was?
From two goalies to another, here's some highlight of what Tallas and McLennan had to say.

TALLAS OPENS THINGS UP

Tallas played 99 games in the NHL.
If not for Luongo, it would have been 100.
Before the longtime Panthers goaltending coach assumed his position at the podium, FOX Sports Florida's Steve "Goldie "Goldstein prefaced his arrival with the story of the time that Luongo saved Tallas from being thrust back into action during a wild game back in 2014-15.
With the Maple Leafs in town, Luongo left the game late in the first period after taking a shot up high. Then, just 22 seconds into the third, backup Al Montoya sustained an injury of his own as he sprawled out to make a save. With almost a full period left, Florida had no healthy goaltender.
So, as Montoya attempted to play through the pain, Tallas, who last played in the NHL on Feb. 19, 2001, appeared on the bench in full gear, ready to go if things to that point. But, with 9:08 left on the clock, Luongo made a miraculous return to relieve Montoya and finish the contest.
"I don't know if I should thank Lu or be mad at Lu," Tallas said of the moment before getting to his planned speech. "It might have been my only opportunity to be on any late-night talk show."
Tallas then went on to tell a story about being locked in a goalie battle with Luongo on Dec. 27, 1999. Between the pipes for the Bruins, Tallas made 24 saves that night, but was outshined by a 20-year-old Luongo, who stopped all 34 shots he faced to lead the Islanders to a 3-0 victory.
"Little did you know that I'd be helping you back then, too," Tallas smirked.
After that, Tallas, who has been Florida's goaltending coach for more than a decade, shared a behind-the-scenes story from Luongo's 1,000th NHL game. As Luongo battled through bruised ribs, Tallas said the two talked before the game, reminiscing about his career's ups and downs.
"This is how it should be," Tallas told Luongo, citing the goaltender's incredible commitment and passion. "You should be banged up. You should be feeling this way. It should be a hard game."
Following that pep talk, Luongo went on to make 26 saves and lead the Panthers to a 3-2 win over the Bruins, becoming just the third goalie in NHL history to suit up in 1,000 career games.
Before heading home that night, Luongo presented Tallas with the stick he'd used in the win.
"That is something I'll cherish forever, but the day you get voted to the Hall of fame, you may see that stick on eBay for the highest bidder," Tallas quipped, eliciting a big laugh from Luongo.
Closing out his speech, Tallas hammered home a few key points about what he believed made Luongo so great. In his opinion, it wasn't necessarily talent - although Luongo certainly had an abundance of that - but rather a commitment to bettering himself that truly shaped his career.
"Lu was relentless in his pursuit of being the best," Tallas said. "Never satisfied with good games, but always looking for a better game."

McLENNAN ON THE MIC

McLennan served as Luongo's backup during the 2005-06 season in Florida.
So, of course, the moment he got on the mic he took the opportunity to address that.
"This is the one and only time I'll be ahead of Roberto Luongo," he said.
Despite sharing a locker room for only one season together, McLennan and Luongo formed a strong friendship. Taking a few shots at himself, McLennan joked that it must have "pained" the coaching staff to put him into games, but "they did have to give Lu a night off once in a while."
"There were two things I learned that year that were the locks of the century," McLennan, who currently works as a hockey analyst for TSN in Canada, said of his season with the Panthers. "Number one was that my jersey would never got to the rafters here at this organization.
"Secondly, we all knew that Lu's jersey would be lifted into the rafters the moment he retired… Although I only spent one season here, I developed relationships that will last a lifetime with several member of that team, none more special than with Roberto and his family."
After firing off a few more compliment's in Luongo's direction, McLennan then told a story that he believed encapsulated his former teammate's unmatched competitiveness. But, rather than an on-ice encounter, this anecdote took place at Luongo's other favorite place - the poker table.
"I was once ejected from the poker game at the back of the plane by Louie for what he would term 'a lack of commitment to the game,'" McLennan said. "You may find this tough to believe, but I was distracted poker player that didn't always take the game as serious as others."
The last straw for Luongo was an occasion when McLennan, who admittedly was trying to exit the game as soon as possible in order to get back to watching a show on his computer, made a foolhardy move that somehow, thanks to the luck of the draw, knocked Luongo out of the game.
"I experienced the fire of the off-ice Roberto Luongo that day," McLennan smiled.
Continuing his story, McLennan then recalled a game in which the Panthers left Luongo out to dry in a matchup against the Hurricanes. "Let's see the reaction we're going to get for this," he recalled thinking.
But, much to his surprise, Luongo simply stated "Let's do better next period."
"Louie let us off the hook, but that was him," McLennan said. "He led by example and showed our group the way. Playing with you and getting to watch you night in and night out was one the highlights of my career. You're one of the greatest goaltenders to ever play the game of hockey."
For a broader recap of Luongo's jersey retirement ceremony, click
HERE
.