With a lifetime playoff record of 3 wins and 9 losses, a GAA of 3.61 and Save% of 0.856, Roberto Luongo has been crowned the biggest choker in CPHL Playoff history. In 04/05 the 3 seed Ducks who were the CPHL's #3 team during the season were trounced by the Avalanche in 6 games. Much of that failure fell on Roberto Luongo. The following year the Ducks were crushed in a 4-0 sweep to the Calgary Flames. Luongo did not start game 1 of the series a 7-0 loss, but in games 2 & 4 he surrendered 4 total goals as his team was beaten 3-0 and 1-0. When he finally received some offensive support, he shart his drawers and the Ducks were beaten 6-5 although that loss fell on Chris Osgood.
In 2006-07 Luongo ended up with the Quebec Nordiques where he failed to get that team to the playoffs as he had during his first two CPHL seasons with the Nashville Predators and Anaheim Ducks. After Quebec traded him (and subsequently made the playoffs) he ended up in Chicago where the Hawks posted the top record in the Howe Conference. Again though Luongo failed when it counted as he posted 1 win against 4 losses in a 5 game beating at the hands of the San Jose Sharks.
Going into this years playoffs the Oilers who acquired Luongo early in the season needed one last win in their final 4 games (hell even an OT loss or tie would have been enough) to make the playoffs. Luongo again FAILED to deliver it and as a result the Oilers had to deplete their roster as the risk of missing the playoffs and being stuck with bad contracts was too great. Thanks to an unlikely win by the Dallas Stars on the final day of the season the Oilers backed into the playoffs.
But again a new leaf in the life of Luongo begins and he'll have his chance to excorcise his demons against a Minnesota team who nearly acquired the self proclaimed "greatest goaltender of his generation." The Oilers go into the series as a heavy underdog agaist the CPHL's top team who don't boast any weaknesses. The Oilers have zero star power, a lousy defence, and nothing left for depth. It will all fall to the feet of Luongo to help this team win this series.
"It has never been my fault that my teams have been lousy in the playoffs" proclaimed Luongo on Monday to Edmonton Journal writer Terry Brownone. "I've never received any type of goalscoring from former team mates to help me out at playoff time. Furthermore my coaches have always been terrible, playing mind games and trying to make me nervous. In 04-05 some crazy middle aged blond broad from Montana kept sending me provocative pictures saying she wanted me so bad. She only got my number because than GM Halifax Drunk gave it to her one night when he had been out drinking. How am I supposed to play my game when stuff like that happens? Last year our GM made a bunch of goofy sell type deadline deals that screwed over our team. My defence tip pucks in on me. It's ALWAYS somebody elses fault!!!" exclaimed a riled up Luongo. "I am the greatest player in the CPHL, and when we lose this series I guarantee it will be my team mates who Fail to get the job done." predicted the Oilers back stop. When asked about his pending UFA status Luongo only offered "It sucks that we have a maximum salary in this league. I should be paid 25 million a year, I'm the only player in this league who earns his salary, hell I'm the only one worth anything."
As you can see Luongo does not own up to any of his past failures and again this year he's already into the excuse drawer for why he'll play poorly. The one thing you can bet on is that he won't be answering his critics with outstanding play and a series upset.
Luongo looks to shed label of CPHL's greatest Choker
