Editing Roberto Luongo (section)

==Playing style==
[[File:Roberto Luongo 02-209.jpg|thumb|right|Luongo employing the butterfly position to make a save during a game in February 2009.|alt=An ice hockey goaltender on his knees looking downwards to make save with his legs pointed backwards to the sides. He wears a blue mask, a white jersey with a stylized orca in the shape of a "C" and white pads.]]
Luongo played in the [[butterfly style]] of goaltending, dropping to his knees with his skates pointing outwards and his pads meeting in the middle in order to cover the bottom portion of the net.<ref name=groin>{{vcite news|author=Larry Pynn |title=Luongo suffers common goalie injury |url=http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=bf287419-24e7-469a-9629-17df18db1afe |access-date=December 21, 2009 |date=November 25, 2008 |work=[[Vancouver Sun]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604132706/http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=bf287419-24e7-469a-9629-17df18db1afe |archive-date=June 4, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Owing to the style of play, groin injuries are common for butterfly goaltenders.<ref name=groin/> Luongo suffered one during the [[2008–09 NHL season|2008–09 season]] and missed 24 games.<ref name=groinreturn/>

As an athletic goaltender, Luongo was known for having quick reflexes,<ref name=legends>{{vcite web |title=Roberto Luongo |url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=18338 |access-date=December 21, 2009 |publisher=[[Hockey Hall of Fame]] |accessdate=December 21, 2009 |archive-date=February 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204231143/http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=18338 }}</ref> particularly with his glove.<ref name=leader>{{vcite news |title=Archive: Luongo a natural born leader |url=http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=091620fe-1996-439f-9732-bd73d42a5a7c |access-date=December 21, 2009 |date=April 23, 2007 |work=[[Vancouver Sun]] |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604133031/http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=091620fe-1996-439f-9732-bd73d42a5a7c |archive-date=June 4, 2011}}</ref> One of Luongo's early goaltending coaches, [[François Allaire]], remembered Luongo to have had the "best catching glove [he'd] ever seen in a kid" when he first came to his goaltending school in [[Sainte-Thérèse-de-Gaspé, Québec]], at the age of 14.<ref name=leader/> Allaire is known to be a strong proponent of the butterfly style.<ref name=sportsill>{{vcite news|title=Roberto Luongo was drafted earlier than any other |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1010324/1/index.htm |access-date=December 21, 2009 |date=June 30, 1997 |work=[[CNN Sports Illustrated]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604120037/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1010324/1/index.htm |archive-date=June 4, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> At 6 feet and 3&nbsp;inches, Luongo was able to cover a lot of net with his size.<ref name=leader/> Observers also noted the strong concentration, competitiveness and mental aspects of his game.<ref name=sportsill/><ref name=leader/> On the other hand, his puck-handling skills have been described as a weakness.<ref name=curse/>

His style began to be directed during his [[minor ice hockey#Canada|midget]] years with Allaire and Montreal-Bourassa goaltending coach Mario Baril.<ref name=sportsill/> Luongo sent tapes of his play to Allaire during his rookie season in the [[QMJHL]] and his former goaltending coach advised him to be more aggressive and come out of the net more to cut off angles and challenge shooters.<ref name=sportsill/> the Canucks hired a new goaltending coach, [[Roland Melanson]], prior to the [[2010–11 NHL season|2010–11 season]]. Working with Melanson, Luongo began playing deeper in his crease against Allaire's original advice, allowing him to maintain positioning for rebounds.<ref name=melanson>{{vcite web|title=Melanson has brought subtle changes to Luongo's game|url=http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=348428|access-date=January 7, 2011|date=January 7, 2011|publisher=[[The Sports Network]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110111040427/http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=348428|archive-date=January 11, 2011}}</ref>

[[Vancouver Canucks]] head coach [[Alain Vigneault]] said in March 2007 that Luongo played best with more playing time over the length of the season.<ref>{{vcite news |title=Canucks' goalie Luongo good for the long haul |url=http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/sports/story.html?id=894236b4-dd75-424f-b64e-f66db2e1529c |access-date=December 21, 2009 |date=March 29, 2007 |work=[[Saskatoon Star Phoenix]] |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604133343/http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/sports/story.html?id=894236b4-dd75-424f-b64e-f66db2e1529c |archive-date=June 4, 2011}}</ref> Throughout his career, he garnered lots of playing time, including four consecutive 70-game seasons from [[2003–04 NHL season|2003–04]] to [[2007–08 NHL season|2007–08]] between the [[Florida Panthers]] and Canucks. He was known to suffer from slow starts to the season, usually in the first month of October.<ref>{{vcite news |title=Vengeance best served on ice |url=http://www.faceoff.com/hockey/columnists/bios/story.html?id=7751df10-0b78-4b0c-80ff-aa025fd858e1&add_feed_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.canada.com%2Ftopics%2Fsports%2Fhockey%2Ffaceoff%2Fbotchford.atom%3Fviewer%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.faceoff.com%2Fhockey%2Fcolumnists%2Fbios%2Fstory.html |access-date=December 21, 2009 |date=October 8, 2008 |work=[[The Province]] |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318003328/http://www.faceoff.com/hockey/columnists/bios/story.html?id=7751df10-0b78-4b0c-80ff-aa025fd858e1&add_feed_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.canada.com%2Ftopics%2Fsports%2Fhockey%2Ffaceoff%2Fbotchford.atom%3Fviewer%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.faceoff.com%2Fhockey%2Fcolumnists%2Fbios%2Fstory.html |archive-date=March 18, 2012}}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=March 2024}} In his first three Octobers with the Canucks, Luongo posted a combined 10–13–0 record and a .899 save percentage<ref>{{vcite news |title=Canucks still in search of first win; Luongo struggles |url=https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=293886 |access-date=December 21, 2009 |work=[[The Sports Network]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091210101740/http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=293886 |archive-date=December 10, 2009 }}</ref> – numbers that were well below his career pace.{{#tag:ref|In October 2010, he allowed 20 goals over 7 games (2 wins and 4 losses). The following year, he opened the season with a 3.45 GAA and .868 save percentage over seven games.<ref name="not watching"/>|group=note}}

Luongo received the [[Mark Messier Leadership Award]] in his [[2006–07 NHL season|first season]] with the Canucks for the month of March 2007.<ref name=messier/> Prior to the 2008–09 season, his third season with Vancouver, he was named [[Markus Näslund]]'s successor as team captain and the first goaltender to be named a captain in 59 years.<ref name=captain/> Teammate [[Mattias Öhlund]], who served as alternate captain to Luongo for one season, described him as a vocal leader,<ref name=shocked>{{vcite news |title=Luongo shocked to get 'C' |url=http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=1b04ab77-55b1-438b-9574-554c0cb0f2ad |access-date=February 6, 2010 |date=October 1, 2008 |work=[[Regina Leader Post]] |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604133511/http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=1b04ab77-55b1-438b-9574-554c0cb0f2ad |archive-date=June 4, 2011}}</ref> while Luongo has also identified that quality in himself.<ref name=alive/> General manager [[Mike Gillis]] described his commitment level as "unprecedented", adding that "he'd be a great example for our younger guys", at the time of the captaincy announcement.<ref name=shocked/> He served in that capacity for two seasons before relinquishing the captaincy prior to the [[2010–11 NHL season|2010–11 season]] to forward [[Henrik Sedin]].<ref name="step down"/>