Official Luongo Hate / Love Thread

[mathonwy]

Luo's just getting out his bad games all at once.

Because come the playoffs, he's going to be on like Donkey Kong, IE UNSTOPPABLE AND HURLING FLAMING BARRELS AT THE ENEMY.

When we win the SC, it'll be Luo winning the Conn Smythe, mark my words!!

[vic]

To gain perspective on Luongo...

He currently holds the career wins record for two NHL teams... Florida (108) and Vancouver (220). Is there any other goalie that has done that?

Patrick Roy is close with 262 for Colorado (1st), and 289 for Montreal (2nd to Plante who had 314).

S_C

He also holds the following NHL records:

Most shots faced by a goaltender, in a season: 2,488 (2005–06)
Most shots faced by a goaltender, in a playoff game: 76 (11 April 2007)
Most saves by a goaltender, in a season: 2,303 (2003–04)
Most overtime wins: 49

That last one stands out the most for me

[Per]

Because come the playoffs, he's going to be on like Donkey Kong, IE UNSTOPPABLE AND HURLING FLAMING BARRELS AT THE ENEMY.

When we win the SC, it'll be Luo winning the Conn Smythe, mark my words!!

And judging from last year's playoff refereeing, hurling flaming barrels at opponents is probably not even going to punished.

[Scintillator]

After Lu let that first one in tonight against the Ducks, I was screaming at the tv; glad AV switched to Cory; though at the time I thought it was too late... guess that's why I'm not coaching

But after the game I came across this little nugget from DanTheStatMan1 over at Nucks Misconduct about Playoff Goaltending -- it compares Lu against his peers (i.e. Brodeur, Fleury, Lundquist, Thomas, Miller, Ward etc.) in terms of playoff performances and, surprisingly (cuz I would rather keep Cory at this point...) he comes off smelling pretty good.
http://www.nucksmisconduct.com/2012/3/23/2884880/behind-the-numbers-playoff-goaltending

...as far as value to his team, Luongo is most valuable! This is true even with his high blow-up%. This is a stat he must improve. Or, knowing this tendency coach A.V. ought to pull Luongo quicker, in games that he is obviously having `one of those nights` (i.e. after two quick bad goals). He has been very unlucky to have had very low goal support in his playoff career, and therefore has received unfair criticism. The objective analysis shows that Luongo has been an elite performer in the playoffs when measured against his peers and not some other mythical scale! He has played well enough for the team to win the cup.

In fact, that article has changed my opinion of Lu, even though his blow-ups are supremely cringe-worthy (heh, some would claim, legendary, but I digress), all things considered, he is one *damn* fine keeper... in more than one sense of the word.

[Meds]

After Lu let that first one in tonight against the Ducks, I was screaming at the tv; glad AV switched to Cory; though at the time I thought it was too late... guess that's why I'm not coaching

But after the game I came across this little nugget from DanTheStatMan1 over at Nucks Misconduct about Playoff Goaltending -- it compares Lu against his peers (i.e. Brodeur, Fleury, Lundquist, Thomas, Miller, Ward etc.) in terms of playoff performances and, surprisingly (cuz I would rather keep Cory at this point...) he comes off smelling pretty good.
http://www.nucksmisconduct.com/2012/3/23/2884880/behind-the-numbers-playoff-goaltending

...as far as value to his team, Luongo is most valuable! This is true even with his high blow-up%. This is a stat he must improve. Or, knowing this tendency coach A.V. ought to pull Luongo quicker, in games that he is obviously having `one of those nights` (i.e. after two quick bad goals). He has been very unlucky to have had very low goal support in his playoff career, and therefore has received unfair criticism. The objective analysis shows that Luongo has been an elite performer in the playoffs when measured against his peers and not some other mythical scale! He has played well enough for the team to win the cup.

In fact, that article has changed my opinion of Lu, even though his blow-ups are supremely cringe-worthy (heh, some would claim, legendary, but I digress), all things considered, he is one *damn* fine keeper... in more than one sense of the word.

The thing with Louie is his timing.

The guy will put together 10 games where he runs the table and puts up crazy numbers that chase down a 1.00GAA at times. Then he'll completely implode for a game and give up 7 goals on 18 shots in 45 minutes of hockey. His peers will play those same 10 games and be closer to a 2.00GAA, but then they don't fall apart as completely. The difference between a guy like Luongo and a guy like Brodeur or Roy is threefold.

1) Luck and circumstance.

2) The team in front of him.

3) Winning at the right time.

The Cup winning Devils and Avalanche had solid teams, I don't think they were as deep as ours is (1997's Avs probably were), but they were more consistent. New Jersey never fell apart in front of Brodeur the way the Canucks have in front of Louie. Since that team disappeared Brodeur hasn't won shit. Roy even went out with a first round loss to the Minnesota Wild.

Timing is everything.

[Scintillator]

You make salient, though gut-wrenchingly painful points which are rife with truthiness.

Here's hoping for a 16 game streak from a Canuck goalie, any goalie.

[wafflecombine]

I am going to come right out and say it - I was disgusted by the game last night. Yes we won cause the scoring floodgates openned but we were defensively weak and hung Lou out to dry on at least two of those goals. I was glad to see the team rally after Schnieder came in relief but what really rubbed me the wrong way was way our "loyal" fans BOO'd Lou off the ice.

I mean WTH. How bloodly classless are we? We are tied for #1 in the NHL with two games left, top of the Western Conference and a massive chuck of that is becaouse LOU stole games all through DEC, Jan and Feb when we were playing like drunk teenagers on defense. After a hiccup in March, Lou has been solid (so has Cory) until this game. One game... that's it. No indication of a global environmental catastrophe, no 3rd sign of the apocolypse.

I think HW was right in another thread. Lou will ask to be traded in the off season, even if we win the cup. With Ginger as our #1 in 2012/13, I predict it'll only take a single season before we are booing him off the ice and saying that Lack is the future.

I hope Lou comes out strong in his next game and maintains a killer attitude for the playoffs... but I think 2011/12 will officially be his last season with us. Why take the abuse?

[donlever]

Why take the abuse?

I can offer 64 million reasons.

While I do not agree with booing the guy and would not take part athletes have to suck it up and accept this shit.

The fact is that it is the end of the year, many of the fans there are on freebies from season ticket holders and are the TEAM 1040 bull honk phone and whine group.

The guy gets Luo'd every time he touches the freaking puck for goodness sakes, he gets the good side of this shit as well.

Guys shouldn't have to be molly coddled.

It is what it is.....

[wafflecombine]

You make good points Don but sometimes 64 million reasons aren't enough... especially if someone else is willing to step up and offer 64 million reasons. Rumour (based on HW's thread) is that Lou's wife is unhappy and wants to go home. I wonder how watching her hubby get treated like dog crap by the fans helps at all. I bet she has some very poignant things to say about Van.

Goal tender has a bad game, let him get off the ice and deal with whatever issue he's got. Hell no to the molly-coddle but that is the coach's job and I still say the boo's are a classless act. They may be professional atheletes but that doesn't give us a license to be dicks.

AV/MG will deal with it, Lou will get back in the zone, Ginger already in the zone and we are going to the cup. That's the bottom line IMO.

[donlever]

Bah.

I have no sympathy for athletes who can't handle negative reaction. It should be positive motivation for them if they are reacted to pessimisticly.

And, overall, Luongo doesn't get treated like dog crap by the fans.

95% of the time he gets cheered for making the simplest of saves.

As I understand the scenario Gina is already living in Florida.

[vic]

Had the Canucks played defense in front of Luongo the way they played in front of Schneider, discussion of last night's goalie performance would be non-existent.

Luongo made more saves in ~27 minutes than Schneider faced shots in ~37 minutes. Heck, Luongo faced more shots in the 1st period then Schneider faced in total (including the shootout).

Also (off topic, sorry), if Booth is benched for making one mistake, why on earth is Grags out there in the 3rd period playing in crucial situations after he basically gift wrapped 2 scoring chances for the Ducks?

[wafflecombine]

Lol... I gotta disagree with you Don. I dislike the Jeykl and Hyde routine of our fans.

Vic makes good point about how poorly our defense played for the first two periods. I watched the post game interview and Lou didn't duck anything. He admitted it was a stinker and was happy the team was able to rally. I am hopeful that he bounces back fast and that we have two goalies ready the lock things down.

[donlever]

Lol... I gotta disagree with you Don. I dislike the Jeykl and Hyde routine of our fans.

See now waffle that's a different story.

I did not say I liked the Jekyl and Hyde routine at all.

As a matter of fact I do not.

I just said I do not have sympathy for pro athletes that can't take it.

[tantalum]

Ceratinly I understand the feelings with Luongo. He's worn out his nine lives with the fan base and when that fan base sees him struggling down the stretch into the playoffs they are bound to be anxious. Doubly so when you have a guy who is playing better right now on the bench. And struggle last night Luongo did. One if not 2 goals were soft. The other 2 or 3 were really the only other scoring chances the Ducks had up to that point. Soft goals, no big saves, and 18 skaters sleepwalking were the reason for the pull...and valid reasons they were. It also was the right call at the right time. Let in another to go down 5-2 and they may not being to come back. Down by 2 with plenty of time left gives them a chance.

Luongo should be able to not let it bother him of course.That said, I see very little sense in bringing out the boo birds with a couple games left in the regular season where the team is competing for a President's trophy and a very big reason why they are competing for that was the play of Luongo this season. Save the end of the regular season boo birds for teams like the Flames and their floating veterans.

[donlever]

...like I said earlier in the thread. End of the season, basically meaningless games, equates to a mass of the uneducated fan base in attendance.

Result...booing.

Players are aware of this just like anyone else.

It's like the local transient calling you a prick because you don't give him a quarter.

Off a ducks back....