Roberto Luongo will become the third goaltender in NHL history to play in 1,000 games when he starts for the Florida Panthers against the Boston Bruins at BB&T Center on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; TVAS, FS-F, NESN, NHL.TV). He will join Martin Brodeur (1,266) and Patrick Roy (1,029).
"On behalf of the Florida Panthers organization I would like to congratulate Roberto on becoming only the third goaltender in NHL history to reach 1,000 games in what has been a Hockey Hall of Fame caliber career," Panthers general manager Dale Tallon said. "Throughout his career, he has proven to be a dominant player and an exemplary leader. His dedication to his family, his teammates and the game of hockey is second to none."
The Panthers (41-30-8) are four points behind the Philadelphia Flyers for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. The Flyers play the Carolina Hurricanes at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday.
"With three games remaining, his sole focus is on the success of the Panthers and the team's push towards the Stanley Cup Playoffs," Tallon said. "We look forward to honoring his accomplishment at the start of next season with his family, friends and the entire Panthers family."
Luongo, who turned 39 on Wednesday, has played for three teams (Panthers, New York Islanders, Vancouver Canucks) in 18 NHL seasons, and has had many memorable moments and milestones along the way. He's the active leader among goalies in games played (999), wins (470) and shutouts (76).
Here are some highlights from his career:
June 21, 1997: Luongo is selected by the New York Islanders with the No. 4 pick in the 1997 NHL Draft. At the time, it's the highest a goalie has ever been chosen.
Nov. 28, 1999: In his NHL debut, Luongo makes 43 saves in a 2-1 win against the Boston Bruins for his first victory.
Dec. 27, 1999: Luongo makes 34 saves in a 3-0 win against the Bruins for his first NHL shutout.
June 24, 2000: The Islanders select goalie Rick DiPietro with the No. 1 pick in the 2000 NHL Draft and on the same day, trade Luongo to the Florida Panthers along with center Olli Jokinen for forwards Mark Parrish and Oleg Kvasha.
Feb. 27, 2002: In a 3-2 overtime loss against the Detroit Red Wings, Luongo sets an NHL career high with 57 saves, which still stands today.
Feb. 8, 2004: Luongo appears in the first of his five NHL All-Star Games and helps the East to a 6-4 win against the West.
Jan. 27, 2006: In a 4-0 win against the New Jersey Devils, Luongo makes 22 saves for a shutout and his 100th NHL win.
June 23, 2006: Luongo is traded to the Vancouver Canucks with defenseman Lukas Krajicek and a draft pick for goalie Alex Auld, forward Todd Bertuzzi and defenseman Bryan Allen.
Feb. 16, 2006: Luongo makes his first Olympic start in a 5-1 win for Canada against Germany in the 2006 Turin Olympics.
April 7, 2007: Luongo wins his NHL career-high 47th game of the season in a 4-3 overtime victory against the San Jose Sharks finishing second in the League, one behind Brodeur.
April 11, 2007: In his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut, Luongo sets a League record for shots faced by a goalie in his postseason debut (76) and makes 72 saves in a 5-4 four-overtime victory against the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Quarterfinals.
September 30, 2008: Luongo is named the 12th captain in Canucks history, the seventh goalie in NHL history to receive the honor.
October 16, 2008: Luongo wins his 200th NHL game when Alexandre Burrows scores 27 seconds into overtime to give the Canucks a 4-3 win against the Detroit Red Wings.
Jan. 7, 2010: Luongo earns the 50th shutout of his NHL career, making 31 saves in a 4-0 win against the Phoenix Coyotes.
Feb. 28, 2010: Playing in his home rink at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Luongo helps Canada to the gold medal by making 34 saves in a 3-2 overtime win against the United States. Luongo is 5-0-0 with a 1.76 goals-against average in the tournament.
March 5, 2011: The Canucks score twice in the third period for a 3-1 come-from-behind victory against the Los Angeles Kings, which is also Luongo's 300th NHL win.
May 24, 2011: Luongo helps the Canucks advance to the Stanley Cup Final with 54 saves in a 3-2 double-overtime win against the San Jose Sharks.
June 15, 2011: Luongo allows three goals on 20 shots when the Canucks are defeated 3-0 by the Bruins in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Feb. 23, 2014: Although he doesn't play in the gold medal game at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Luongo wins his second gold with Canada, which defeats Sweden 3-0.
March 4, 2014: The Panthers re-acquire Luongo from the Canucks with forward Steven Anthony for forward Shawn Matthias and goalie Jacob Markstrom.
April 2, 2015: Luongo becomes the 11th goalie to reach 400 NHL victories with 31 saves in a 6-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Jan. 7, 2016: Luongo wins his ninth straight game making 30 saves in a 3-2 victory against the Ottawa Senators. It's also the 11th straight win for the Panthers.
Jan. 31, 2017: Luongo allows five goals, but earns a 6-5 win against the Ottawa Senators for his 450th NHL victory.
Nov. 10, 2017: Luongo breaks a tie with Curtis Joseph and moves into sole possession of fourth place on the all-time wins list with 455. He makes 24 saves in a 4-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres.
Nov. 27, 2017: Luongo earns his 200th win with the Panthers when he makes 23 saves in a 3-2 victory against the Devils to become the second player (Roy; Montreal Canadiens, Colorado Avalanche) to win 200 games with two teams.
Feb. 22, 2018: In the Panthers' first home game since a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Luongo in Parkland, Florida, on Feb. 14, Luongo, who lives in Parkland, delivers a stirring pregame speech and then makes 33 saves in a 3-2 win against the Washington Capitals.
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