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Roberto Luongo’s number 1 retired by the Florida Panthers

By Ian Oland

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March 8, 2020 12:27 am

The Florida Panthers retired Roberto Luongo’s number one on Saturday night. It’s the first number retired in Panthers’ franchise history.

In a 12-minute speech where Luongo showed off his English, French, and Italian, the 40-year-old former goaltender thanked his supporters and lamented never bringing a Stanley Cup to Sunrise, FL. Luongo also teared up when talking to his wife Gina, who he met after he arrived to the team. The

Luongo received massive cheers from the 17,873 fans at BB&T Center as his number was raised to the rafters.

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Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” played as Luongo initially walked onto the ice.

“Thank you, everybody. It’s been a great ride,” Luongo said. “It’s been amazing. It still is amazing when I walk in the community and talk to you guys and see you in the grocery stores. You guys have been behind me from Day One and I’m truly humbled to have been through this journey with you guys and thank you for the support over the years.”

He added, “Some times were great. Some times were not so great. But you always stuck behind me and I truly appreciate that.”

Luongo, who lives in Parkland, FL, also saluted students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and their courage after a gunman killed 17 people. “South Florida’s my home,” he said proudly.

Luongo became the seventh player in NHL history to have the number one retired.

Here are some more sights and scenes from the historic night.

Before the game, every Panthers player wore a number one Luongo jersey. The jerseys were then autographed and auctioned off after the game for charity.

The Panthers also gave out replica banners to all fans and made specially-designed pucks for warmups.

Most importantly, the Panthers won the game, defeating the Montreal Canadiens 4-1.

Congrats, Lu!

Headline photo courtesy of Sportsnet

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