TORONTO | With his entry into the Hall of Fame, Roberto Luongo has just written another page of ice hockey history.
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He comes from the same neighborhood as another goalkeeper who has his place among the best in history: Martin Brodeur. Both made their debuts on the ice rinks of the Saint-Léonard district. Today they each have an arena named after them.
“It’s pretty incredible,” said Roberto Luongo. I never thought that one day I would be in the Hall of Fame like him.
“Martin is one of the greatest goalies in hockey history. It’s really interesting to be a part of it with him.”
Statistically, both are in the top 5 best goalkeepers in history in terms of games played and wins. It is hard to imagine that one day we will see such a phenomenon again.
At some point in their careers, they also shared the same agent: Gilles Lupien.
“He was the first person who approached us at the St. Michel Arena when I was playing at Midget AAA in Montreal-Bourassa. He was intimidating. We picked him out of three or four agents. He was the one we felt most comfortable with.”
A future CEO?
Also, Luongo and Brodeur are now working in the ice hockey world. In addition, Brodeur has just been named vice president of hockey operations for the New Jersey Devils.
For his part, Luongo is a special advisor to Bill Zito, general manager of the Florida Panthers. The Quebecer would like to take the next step one day, but not right away.
“I want to be general manager one day,” he confirms. At the moment I’m learning and there’s a lot to learn. I do it to the maximum of my ability and I have fun every day.
“I manage to be ready when that day comes.”
The age of his children is one of the factors he needs to consider when making his post-career decisions.
“They are currently in their teens. I want them to be older before I embark on this adventure.”