Vancouver Canucks: Why Roberto Luongo Is Still the Answer

As disappointed Canucks fans filed out of Rogers Arena last night, there was no riot, no anger, no passion but a sense of disappointment and despair.

The stunning five-game series upset was not even close. The loss marked a stunning halt to the Canucks revival under the watchful eye of general manager Mike Gillis in the post-West Coast Express era and the disastrous Dave Nonis era.

The Canucks' recent misfortune is also a more general reflection of the woes of Canadian-based hockey franchises.

As of this writing, Canadian teams have not won a championship since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993. To put that in context, Patrick Roy was still starting for the famed franchise. Maybe the "Patrick Roy Curse" not only cursed the Canadiens but every single Canadian-based team. Since '93, five Canadian teams made it to the Stanley Cup finals. 4 of them lost in heartbreaking seven-game series.

This 19-year futility is a disgrace to Canada. Hockey is not a Canadian sport, it is "the Canadian sport". Over 50% of all NHL players are Canadians.

With that being said, as a lifelong Vancouverite and a staunch supporter for the Canucks, I couldn't care less about other Canadian teams or the so-called "Patrick Roy curse". Many Canadian fans already spoke out in a recent survey for their hatred and distaste for their fellow Canadian team and the current standard bearer of a well-run Canadian franchise.

This loss hurts especially deep for Canucks fans who are too used to sky-high expectation follow by huge disappointment. The high-scoring West Coast Express failed to carry the Canucks deep into the playoff primarily due to horrible defense and a below average starting goalie in Dan Cloutier. The ugly Todd Bertuzzi-Steve Moore incident in GM Place back in February 2004 ended that era prematurely.

With the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010 (with Canucks stars Roberto Luongo and Ryan Kesler among the most impressive performers), last season's Stanley Cup final run, and back-to-back #1 records in the regular season, Vancouver fans had reasons for optimism.

The general consensus was that this year's Canucks team is not as dominant as last year's, but with significantly more playoff experience, was more resilient, and was stronger mentally. No one could had foreseen a quick first-round exit at the hand of an offensively-challenged team. No one could had foreseen us losing all 3 games on home ice.

The lone bright spot of this series is probably the play of backup goalie Cory Schneider, who has been patiently waiting for his time to shine. Make no mistake, Schneider is a class act and a great teammate. He deserves the chance to be a full-time starter and paid accordingly. But it should not be in Vancouver.

Roberto Luongo is the present and the future of the Canucks. That is what you do with your franchise player. You ride or die with him through the good and the bad.

Luongo has been treated extremely unfairly and even mocked the past couple of years. It is understandable that he is often the scapegoat since he is still the face of the franchise despite being stripped of his captain responsibility. 

I don't see the Devils doing the same with 40-year-old Marty Brodeur despite several rough patches. I don't see the Penguins calling for the head of Marc-Andre Fleury. I don't see the Bruins fans doing the same with Tim Thomas.

Yes all the aforementioned goalies won championships but you could hardly place the blame of last year's heartbreaker on Luongo. The Canucks scored eight goals in last year's seven-game series against the Bruins and were outscored 23-8.

It was a miracle the series even went to seven games. It was not Luongo's fault that the dominant offense in the regular season always disappear in the playoffs even before the Boston series. He had four shutouts during the playoff last year and was heroic in a 1-0 game 5 win that put the Canucks on the verge of our first championship.

Luongo's number this year is the same as his career norm after a tough start. He is still as good as ever. At age 33, he is far from washed up. Tim Thomas, Marty Brodeur, Jose Theodore, and Dwayne Roloson are all living testaments that age is just a number in hockey.

Sane hockey fans would tell you the Canucks' problem is not goaltending. Luongo did his part last season. He did his part when called upon this season. Schneider was also lights out the last three games. Head coach Alain Vigneault's decision to bench Luongo was correct from a statistical standpoint but sent the wrong message to the locker room.

Successful teams stick with their starting goalies. Could you picture the Devils starting Johan Hedberg over Brodeur just because of stats? What about Anders Lindback over Pekka Rinne? Jonathan Bernier over Jon Quick? No. They stick with their franchise goalies through the good and the bad. Hell even the Blues stuck with Jaroslav Halak over Brian Elliott before Halak was hurt just because Halak is paid to be the starter. The Canucks should had done so with Luongo.

The Canucks need offense. Yes, I am aware that the Canucks led the league in scoring last season. They have considerable talent in the top 2 lines, but could the Canucks really compete with the Penguins (with a healthy Sidney Crosby), Blackhawks, and Flyers offensively? Will Ryan Kesler rebound next season?

If they trade Schneider, they could obtain a major offensive star (perhaps even a point per game player). Maybe Schneider is better than Luongo, but the difference between them is minuscule.

Luongo is still the franchise player. He has a full no-trade clause and 10 more years left on his contract. Keeping both Luongo and Schneider would be bad management. No team should tie that much money to goalies. With a surplus of competent veteran goalies set to become free agents, the Canucks would not lose a beat.

Canucks fans should rally behind Luongo and let him and the front office know he has our faith and backing. He may not be perfect but he is one of us for better or worse. He will be with the Canucks next season whether you like it or not.