Stanley Cup Finals 2011: Will Roberto Luongo be the Hero or the Goat?

Another road game in Boston and another bad night for Roberto Luongo. After giving up two bad goals in the first period of the Vancouver Canucks' Game 6 loss in Boston, Roberto Luongo once again is in the spot light.   

With an epic Game 7 on Wednesday Roberto Luongo will either be a hero or a goat. 

Which will it be? 

The answer is nearly impossible to forecast.  What is certain however is that he has tried on both the goat and hero costumes and both fit well.

If the statistics of this series hold true he should have a good game and be the hero.  

So far, in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Luongo has been impressive at home. He has a 10-3 record with a miniscule GAA of 1.71 and a save percentage of .943. On top of that he’s posted four shut outs at home. 

On the road he is 5-6 with a GAA of 3.76 and a horrible save percentage of .878.   

The regular season success of the Canucks may pay off for Luongo as he has a chance to win a Game 7 at home instead of the road, which has been a struggle for him. 

Add to that Luongo is 2-0 all time in Game 7’s during his career and played brilliantly in both. 

So, for those reasons it would appear that Luongo is on the verge of becoming a Stanley Cup hero. 

And what a story it would be. A goalie who has been ripped up and down by everyone (whether warranted or not), has laid some major eggs on big stages and over comes it all to win the biggest game of them all. 

It’s the stuff of cheesy Hollywood sports movies. 

Then there is the other side of Roberto Luongo. The side where his mental toughness seems to be lacking.   

Before Game 6 the Canucks all were saying the right things. They, to a man, talked about how hard winning in Boston was going to be. How they had to come out focused against a good team with its back to the wall. 

At the start of the game they backed up that talk. They were taking the play to Boston, until that first bad goal by Luongo. After that the flood gates opened, as they had in the previous two games there. 

Was Luongo as focused as the rest of his mates? Will that happen again in Game 7? 

These are the reasons he may end up being the goat. And if that happens, the Vancouver summer will feel hotter than it ever has.

Luongo is already a polarizing figure in Vancouver and losing Game 7 will ignite a full-blown goalie controversy. There will be calls for the Canucks to move him and hand the reigns over to Corey Schneider. 

That is easier said than done when you look at Luongo’s contract, but that won’t stop people from demanding it.

Luongo has not only the weight of the Stanley Cup on his shoulders Wednesday night, but he may have the weight of his future there as well. 

So how will this all play out? 

History is on Luongo’s side. He was won big games like this before.  He was the winning goalie in the gold medal Olympic game that was as pressure packed as one could imagine. He won Game 7 against Chicago this year when all these same questions were swirling around him.   

He can win Game 7 this time, and if he does he will be able to toss that goat costume aside and take his place in the Vancouver and Stanley Cup hall of heroes.