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Greg Wyshynski, ESPNSep 13, 2024, 07:00 AM ET
CloseGreg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.
The Beer League Leafs, a 40-and-over adult hockey team in South Florida, sat nervously in their dressing room. With their starting goalie unavailable, they didn’t have a clue who would be in the net for their win-or-go-home semifinal playoff game that night.
Suddenly, their replacement goaltender waddled into the room. But this wasn’t just some random beer leaguer. This was a goaltender who starred in the NHL for 19 seasons. This was a Hockey Hall of Famer, second all time in regular-season games played for a goaltender (1,044).
This was Roberto Luongo, now a special advisor with the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. And he was there to literally save their season.
“I got a shiver down my spine. I couldn’t believe it, because this is what I prayed for,” Leafs captain Brad Bargman said. “I was like, ‘This guy is going to be amazing.'”
While their playoff game took place on August 15, news of Luongo moonlighting in a beer league only spread this week when a video of his locker room entrance went viral.
When reached for comment by ESPN, Luongo said, “It’s an urban legend story and I prefer to leave it that way.”
How did a 45-year-old Hockey Hall of Famer end up playing goal in a South Florida beer league playoff game?
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It was not by responding to a “goalie needed” ad on Facebook, which was widely reported by media sites that aggregated the video this week. Terrific anecdote, unfortunately untrue.
“In reality, it was a combination of them needing a goalie and Luongo being at the practice that day and saying, ‘Hey, I’ll play,'” said Zach Randolph, adult hockey coordinator for the Panthers IceDen in Coral Springs.
Having current and former NHL players walking around the facility is commonplace, since many of their children skate at the rink. Panthers players have been known to drop in randomly. On the day of the Florida Stanley Cup parade, three Panthers…
Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/41232977/roberto-luongo-beer-league-hockey-florida-panthers
Author : Greg Wyshynski
Publish date : 2024-09-13 11:50:27
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