Official Luongo Hate / Love Thread

[donlever]

...it's easier to Luo him as well.

Christ the guy gets tons of support from Canuck fans.

As much if not more than anyone.

We are being sucked into the media time warp here.

Be free Canuck fan...be free...

[Aaronp18]

...it's easier to Luo him as well.

Christ the guy gets tons of support from Canuck fans.

Without question.

The guy is a fairly polarizing figure and i understand that.

Would never want to be a goaltender, every mistake is magnified because when you make one it usually results in a goal against.

Not too mention constantly having 100mph rubber disks shot at you 30 times a night.

Which is why I usually give them a bit of a break, even on my beer league teams. Shite I'm not headed between the pipes any time soon!

[donlever]

CS knows if he were to take on the starting role in Vancouver, all it will take is a couple of bad games in the playoffs the fans will be all over him - it's happened to EVERY SINGLE GOAL TENDER to suit up for the Canucks since Kirk McLean. People give Schneider a pass because he is the "backup" - had he been the starter for this team in last year's playoff run, the fans would never have forgiven him for gift-wrapping those two goals for Chi in game 6.

Methinks a mountain is being made out of a mole hill here.

There are a million and one reasons to play in Vancouver.

The odd boo from a moronic fan is hardly something which should lead a player to defer from agreeing to play here.

Somehow I think the general fan base makes way more out of this than the individual palyers.

[2Fingers]

I agree Donny - I have said 1000 times so this is 1001 - media today is 24/7 365 12 months year after year. They have nothing else to say so they make small things into big things.

I am tired of talking about Luongo and CS, the best goalie will play, I am tired of the Sedin/Kesler talk, they will play well or after the playoffs are over then we can talk about it.

Sports radio is boring nothing new, same old crap with different people. What about the session they used to do "where are they now" at least that was interesting.

I don't like Luongo but he has done the job for the most part, I don't lay the entire SC final at his feet but he was part of the reason the team lost. All I know is that game 1 he is the starter and I hope he wins 16 of the next 28 games and I will cheer for him to win them all 1 - 0 or 7 - 6, just win.

[Blob Mckenzie]

If this team wants to take it all they are going to need both goalies picking up some wins. No way Luongo can or should play in 25 games again this year. Its way too much travel and wear and tear. When the Ducks won in 07 I believe Giguere only played 18 games. I believe he was injured or may have had issues with his son ??? and that contributed to somewhat to his lower games played total. That said i'm a firm believer in the travel having a big effect on the west coast teams and there has only been one west coast team win the cup.

Canucks should have shaved two or three games off their playoff schedule in the first two rounds last year and put the boots to the Hawks and the Predators. They also would have saved themselves a lot of bird time as well. One wonders how things may have turned out is they had only played 15 games going into the finals instead of 18.

I will cheer for both goalies and I only hope AV is a little quicker on the draw if/when Luongo shits the bed.

[CFP!]

Forgive me if this has bee mentioned already, however has Cory EVER been pulled in favor of Lu more than maybe once?

Defensive bullshit asside, has it happened?

The other question is, in making a "alleged" trade with Lu included, do we *really* need a goalie back in the trade? Keep Cory, Lack comes up and seems to be ready to take a step, Cannata was just signed.....ripple effect.

[wienerdog]

I think a big part of the stuff that RL goes through with the public - and to some extent the media - is because the dude is a freak.

You all know what I mean: his weird aloof demeanour, his shifty-eyed answers on camera, his ill-timed (and just flat out dumb) comments in the Finals, that bizarre poetry reading stuff he did on CBC, even just the un-natural way he wore the mantle of the captaincy.

He's basically just a socially awkward dude - some might even say arrogant - and it prevents him from being 'lovable' to most. I'm a believer that this has a lot to do with Luo's relationship to fans and media not only in this town, but around the NHL.

He also has that on-off thing - either he's totally water-tight, or he leaks like a Vancouver 80's condo. No in-between, and he gets absolutely punished for the extreme nature of this Jekyll / Hyde aspect of his play.

I'll just throw in here that he's even a bit weird looking to boot - deep set eyes with dark circles under them, a big beak of a nose, greasy hair.

And now cap that off with the cherry: that Luongo could beat any of the Italian national soccer players in a diving competition.



Let's just say that the marketing guys have had their work cut out for them to sell this guy as (one of) the Face(s) of the Franchise.

[as and aside - just for the record here, I actually like Luongo. I've strangely come to be comfortable with his weirdness, even if most fans aren't. I also empathize with the fact that he's a guy that wears his emotions on his sleeve - and is clearly upset when fans "boo" him; it hurts his performance as an athlete, unfortunately, but it does make him more human]

Now, contrast all of this with Schneider - the kid is the antithesis of all these things:

He's personable and affable in interviews.
He's a competent spokesperson and answers questions with intelligence and diplomacy.
He exudes quiet confidence without coming across as arrogant or cocky.
He's poised and "reads" well on camera.
He doesn't have the bi-polar consistency issues (ie. he even "loses pretty").
He's seems to be unflappable, and people don't perceive a weakness because of an emotional side to his game.
He doesn't dive and plays a very sportsman-like game.
He's a good-looking kid (if not objectively, then definitely in comparison to Roberto "Gonzo's-long-lost-brother" Luongo).


In other words, here's a guy that sells himself. Marketing people love this shit. GM's do too.

And no-one loves this kind of stuff more than the media. Check out Daryl Reaugh's blatant fawning when he commented on Schneider's suit the other night on After Hours (0:32 mark):



Not to mention the frequent obsequious "Good answer!" handjobs Reaugh gives him throughout the interview. These guys would never treat Luongo this way - and I don't think Luongo would react well to it either.

In fact, in this interview - about 4minute mark - they even discuss Schneid's un-idiosyncratic nature. Again, I can't think of better word to describe Luongo than "eccentric".

And while some of these things are actually related to on-ice performance (eg. the flopping or ugly losses), they are more closely linked to the public's perception of the integrity of the personality of the player.

So, IMO, all of this stuff which has nothing to do with wins or SV%'s or GAA, all of it factors pretty damn heavily in this constant Luongo vs Schneider debate.

Everybody loves Schneider, beacuse he's impossible to dislike. Luongo is a bona-fide weirdo and is an easier anti-hero. And that gets a lot of background traction in the comparisions, even if it's not part of the vocal or written story.

[Tciso]

I like schneider more simply because he is more consistant, and doesn't have the emotional highs and lows that Lou has. Still, both are fantastic goalies. The edge goes to Schneider mainly because he's 25, and has 10+ years ahead of hin, while Lou has another 5 or so...

[dbr]

Great post weinerdog. Quite the roast of Luongo as well, I had a few chuckles reading through there.

[Island Nucklehead]

I like schneider more simply because he is more consistant, and doesn't have the emotional highs and lows that Lou has. Still, both are fantastic goalies. The edge goes to Schneider mainly because he's 25, and has 10+ years ahead of hin, while Lou has another 5 or so...

I agree with this. I couldn't give a hoot if the guy is weird or not, so long as he preforms. Luongo has been able to preform as well as any other player on the roster. He's been fantastic at times, and he's looked downright awful at times. I have yet to see a single Canuck play great all the time. I hope we don't have to see what Schneider can do in the playoffs, but I'm confident if he has to play, he'll give us an equally good chance to win games.

Weiner does make some good points about Luongo's likability. It's unfortunate that most folks can't appreciate the guy's play for what it is. Most goalies are weird. And you'd have to be a bit suspicious when you see a "normal" one, although he is a ginger redhead.

[dbr]

As an aside, allegedly Roberto's on twitter:

@CanuckPlace: Happy birthday to our friend Roberto Luongo (@strombone1). Thanks for everything you do, Lui - big hugs from Canuck Place!

@Ryan_Kesler: Btw @strombone1 loves long walks on the beach and the show called the bachelor

(Roberto sure loved himself a long walk on the beach in the Stanley Cup Finals last year..)

Anyway he is a halfway amusing follow:

@Strombone1: Load up on the kaopectate my man @notbobbylu..... We don't need any accidents tomorrow night!!!

[ukcanuck]

If this team wants to take it all they are going to need both goalies picking up some wins. No way Luongo can or should play in 25 games again this year. Its way too much travel and wear and tear. When the Ducks won in 07 I believe Giguere only played 18 games. I believe he was injured or may have had issues with his son ??? and that contributed to somewhat to his lower games played total. That said i'm a firm believer in the travel having a big effect on the west coast teams and there has only been one west coast team win the cup.

Canucks should have shaved two or three games off their playoff schedule in the first two rounds last year and put the boots to the Hawks and the Predators. They also would have saved themselves a lot of bird time as well. One wonders how things may have turned out is they had only played 15 games going into the finals instead of 18.

I will cheer for both goalies and I only hope AV is a little quicker on the draw if/when Luongo shits the bed.

agreed in general
+
I think losing those games really hurt more than a lot of people gave credit for last year...
lets hope they have learned to bear down better this year.

[wafflecombine]

My hope is that AV-MG have a goalie plan in place regardless or how things go.

In my head that means Schneid's is pencilled in for games #3 and #5 or #6 regardless of outcomes (even if Lou plays lights out).

Obviously if Lou has difficulties that is a different scenario.

[dbr]

I think a big part of the stuff that RL goes through with the public - and to some extent the media - is because the dude is a freak.

You all know what I mean: his weird aloof demeanour, his shifty-eyed answers on camera, his ill-timed (and just flat out dumb) comments in the Finals, that bizarre poetry reading stuff he did on CBC, even just the un-natural way he wore the mantle of the captaincy.

He's basically just a socially awkward dude - some might even say arrogant - and it prevents him from being 'lovable' to most. I'm a believer that this has a lot to do with Luo's relationship to fans and media not only in this town, but around the NHL.

He also has that on-off thing - either he's totally water-tight, or he leaks like a Vancouver 80's condo. No in-between, and he gets absolutely punished for the extreme nature of this Jekyll / Hyde aspect of his play.

I'll just throw in here that he's even a bit weird looking to boot - deep set eyes with dark circles under them, a big beak of a nose, greasy hair.

And now cap that off with the cherry: that Luongo could beat any of the Italian national soccer players in a diving competition.



Let's just say that the marketing guys have had their work cut out for them to sell this guy as (one of) the Face(s) of the Franchise.

[as and aside - just for the record here, I actually like Luongo. I've strangely come to be comfortable with his weirdness, even if most fans aren't. I also empathize with the fact that he's a guy that wears his emotions on his sleeve - and is clearly upset when fans "boo" him; it hurts his performance as an athlete, unfortunately, but it does make him more human]

A few times since the Luongo deal this post has come to mind.

[Blob Mckenzie]

Good bump Davidoff ! Alas no weiner .... good poster he seems to have disappeared into dhabums.