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Most people who grew up dreaming of playing in the NHL are eventually forced to settle for a beer league where they can at least get their hockey fix.
Those teams feature varying levels of talent, and one squad in Florida that found itself in need of a netminder ahead of their championship game got a more than adequate replacement courtesy of retired goalie Roberto Luongo.
It’s been more than five years since Roberto Luongo brought his NHL career to an end after 19 seasons, and the man who posted a .919 save percentage in the more than 1,000 games he played between the Islanders, Canucks, and Panthers was rightfully inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2022.
The 45-year-old was never able to win a Stanely Cup as a player, but he earned the right to hoist the most iconic trophy in sports for the first time last season due to his role as an advisor to the Panthers (he became the first player to have his number raised into the rafters in Amerant Bank Arena after deciding to hang up his skates).
Luongo threw his pads back on to participate in the skills competition when that venue was tapped to host the NHL All-Star Game in 2023. Those stakes were relatively low in that situation, but I’d argue that wasn’t the case for a beer league team that was scrambling to find a goalie ahead of its showdown with a squad that had won five consecutive championships.
According to The Daily Faceoff, the team posted a “Goalie Needed” ad on Facebook that eventually came to Luongo’s attention, and he answered the call before rolling into the locker room to tell his new teammates he “needed some defense” before taking the ice.
@bardown Roberto Luongo showed up to a beer league playoff game 🍻 (🎥: @bryceshockeylife/IG)
When everything was said and done, the team walked away with a 4-2 victory with Luongo’s help.
It’s hard to imagine the defending champions were thrilled about the role he played in ending their dynasty, but whoever was responsible for the two goals he surrendered definitely got an unreal consolation prize they’ll be able to brag about for the rest of their lives.