Two weeks after being celebrated by the Vancouver Canucks with a Ring of Honour ceremony, Roberto Luongo was back on the ice on Thursday.
The former NHL goalie and current Florida Panthers front office member donned a full setup at the new Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale and was even seen stopping shots in a video captured by Panthers beat writer George Richards.
.@strombone1 looks sharp, eh… pic.twitter.com/xla47bb0X3
— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) December 28, 2023
While Luongo officially hung up his skates in 2019, he did not look too out of place. And aside from his puck-stopping abilities, people were quick to notice that the 44-year-old was wearing some pretty special gear.
In fact, Luongo is not shy about getting some puck marks on the custom set of pads he debuted at the 2023 All-Star skill competition.
As pictured below, the matching pads, glove, and blocker set, which were a gift from CCM, feature a large No. 1, along with elements that span the entirety of the Hockey Hall of Famer’s career.
The middle section includes palm trees along with red, blue, and gold stripes as a symbol of his two stints with the Panthers.
Moving upwards, we find the Canucks’ green and blue pattern along with the team’s hockey stick logo. There’s also a “C” in the top corner of the left pad, acknowledging the Montreal native’s two years as a captain.
At least these looked cool 🤷🏼♂️
📸: @DavidDwork pic.twitter.com/BigO7fdWHk
— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) February 4, 2023
The bottom of the pads also include a red maple leaf — a nod to Luongo’s gold medal-winning performance with Team Canada at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics — along with some of the netminder’s career statistics.
Finally, the setup features a singular orange stripe, which is likely a reference to his brief time with the New York Islanders, the team that drafted him fourth overall back in 1997.
While it’s not all that common for alumni members to practice with NHL teams, this is not the first time Luongo hits the ice with the Panther post-retirement.
He did it back in March, rocking the exact same setup.
Special guest at practice today 👀 pic.twitter.com/KZJDDzyXT7
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) March 1, 2023
With fellow NHL retiree Nikolai Khabibulin recently announcing his return to pro hockey at age 50, NHL fans probably wouldn’t mind seeing Luongo make an appearance or two in an emergency backup role.
Luckily, he’s already equipped.