Canucks Rewind: The 2014 Heritage Classic and Luongo’s trade

The Canucks were set to face off against the Ottawa Senators at BC Place. The “outdoor” regular-season game was televised nationally, and garnered huge amounts of attention throughout the league. The Canucks dressed in their vintage Millionaires jersey, and it was another opportunity for the rest of Canada to watch some of Vancouver’s most skilled superstars in action.

Or so they thought.

Hours before puck drop, Tortorella made the unexpected decision to bench fan-favourite goaltender Roberto Luongo, which sent shock waves throughout the city and the bench.

There was no question that Luongo had faced immense heat and pressure while playing in Vancouver, particularly throughout his final two seasons with the club. During that span, Luongo split the net with former-Canuck Cory Schneider, although many believed that it was time for no. 35 to take over full-time, based on Luongo’s injury history and overall performance.

The Canucks had also signed Schneider to a much friendlier three-year, $12 million contract in June 2012, prompting many to believe that Luongo would be out the door as soon as they could find a club that didn’t think that his “contract sucked” too much.

As we all know, sooner turned into later.

One year after inking his deal, Schneider was unexpectedly traded to the New Jersey Devils, thrusting Luongo back into the spotlight as the team’s bonafide number one goaltender for the start of the 2013-14 season.

There was quite a bit riding on Luongo going into what-would-be his last campaign in Vancouver.

Like most of the core, Luongo was approaching the back nine of his career, and the trade rumours did not cease. To make matters worse, the team had lost eight of their previous nine games heading into the Heritage Classic, and were dipping their toes into the “rebuild” pool.

Despite all this, Luongo was still able to put up elite numbers between the pipes that season, posting a .917 SV and a 2.38 GAA in 48 games played, and there was no question that he earned his time as a starter.

John Tortorella clearly didn’t agree.

Under normal circumstances, the team’s winless ways would be reason enough for a coach to have a change of scenery between the pipes. But the Canucks’ struggles went well beyond their goaltending during that losing stretch, and it was no secret that Luongo wanted to suit up for his club that day, so it made sense to start Bobby Lou.

Of course, that didn’t matter for the bench boss.

Instead, Tortorella went with back-up goalie Eddie Lack, much to the displeasure of Vancouver fans and media. Lack was showered with boos as soon as he stepped onto the ice (to no fault of his own, of course), and the broadcast crew made sure to pan to Luongo’s angry, disappointed expression on the bench as often as they could.

In typical fashion, the Canucks blew a two-goal lead that game, surrendering four goals en route to another loss, but that didn’t matter. All eyes were on Tortorella and Luongo during the post-game interviews, and everyone was eagerly waiting to see what would transpire in the aftermath of this situation.

And as we all know, it didn’t take long for the hammer to drop.

That game would end up being Luongo’s last in a Canuck uniform, as he was traded (back) to the Florida Panthers just two days later.

It was a sour exit for Luongo, who had played nearly a decade for the Vancouver franchise, and he still credits the snub as the main reason for adamantly requesting a trade. Luongo was asked about the benching a few years later, and he was just as candid as he was in 2014.

“There’s no hiding it. I did want to play that game. I mean that goes without saying, and if I would have played I probably would maybe still be here. Who knows?”

Luongo went on to play five more seasons with the Panthers, and, despite numerous injuries and a mediocre defensive core in front of him, was still able to put up respectable numbers as Florida’s starting netminder. He would announce his retirement on June 26th, 2019, officially putting an end to his Hall-of-Fame worthy career.

Fortunately, it appears that Luongo has moved on from this situation for the most part. He recently revisited the moment on Twitter, making sure to include his classic tongue-in-cheek humour to show that he didn’t have (too many) hard feelings towards Tortorella anymore.

Even Lack chimed in to “apologize.”

Nonetheless, this game will always cause a little pain and heartache for Canucks fans.

To this day, Luongo still holds the record for most wins as a Canuck goalie with 252, and would’ve undoubtedly passed Kirk McLean for most games played had he stayed with the organization, leaving us to truly ponder what could’ve been for the greatest goalie in franchise history.

What are your thoughts about this infamous Heritage Classic moment? Make sure to drop a comment below!