Former Canuck Roberto Luongo announces retirement

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – After 19 seasons in the NHL, longtime goaltender Roberto Luongo has announced his retirement.

In an open letter posted online, the former Canucks player said the decision to retire was “one of the toughest” he’s faced in his life, “and it took me a long time to make it.”

“After thinking about it a lot over the past two months and listening to my body, I made up my mind. It just feels like the right time for me to step away from the game,” he wrote.

Luongo, who is wrapping up his career as a Florida Panther, first announced his retirement on Twitter.

“I love the game so much, but the commitment I required to prepare, to keep my body ready, has become overwhelming,” he wrote. “Since I had my hip surgery a couple of years ago, I’ve been showing up two hours before every practice and three hours before every game to work out my hip. Even at night, whether it was the night before a game or even a night off, there I was rolling out, doing strengthening exercises. My entire life revolved around recovery, strengthening and making sure I was ready to go the next day.”

Luongo spent eight seasons in Vancouver. He’s appeared in three different Olympic Games, has won gold twice, and was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 2012 along with his teammates from the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

“My life in this sport has been a great experience, and I’m glad I got to share some of my best hockey memories – from the Stanley Cup Final run, to the Olympic gold medal – with the fans in Vancouver,” his letter reads.

It’s unclear what his plans for the future hold, but in his letter, he said the important thing to do right now is take some time off to “let my body rest, enjoy some time with family, be home with the kids every day.”

The Montreal native was drafted fourth overall by the New York Islanders in 1994.

Luongo ranks 2nd all-time among goalies with 1,044 games and 3rd with 489 wins.