Luongo makes history as first Panther to have his jersey number retired

Luuuuuuuuuuuu!

The Florida Panthers have announced that long-time goaltender Roberto Luongo will have his #1 jersey number retired in a pregame ceremony on Saturday evening before the team's game against the Montreal Canadiens.

Check it out:

Definitely a worthy candidate.

The 40 year old Luongo is second in NHL history in games played by a goaltender and third in career wins. He's a three-time Vezina Trophy finalist and was also a Hart Trophy finalist, as well. He's the Panthers' all-time leader in virtually every goaltending category and has been the face of the franchise for his entire career with the team.

Read below for the press release announcement courtesy of the Panthers' official website:

This was a night fans have seen coming for quite a while.

In honor of his contributions to the Panthers and the NHL, Roberto Luongo will become the first player in franchise history to have their number retired when his No. 1 sweater is raised into the rafters of BB&T Center during a special ceremony before Saturday's matchup against Montreal.

"Roberto is a cornerstone of Panthers history and an icon of the game," Panthers Owner & Governor Vincent J. Viola said of the honor. "He has represented himself and the Panthers with tremendous dignity, determination and a standard of excellence throughout his career.

"Roberto exemplifies what it means to be a Florida Panther. His level of commitment to this franchise, his teammates, his family and the South Florida community is second to none. There is no player more deserving to be the first Florida Panther to have his jersey number retired."

Officially retiring on June 26, 2019, Luongo ended his long and illustrious playing career ranking second in NHL history in games played by a goaltender (1,044), third in wins (489) and ninth in shutouts (77). As of now, he is one of only three goaltenders to have played 1,000 NHL games.

Spending 19 seasons in the NHL -- including parts of 11 with the Panthers -- Luongo was a three-time finalist for the Vezina Trophy (2003-04, 2006-07, 2010-11), a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy (2006-07) and was a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy (2017-18). On the international stage, the Montreal native helped Canada win gold at the Winter Olympics in 2010 and 2014, while also capturing gold at the 2003 and 2004 IIHF World Championships.