Bobby Lu To The Windy City Heats Up Again

The rumors of  the  Blackhawks trading for Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo are harder to kill than Arnold Schwarzenegger in a Terminator movie.  Luongo added fuel to the trade fires with an interview he conducted with a Vancouver radio station on Friday.  He told the “Jeff O’Neil Show” on 993 The Fox that pretty much his playing days in Vancouver are over, which is not a surprise to anyone.  When asked if there was a “chance in hell” if he would be in a Canucks jersey this fall Bobby Lu replied: “I would never say never. You never know. But I think we all know what’s going on. We’ve all seen what’s developed. At the end of the day, I think it’s time to move on. And I’m OK with that.”  He added that it was time for Cory Schneider to take over the net in Vancouver.  Luongo seems like a man that knows his time his up and he handled it with a bit of class, which couldn’t be something he learned from the Canucks organization.

The interview got very interesting when he was asked where he wanted to go next, and of course the two teams mentioned where the Blackhawks and the Panthers.  When asked if he’d rather play in Columbus or Chicago his response was: “I’d rather not talk specific right now. I mean, there’s a lot of stuff going on … I’ve always said I like playing in Chicago.”  When probed a little more about the idea of wearing the Indian Head Luongo added: ” I think there’s a lot of cities that are great to play in, and Chicago’s definitely one of them. But you have to realize that it works both ways. There’s not only me involved in this decision. It’s also a question if the Blackhawks would be interested, if the team would be interested in trading me there and if I wanted to go there.”  The best part of the interview came when he was asked how he felt about the Blackhawks goal celebration song “Chelsea Dagger.”  Luongo had a great reply with: “I like that song. It’s catchy. I heard it seven times in one game.”  Luongo came off as a funny guy with a sense of humor and a personality.  He was not the crybaby douchebag we have been used to listening to.  He didn’t sound like a guy that reportedly listed Chicago as a team he did not want to traded to.

The big question is are the Blackhawks really thinking of trading for Roberto Luongo?  I am not sure, but if Luongo’s contract only had three to four years left on it, I would trade for him in a heartbeat!  If you think the Blackhawks are better off with Corey Crawford than Roberto Luongo you are out of your mind!  Luongo is still one of the best goalies in the NHL and Crawford had no shutouts in the regular season and let in two weak overtime goals in the playoffs last year.  The Hawks would be in a much better situation with Luongo between the pipes than anything they have right now.  I know Luongo has a horrible reputation as a guy who can not win the big game.  Has he had horrible playoff games? Yes.  But is he the only reason the Canucks have not won a Stanley Cup? Absolutely not!  He is one player on a team that has not been able to get the job done.  Other players, including almost his entire defensive core, choked when the pressure was on, not just Roberto Luongo.  Plus, how awesome would it be for the Blackhawks to win the Stanley Cup with Bobby Lu in net?  That would be the ultimate “F you” and check mate in the feud between Hawks and Nucks fans.  I don’t think Stan Bowman will make this move, but I wouldn’t be too upset if he did, depending on what he gave up.