Roberto Luongo is Officially the Best NHL Goaltender Never to Win the Stanley Cup

Legendary goaltender Roberto Luongo finally hung up the pads after 19 NHL seasons split primarily between the Vancouver Canucks and Florida Panthers. Through 1,044 games in his career, the 40 year-old retired with some absolutely unreal statistics.

Ranking second in games played by a goaltender, Luongo also finished his career with 489 wins, ranking him behind just Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy. Although he ends his career as one of the all-time greats at his position, Luongo unfortunately was never able to hoist the Stanley Cup with either Florida or Vancouver.

After Luongo announced his retirement, it's safe to say that he finishes as the best NHL goaltender of all time to never hoist Lord Stanley. That fact is likely the only reason that Luongo won't ever be considered the best goalie of all time.

Throughout his career, Luongo came close to a fair amount of hardware. In 2011, Luongo and the Canucks were just a game away from Stanley Cup glory, but were stopped short by the Boston Bruins.

Luongo was also named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy three times, the Hart Memorial Trophy once, and most recently the Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy. He does finish as a two-time Olympic gold medalist with Team Canada, winning in 2010 and 2014, though.

The fact Luongo never won a major trophy in the NHL is a shocker. As one of the great leaders and personalities of the game, he'll be sorely missed throughout the league.

Although his playing days are over, Luongo's impact on the league will never fade. He not only finished his career with an incredible list of statistics, but also with tremendous respect from almost every player past and present. His career is truly something to celebrate, despite having never won a Stanley Cup.