Luongo speech honors victims
Panthers goalie is a Parkland resident
SUNRISE — The spotlights dotted the ice at the BB&T Center, 17 of them in total, illuminating the otherwise darkened arena before the Panthers hosted the Capitals on Thursday evening. Names stretched across each one of them, names unfortunately, regrettably and increasingly familiar in the eight days since 17 people were killed in a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
Their faces — of the 14 students and three educators — flashed across the video board in a tribute scored by Shan’s “Hometown,” a prologue to the Panthers’ first home game since last week’s shooting. Each one was remembered on Thursday night: the heroes, the coaches, the students, the athletes.
Along the boards, where companies would typically stamp logos, there were no advertisements. Instead, “MSD Strong” surrounded the ice 40 times. Stoneman Douglas logos painted the corners, a reminder of last week’s events that affected the Panthers, too.
“Hockey doesn’t seem very important when you’re dealing with something like this,” Pan-
thers coach Bob Boughner said.
Then Roberto Luongo stepped onto the ice.
The Panthers goaltender is a Parkland resident, as are a few other Panthers, including captain Derek MacKenzie. When the shooting happened, Luongo reached out to his wife Gina to make sure their two kids were safe.
Their 10-year-old daughter, Gabriella, was not at school. She had a doctor’s appointment. Their 7-year-old son, Gianni, was in lockdown at a nearby school. He hid in a closet for three hours. On the outside, Gina and Gabriella waited, surrounded by sirens and helicopters and uncertainty and chaos. At one point, they were told to go back inside their car because police had not yet caught the shooter.
On Thursday, he delivered this 2-minute, 42-second speech to the BB&T Center.
“I live in Parkland. I’ve been living there for the last 12 years. My wife was born and raised in that area. My kids go to school in Parkland. When I’m done playing hockey, I want to spend the rest of my life in Parkland. I love that city.
“Last week was Valentine’s Day. I was in Vancouver. Obviously, we all know what happened. It was hard for me to be on the west coast and not be able to get back home and protect my family. No child should ever have to go through that. It’s terrible. It’s time for us as a community to take action. It’s enough. Enough is enough. We got to take action.
“To the families of the victims, our hearts are broken for you guys. There’s not much to say. It’s heartbreaking. You guys are in our thoughts. We’ve been thinking about you every day constantly for the last week. Just know that we’re there for you if you guys need anything. You’ll be in our prayers. Let’s try and move on together. Last, two more things. Just to the teachers of the school, you guys are heroes protecting your children.
“Some of them didn’t make it trying to protect children. That is truly what a hero is. Those people need to be put on a pedestal for the rest of their lives. The last thing I want to say is since last Wednesday, I’ve been watching the news and I’ve been seeing what the kids from Stoneman Douglas have been doing. I am very, very proud of you guys. You guys are brave.
“You guys are an inspiration to all of us. At the end of the day, you guys are what’s giving us hope for the future. Thank you.”
The Panthers are South Florida’s closest franchise to Stoneman Douglas. Their practice facility in Coral Springs is minutes away. The BB&T Center in Sunrise is less than 15 miles away.
“The Florida Panthers should represent what is the best of our community,” Panthers owner Vinnie Viola said. “Tonight, hopefully we’ll demonstrate that through our demonstration, quite frankly, of compassion.”
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman added: “To be a part of the bringing together and the healing that a community so desperately needs after such a terrible tragedy, that’s what tonight is all about.”