Brian's Celebrity Blog: 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist: Roberto Luongo

Roberto Luongo is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League. he has previously played for the New York Islanders and the Florida Panthers.

Playing major junior in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for the Val-d'Or Foreurs and the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, he won back-to-back President's Cups and holds the league's all-time playoff records in games played and wins as well.

Luongo was drafted fourth overall by the Islanders in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft.

He is a two-time Vezina Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Award finalist - both with Florida in 2004 and with Vancouver in 2007. He was a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy in 2007.

In 2008, he became the first NHL goaltender to serve as a captain since Bill Durnan in the 1947-48 season. Luongo served in that capacity for two season before resigning the position before the 2010-11 season.

Internationally, Luongo has competed for Team Canada in numerous tournaments. As a junior, he won a silver at the 1999 World Junior Championships, while being named Best Goaltender in his second tournament appearance. Luongo has won two gold medals at the 2003 and 2004 World Championships and a silver in the 2005 World Championships. He also won the 2004 World Cup championship and appeared in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin as a backup to Martin Brodeur in both instances. He succeeded Brodeur as Canada's starting goaltender during the 2010 Winter Olympcs in Vancouver, winning a gold medal. (wikipedia)

I only had a brief encounter with Roberto as he was boarding the bus to head to the game in Ottawa. He came out to drop off his things on the bus and was getting ready to sign autographs for people when he noticed a guy he had already signed for the day before. He told the guy that he had already signed for him and, in turn, the guy told Roberto that he had already signed for everyone. "Well then I'm not signing anymore", he said. Are you joking me??? I told him that he hadn't singed for me yet and held up my 16x20. He ended up signing it as it was the first time I had seen it.

I almost missed out on his signature because of that guy.