It might seem like a crazy question to anyone who's watched the NHL - or international hockey, for that matter - over the last decade, but those new to the Canucks bandwagon or strange people who only watch hockey in May and June might not be as familiar with him.

"Why do the Vancouver fans always boo him when he makes a save?" they might wonder.

"Why does he look drunk whenever he tries to play the puck behind the net?" they'd ask.

For the uninitiated, here's a look at the Canucks' franchise player, and the man who replaced as Martin Brodeur as Team Canada's go-to netminder.

Background

The Montreal-born Luongo was originally drafted 4^th overall by the New York Islanders in 1997, at the time the highest pick ever used on a goalie. His career with the Isles was short, as they picked Rick DiPietro first overall in the 2000 draft and sent Luongo to the Florida Panthers in a horribly lopsided trade. After a few years of gradual development, he broke out with a Vezina-nominated campaign in 2003-2004, setting a record for most saves in a season. Due to the ineptitude of the Panthers team in front of him, however, they never qualified for the playoffs and lingered at the bottom of the NHL standings, forcing Louie to toil in relative obscurity.

His career really took off after being traded to Vancouver in the summer of 2006. Signed to a four-year contract extension, he was expected to become the Canucks' first star goalie since Kirk McLean left eight years earlier. He did just that, leading the team to the playoffs in four of his five seasons and making three All-Star teams.

His success made him an instant fan favourite at GM Place/Rogers Arena, with every big stop being celebrated with a cry of "LOOOOUUUUU!!!" (Not "boo.")

But at the same time, the added pressure of playing in a major Canadian market has occasionally given him trouble. He took a lot of heat after allowing seven goals in a series-clinching loss to the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round of the 2009 playoffs, and made NHL news with a teary post-game interview.

After another bad playoff loss to the Blackhawks in 2010, he stopped speaking to the media before games, an unusual move for a team captain. The playoff failures had clearly begun to weigh heavily on him, and the pressure only got worse when the Canucks allowed the Blackhawks to push them to the brink of playoff extinction again this year, despite finishing atop

Helping the Canucks complete a Cup run will silence those who question his big-game credentials, and help solidify him as one of the best goaltenders on in the sport.

Strengths

- Big, long-limbed body allows him to cover a lot of net

- Great athlete with extremely fast reflexes

- Vocal leader

Weaknesses

- Weak puckhandler, makes bad choices playing the puck behind the net

- Prone to the occasional big rebound