Luongo still pondering future as season comes to a close

On the eve of his 40th birthday Thursday, Florida Panthers netminder Roberto Luongo is still undecided on whether he'll continue to man an NHL crease beyond the current campaign.

"I don't really want to make any decisions over the course of a season," Luongo said, according to The Associated Press. "Obviously, there's a lot of emotions involved with that and you want to make sure that you make the right decision for all parties involved. I still love to play the game, and we'll see where it goes."

Luongo still has three years remaining on his contract, and his team-leading 2,286 minutes between the pipes this season may indicate that the veteran has some gas left in the tank.

Known for his humorous social media presence, the five-time All-Star took to Twitter on Monday to poke some fun at the press for suggesting that recent injury concerns could lead to his retirement.

Luongo took a more serious approach when speaking with the media on the matter, noting that he doesn't appreciate what he perceives as falsified reporting.

"The only thing that I don't really enjoy is when you see something that's completely fabricated," Luongo said. "That's the part that sometimes you're not too happy about. But that being said, I've been through it many times. I handled it the best way that I could by making a joke out of it, and I'm moving on from there."

Luongo was selected fourth overall at the 1997 NHL Draft by the New York Islanders. Over his career, he's spent one season on Long Island, eight with the Vancouver Canucks, and 11 with the Panthers.

The Montreal native ranks second in NHL history in games played among goalies and third in wins with 489. Should he decide to continue his playing career, Luongo will have a chance to join Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy as the only netminders in NHL history to win 500 career games.