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SUNRISE, Florida (AP) When the Florida Panthers decided if the time was right to withdraw Roberto Luongos' number, the initial vote was not unanimous.

Luongo was the recalcitrant. He needed to convince.

As strange as it may seem to someone who has been in the spotlight for more than half of his life, Luongo avoids attention. Don't need it. I don't want it. And that was the main deadlock in this process of deciding when the Panthers would send the # 1 Luongos jersey to the rafters and make him the first player in franchise history to receive this distinction.

Saturday, whether he likes it or not, everything revolves around Luongo as it should be.

I am extremely honored, don't get me wrong, said Luongo. It is a great honor and being the first player, all of that, is great. And last week, it became a lot more real for me with people who come here and get tickets and review my speech and all that. I will make sure that I kiss her because it is special.

The Panthers are giving their all: they have chosen a match against Montreal, the local Luongos team, for the ceremony. Luongos number pick-up ceremony will begin two hours before Saturday night's game, Panthers will warm up for match all in # 1 jerseys, team even sells a named drink for him throughout the night .

It's going to be quite moving, the Panthers striker and his fellow Montreal native Jonathan Huberdeau told me.

Luongos 489's career wins are the third in NHL history behind Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy, and Brodeur is the only goaltender to have played more games or made more saves than Luongo. Of the seven goalkeepers who have played at least 900 games, Luongos .919's career save percentage is the best.

He has never won the Stanley Cup; Luongo played for one in Vancouver during the peak years of his career after leaving Florida, returned to the Panthers and eventually retired as an all-time leader in victories and popularity, and is a lock for one day socketing at the Hockeys Hall of Fame.

He had character and is a character. Luongo wrote two retirement announcements last summer, one of which is funny to read on his Twitter page, the other an open letter to the fans where he put his soul bare and revealed how difficult the decision was to get away from the game.

And his poignant pre-game speech after the massacre at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School two years ago, the school is in Parkland, Florida, the place where Luongo and his family make their home remains one of the most talked about moments in his career. He didn't write a speech that night, he just hit the ice with a few talking points. His Saturday speech is written, and it will be moving for a variety of reasons.

Special player, Panthers coach Joel Quenneville, said in remarks aired in an episode of the Territory Talk teams podcast. He won a lot of big games. With a few organizations, he was the iconic player. … He's a fighter. It is a competitor. He's also a great guy away from the game. He's great for the community, he's great for the league, he entertains with his tweets, what is it? It is well deserved and a great honor.

Luongo could have replayed this season. He was on contract for three more years when he decided that his body was telling him enough and that he withdrew. He has had his skates only twice since, once for a few Christmas tricks with his children, the other in the last few days to record something related to the celebration of this weekend.

His electrodes have not been lit since his retirement. He doesn't know if hell will wear them again.

I don't think so, said Luongo. At least not for a while.

But he's still with the team and hasn't waited long to move on to the next phase of his hockey life. Luongo is the Panthers' special advisor to general manager Dale Tallon, his hope being that he stays with Florida for many years to come.

I want to be part of this organization, said Luongo. I want to help them win. But more importantly, I want to help them be a consistent franchise that, year after year, is always competitive and in the mix and fights for a Cup more than anything.

In other words, his goal will be the same with his No. 1 swinging on the Floridas ice as he was when he wore it on the ice.

I am as invested in this team as I have ever been, said Luongo.