If you were in the mood to talk about Ukraine, liquefied natural gas plants or the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition, too bad. Luongo's been traded.
Try as you might to change it, it's the conversation that'll be happening around water coolers and social media platforms for the next few days.
Now, we won't comment on whether or not it was a good trade. Canucks fans, many of whom are ready to parlay their experience overseeing fantasy hockey squads into the team's general manager position, will have their say.
But Lu was an absolute presence in B.C. After signing a contract that would make a hedge fund manager blush, Luongo became a lightning rod for the emotions of a fan base that has a reputation for being - well, emotional.
When he was good, he was an idol, praised for bringing good fortunes to the faithful. When he was bad (and he certainly was at times), the faithful would throw him to the dogs.
Fans appraised Luongo as if they were fine arts critics ("He's a prima donna!") or amateur psychiatrists ("Head case!").
Throughout endless analysis about his contract, playoff performance, the stripping of the captain's C from his jersey, and possible role in instigating a riot, Luongo remained a self-deprecating, classy ambassador for the Canucks organization, Vancouver and the sport.
The silver lining is that Canucks fans will probably be done hearing Don Cherry mispronounce his name on Coach's Corner and in Florida, Luongo can play his game without carrying the hopes of a million fans into the playoffs.
