Roberto Luongo is ready to hit the ground running.
The Florida Panthers goaltender is back on the ice preparing for a new season after missing the final six weeks of 2016-17 due to lingering hip issues, and is expected to be a full participant in training camp.
The nagging injury stemmed from hip surgery in May of 2016, and Luongo partially blames the complications on not being as diligent in his off-ice physical therapy as he needed to be, according to George Richards of the Miami Herald.
It's a misstep the 38-year-old doesn't plan on repeating.
"I'm going to come in earlier than everyone else every day," Luongo said.
"I have to stay on top of this, manage it," he continued. "It's going to be important for me to stay on top of it and sometimes last year, I was feeling and good and wasn't on top of things as much as I should have been. That was a mistake on my part. After what I went through last year, I know I have to stay strong do the exercises to make sure the muscles around (the hip) are strong."
Luongo further acknowledges the need to listen to his body, especially at this stage in his career.
"Last year those muscles started to weaken and everything started to tighten up. I want to make sure that doesn't happen again. I have to remember I'm not 25 anymore. Once I started feeling better, I thought I was good to go. I've never had an operation like that before. I acted like nothing was ever wrong. Again, a mistake."
Luongo appeared in 40 games for the Panthers last season, posting a record of 17-15-6 with a .915 save percentage, numbers well off his capabilities, even at this stage in his career.
James Reimer remains in the mix as a capable backup able to carry the load if and when need be, but for the Panthers to return to the postseason after missing in 2017, they'll need Luongo to be at the top of his game.
This newfound commitment to taking care of himself should go a long way toward that end.
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