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Milan Lucic

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Milan Lucic
Born (1988-06-07) June 7, 1988 (age 36)
Vancouver, BC, CAN
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 220 lb (100 kg; 15 st 10 lb)
Position Left wing
Shoots Left
NHL team Boston Bruins
NHL draft 50th overall, 2006
Boston Bruins
Playing career 2007–present

Milan Lucic (born June 7, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger of Serbian descent[1] currently playing for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played major junior with the Vancouver Giants in the Western Hockey League (WHL) for three seasons and captured a Memorial Cup, while being named tournament MVP in 2007. He was selected 50th overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft[2] and made the Bruins' roster as a nineteen-year-old in 2007–08. Internationally, he has captained the Canadian national junior team at the 2007 Super Series. Lucic plays physically in the style of a power forward and is a known fighter.[3][4]

Early life

Lucic was born on June 7, 1988 in East Vancouver to Serbian parents Dobrivoje Lucic and Snezana Kesa.[1] His father, a longshoreman, immigrated from Serbia when he was 27, while his mother arrived in Canada with her family at the age of two.[3] He has a younger brother named Nikola and an older brother named Jovan.[1][5] His maternal uncle, Dan Kesa, is a retired NHL right winger who played for the Vancouver Canucks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Dallas Stars.[6]

Growing up, Lucic attended Killarney Secondary in Vancouver.[7] He was diagnosed with Scheuermann's disease, a condition that causes the upper back to curve, at the age of 15.[3] He played minor hockey in Vancouver, but nearly quit hockey altogether after being passed up in the 2003 WHL Bantam Draft.[8] He was invited to play for the Coquitlam Express of the Junior A British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), but was further demoralized when he initially failed to make the team out of rookie camp. He agreed to play, instead, for the Junior B Delta Ice Hawks, but later played his way onto the Express after five games.[8]

Playing career

Vancouver Giants (2004–07)

Lucic began his junior career with the Coquitlam Express of the BCHL in 2004–05. In the same season, he made his major junior debut with the Vancouver Giants, his hometown WHL team, playing in one regular season game and two playoff games. Lucic joined the Giants full-time in 2005–06, scoring 19 points in 62 games. He added seven points in 18 playoff games to help the Giants to a WHL title and an appearance in the 2006 Memorial Cup. In the off-season, he was selected 50th overall by the Boston Bruins in the second round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. Bruins management had considered taking Lucic earlier in the second round with the 37th overall pick, but chose defenceman Yuri Alexandrov instead. The Bruins' director of scouting Scott Bradley admitted he did not expect Lucic to still be available with the 50th pick, adding "We were fortunate to get him."[9]

The following season, in 2006–07, Lucic emerged as one of the Giants' leaders, finishing first in team scoring with 68 points in 70 games.[10] He added 19 points in 22 post-season games, as the Giants lost the WHL Finals to the Medicine Hat Tigers in seven games. Despite losing the WHL title, Vancouver appeared in the 2007 Memorial Cup as tournament hosts.[11] Lucic and the Giants met Medicine Hat once more in the tournament final, capturing the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) title by a 3–1 score.[11] Lucic assisted on Michal Řepík's tournament-winning goal with five minutes to play in regulation.[11] He finished the tournament tied for the lead in scoring with Řepík (with more goals, Řepík was awarded the Ed Chynoweth Trophy as leading scorer) and earned the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as tournament MVP.[11]

Boston Bruins (2007–present)

A frontal view of a hockey player in his early twenties, cut off at the thighs, during a hockey game. He is wearing a black and yellow jersey with a logo containing a capitalized "B". The number "17" is visible on his jersey's left sleeve. He is looking downwards with an intent expression on his face.
Lucic during his rookie season with the Bruins in 2007–08.

In the 2007 off-season, Lucic signed an entry-level contract with the Bruins on August 2.[12] He had been chosen as the Giants' next team captain,[13] but made the Bruins' 2007–08 opening roster out of training camp. He played in his first NHL game on October 5, 2007, a 4–1 loss to the Dallas Stars, in which he fought opposing forward Brad Winchester.[14] His first goal came a week later on October 12 against Jonathan Bernier, the 7th the Bruins scored that game, in an 8–6 win against the Los Angeles Kings.[15] By also fighting Kings forward Raitis Ivanans and notching an assist, he recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick (an unofficial statistic constituting a goal, an assist and a fight in one game).[16] Unsure of whether the Bruins would keep him or return him to junior,[17] he stayed in a downtown hotel in Boston to start the season.[9] However, Lucic made enough of an impression during his first set of games with the Bruins, showing grit and consistent willingness to fight (he recorded 13 fighting majors in his rookie season),[3] that they decided to keep him in the lineup.[18] Bruins management informed the Giants prior to Lucic's 10th game, accounting for the NHL's nine-game maximum for junior-eligible players to stay with their NHL club without initiating their contract.[18] He was chosen to participate in the 2008 NHL YoungStars Game[16] and finished his rookie campaign with eight goals and 27 points. Towards the end of the season, he was voted by Bruins fans for the team's Seventh Player Award for exceeding expectations.[19] Matched up against the first-seeded Montreal Canadiens in the opening round, Lucic scored his first NHL playoff goal in game three on April 13, 2008.[20] He finished his first NHL post-season with two goals as the Bruins were eliminated by the Canadiens in seven games.

Early into the 2008–09 season, Lucic recorded his first NHL hat trick and added an assist in a 5-4 win against the Atlanta Thrashers on October 25, 2008.[21] Later that week, Lucic made a much-publicized return to his hometown in a game against the Vancouver Canucks, which featured a picture of him as a baby on the back page of Vancouver's The Province newspaper.[22] Earlier in the year, Lucic's 2007 Memorial Cup ring had been stolen from his home in East Vancouver on July 10, 2008.[23] In a private ceremony before the game against the Canucks, he was presented a replacement ring by Vancouver Giants ownership.[24]

Lucic was chosen to his second YoungStars Game in January 2009. However, he did not compete for the sophomores in Montreal due to an undisclosed upper-body injury.[25] Near the end of the season, on April 4, 2009, Lucic was awarded the Bruins' Eddie Shore Award for hustle and determination.[26] He finished his second NHL season improving to 17 goals and 42 points in 72 games.

Entering the 2009 playoffs with the Bruins as the first seed in the Eastern Conference, Lucic received a one-game suspension after delivering a cross-check to the head of Montreal Canadiens forward Maxim Lapierre in game two of the first round. While the Bruins argued that Lucic used predominantly his glove, rather than his stick, the league held its decision.[27] After serving his suspension, Lucic and the Bruins went on to eliminate the Canadiens, advancing to the second round against the Carolina Hurricanes, who the Bruins lost to in seven games. Lucic added nine points in 10 games in the playoffs.

With the 2009–10 season marking the final year of his original entry-level contract, it was announced on October 6, 2009 that Lucic had been signed to a three-year, US$12.25 million contract extension with the Bruins, to go through to 2012–13.[28] The deal is structured at US$4 million for the first two seasons and US$4.25 million in the third, a raise from his US$685,000 2009–10 base salary.[28] Ten days later, on October 16, he suffered a broken finger requiring surgery in a game against the Dallas Stars while hitting defenceman Stephane Robidas.[29][30] Lucic returned to the Bruins lineup on November 19, but was injured again four games later, suffering a sprained ankle in a game against the Minnesota Wild on November 25. His left leg had buckled from underneath him while reaching behind him to receive a pass from teammate Dennis Wideman.[31]

International play

In the off-season following Lucic's MVP performance at the 2007 Memorial Cup, he was named team captain of Team Canada for the 2007 Super Series against Russia.[32] The series, an eight-game competition between Canada and Russia's under-20 teams, commemorated the 35th anniversary of the historic 1972 Summit Series.[33] He recorded three assists as Team Canada won the series with seven wins and a tie.[33]

Two years later, Lucic was invited to Team Canada's summer orientation camp in Calgary, Alberta for the 2010 Winter Olympics.[34] He was not, however, chosen to the final roster.

Career statistics

    Regular season[2]   Playoffs[2]
Season [2] Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2004–05 Coquitlam Express BCHL 50 9 14 23 100 — — — — —
2004–05 Vancouver Giants WHL 1 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0
2005–06 Vancouver Giants WHL 62 9 10 19 149 18 3 4 7 23
2006–07 Vancouver Giants WHL 70 30 38 68 147 22 7 12 19 26
2007–08 Boston Bruins NHL 77 8 19 27 89 7 2 0 2 4
2008–09 Boston Bruins NHL 72 17 25 42 136 10 3 6 9 43
NHL totals 149 25 44 69 225 17 5 6 11 47
WHL totals 133 39 48 87 298 42 10 16 26 49

International statistics

Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
2007 Canada SS 8 0 3 3 16
Junior int'l totals 8 0 3 3 16

Awards

Major junior

Award Year(s)
President's Cup (Vancouver Giants) 2006
Memorial Cup (Vancouver Giants) 2007
Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy 2007[11]
Memorial Cup All-Star Team 2007

NHL

Award Year(s)
NHL YoungStars Game 2008,[16] 2009*[25]

Boston Bruins

Award Year(s)
Seventh Player Award 2008[19]
Eddie Shore Award 2009[26]

*did not play - injured

References

  1. ^ a b c "Lucic is big, tough and scary". Montreal Gazette. Montreal. 2008-04-15. Retrieved 2009-11-05. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  2. ^ a b c d "Milan Lucic hockey statistics & profile". hockeyDB.com. Retrieved 2010-01-24.
  3. ^ a b c d Wigge, Larry (2008-12-02). "Lucic endearing himself to fans all over". National Hockey League. Retrieved 2008-12-03.
  4. ^ Murphy, James (2009-10-02). "Milan Lucic Has the Ability to Be the Textbook Power Forward". New England Sports Network. Retrieved 2010-01-19.
  5. ^ Luedeke, Kirk (2006-06-30). "Lucky Lucic". New England Hockey Journal. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
  6. ^ "Milan Lucic Player Profile". Hockey Canada. Archived from the original on 2010-01-24. Retrieved 2010-01-24.
  7. ^ Chong, Andrew. "Lucic steps up again and again". Hockey Now. Retrieved 2008-10-27. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ a b "Lucic almost quit in 2003". The Province. 2008-10-28. Retrieved 2008-11-08. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ a b Shinzawa, Fluto (2007-06-03). "Bruins rookie Lucic punches up résumé". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2010-01-20. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ "Top Scorers - 2006-07 WHL Season - Vancouver Giants". Western Hockey League. Retrieved 2010-01-20.
  11. ^ a b c d e "The 2007 Memorial Cup History". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved 2010-01-20.
  12. ^ "Boston Bruins sign left wing Milan Lucic". Boston Bruins. 2007-02-08. Archived from the original on 2010-01-24. Retrieved 2010-01-24.
  13. ^ "Vancouver honours conquering Giants". Victoria Times Colonist. 2007-05-30. Retrieved 2010-01-19. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ "Turco limits Bruins to power-play goal as Stars win home opener". ESPN. 2007-10-06. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
  15. ^ "Boston 8, Los Angeles 6". USA Today. 2007-10-12. Retrieved 2010-01-20. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ a b c Shinzawa, Fluto (2008-01-25). "Bruins' Lucic heads to YoungStars game". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2010-01-20. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ "Lucic makes impression in Boston". Victoria Times Colonist. 2007-10-18. Retrieved 2010-01-20. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ a b "Bruins decide to keep Lucic". Globe and Mail. 2007-10-22. Retrieved 2010-01-20. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ a b Muir, Allan (2008-03-28). "Boston's new hope". CNN Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 2010-01-24. Retrieved 2010-01-24.
  20. ^ "Savard's OT goal leads Bruins to 2-1 overtime victory over Canadiens". USA Today. 2008-04-13. Retrieved 2009-12-07. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  21. ^ "Lucic's hat trick leads Bruins past Thrashers". National Hockey League. 2008-10-25. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  22. ^ "City gives Lucic a welcome homecoming". Boston Herald. 2008-10-29. Retrieved 2008-11-08. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  23. ^ "Burglars take Milan Lucic's Memorial Cup ring". The Province. 2008-07-11. Retrieved 2008-11-08. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  24. ^ "New kid can't wow them all the time". The Province. 2008-10-29. Retrieved 2008-11-08. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  25. ^ a b "YoungStars selected, expect wide-open contest". Sporting News. 2009-01-09. Archived from the original on 2010-01-24. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
  26. ^ a b Harris, Stephen (2009-04-05). "Tim Thomas deal puts cap pressure on Chiarelli". Boston Herald. Retrieved 2009-04-06. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  27. ^ "Bruins' Lucic handed one-game suspension". The Sports Network. 2009-04-19. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
  28. ^ a b Shinzawa, Fluto (2009-10-07). "Bruins sign Lucic to three-year contract". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2009-10-27. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  29. ^ "Bruins' Lucic placed on injured reserve". The Sports Network. 2009-12-15. Retrieved 2009-12-15.
  30. ^ Shinzawa, Fluto (2009-10-18). "Broken finger KOs Lucic". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2009-10-18. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  31. ^ Dumont, Kevin Paul (2009-11-27). "Lucic diagnosis: sprained ankle, sidelined a month". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2009-12-07. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  32. ^ "Canada names Lucic captain for Super Series". CBC Sports. 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
  33. ^ a b "Canada completes Canada/Russia Super Series with undefeated record". Hockey Canada. 2007-09-09. Retrieved 2010-01-09.
  34. ^ "Lucic a longshot for Olympic team at Canada's camp". CTV News. 2009-08-24. Retrieved 2010-01-09.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Winner of the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy
2007 		Succeeded by

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