In some methods, Milan Lucic appeared like he by no means left right here.
Meeting with Boston reporters after Friday captain’s follow for the primary time since re-signing with the Bruins in July, Lucic was as gregarious as ever, his distinctive voice resonating all through the Warrior Ice Arena locker room as he spoke about how completely happy he was to be again in Boston.
But in actuality, it’s a a lot completely different Milan Lucic from {the teenager} who arrived right here within the late summer time of 2007. Back then, he was simply a youngster who hoped to have a good coaching camp earlier than being despatched again to his Vancouver Giants junior crew. But he by no means obtained that dreaded knock on the lodge room door, and he stayed with the Bruins for the following eight years, successful a Stanley Cup alongside the best way whereas serving to rebuild a successful custom.
This time – after stops in Los Angeles, Edmonton and Calgary – he returns as a 35-year-old veteran of 1,173 NHL video games. He will not be the identical participant who as soon as rode shotgun with David Krejci on the B’s prime line, notching a career-high 30 objectives in 2010-11. But he nonetheless brings his unbridled ardour for the sport and being a Bruin. And some Dad power to assist in the nastier points of the sport that he nonetheless relishes.
“One of my childhood friends dropped me off with his Ford F350 because I had so many bags coming here,” mentioned Lucic with a chuckle. “First time I came to Boston, I came with one bag, a hockey bag and my sticks. This time around, it was 23 bags and three kids and all that. It’s a different time in my life, but I definitely think I can still bring a lot to this team and organization.”
In the final half dozen years with Edmonton and Calgary, Lucic has not scored greater than 10 objectives in a season. But Lucic, who can nonetheless combine it up sufficient that the Toronto Maple Leafs responded to his signing by inking Ryan Reaves, believes he can contribute to fortifying the esprit de corps of a crew that misplaced leaders like Krejci, Patrice Bergeron and Nick Foligno, to call just some of the defections.
“When you lose guys like that, there are opportunities for guys to step into certain roles,” he mentioned. “For me, obviously, it’s more of a leadership role, a physical role and just being myself on a day-to-day basis. Those are the talks that I had with the management group and the coaching staff. And most of all, just being what I bring on a day-to-day basis, which is having fun being in the NHL. But also when it’s go time, it’s go time.”
Lucic signed a one-year, $1 million deal, with an opportunity to earn one other $500,000 with bonuses.
“I wanted to have as many conversations as I could being a UFA just to see what opportunities were out there and what was going to be the best fit for me,” mentioned Lucic. “And after weighing out all of my options and all my opportunities, I thought this one was going to be the best one for me. And just to add to it, this being the centennial year, it just made it more tempting to come back to Boston. I’ve said it all summer long. It just feels right every time I wear this logo and support these colors, to have that opportunity again. It became a no-brainer once I got closer to July 1.”
The each day lifetime of a Bruin has improved since Lucic was traded to the Kings in 2010. They moved from their former follow facility in Wilmington, which had grown subpar to NHL requirements, to the brand new state-of-the-art digs in Brighton.
“They did a wonderful job building a first-class facility – from the dressing room, to the food, to the training room, to the weight room and all that kind of stuff,” mentioned Lucic. “It’s definitely second to none. It’s really great to see, it’s great to experience this. I think I was one year off of this new practice rink, so now to call this home and be here on a day-to-day basis, it feels really good.”
But some issues by no means change, he discovered.
“(Brad Marchand) Marchy did the old ‘I was in the neighborhood’ and just popped in one of the first days we were here,” mentioned Lucic. “It was great to reunite with him. Me and him, we have a long connection, being drafted in the same draft together and being the same age and doing what we’ve done together. I had to throw a little jab at him and tell him he is the oldest guy on the team now, because he does have me by a month. But it’s great to be back with him.”
Lucic is having fun with watching his youngsters embrace their “Bostonian roots” once more (two of the three have been born right here however don’t bear in mind a lot).
“They made a comment the other day that they loved it so much that they never wanted to leave. That’s obviously a good thing and hopefully it stays that way,” mentioned Lucic.
He marveled at how far David Pastrnak has come for the reason that days he was an 18-year-old rookie exhibiting up at Lucic’s door for dinner on many an evening.
“He’s definitely up there with the tops in the league with the McDavids, the Matthews and Draisaitls and all those guys,” he mentioned. “You don’t score 60 goals by accident.”
And all through the dialog with reporters, Lucic gave the sense his profession was coming full circle with the transfer again to Boston.
Said Lucic: “It just feels like I’m home again.” …
Bruins assistant common supervisor Jamie Langenbrunner, who performed 1,109 NHL video games with Dallas, New Jersey and St. Louis, was elected to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame with Katie King Crowley (Salem, N.H.), official Brian Murphy (Dover, N.H.) and long-time govt Brian Burke.
Source: www.bostonherald.com