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In some ways, Milan Lucic seemed like he never left here.
Meeting with Boston reporters after Friday captain’s practice for the first time since re-signing with the Bruins in July, Lucic was as gregarious as ever, his distinctive voice resonating throughout the Warrior Ice Arena locker room as he spoke about how happy he was to be back in Boston.
But in reality, it’s a much different Milan Lucic from the teenager who arrived here in the late summer of 2007. Back then, he was just a teenager who was hoping to have a decent training camp before being sent back to his Vancouver Giants junior team. But he never got that dreaded knock on the hotel room door, and he stayed with the Bruins for the next eight years, winning a Stanley Cup along the way while helping rebuild a winning tradition.
This time – after stops in Los Angeles, Edmonton and Calgary – he returns as a 35-year-old veteran of 1,173 NHL games. He may not be the same player who once rode shotgun with David Krejci on the B’s top line, notching a career-high 30 goals in 2010-11. But he still brings his unbridled passion for the game and being a Bruin. And some Dad strength to help in the nastier aspects of the game that he still relishes.
“One of my childhood friends dropped me off with his Ford F350 because I had so many bags coming here,” said 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 last half dozen years with Edmonton and Calgary, Lucic has not scored more than 10 goals in a season. But Lucic, who can still mix it up enough 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 team that lost leaders like Krejci, Patrice Bergeron and Nick Foligno, to name just a few of the defections.
“When you lose guys like that, there are opportunities for guys to step into certain roles,” he said. “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 a chance to earn another $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,” said 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 daily life of a Bruin has improved since Lucic was traded to the Kings in 2010. They moved from their former practice facility in Wilmington, which had grown subpar to NHL standards, to the 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,” said 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 things never change, he learned.
“(Brad Marchand) Marchy did the old ‘I was in the neighborhood’ and just popped in one of the first days we were here,” said 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 enjoying watching his kids embrace their “Bostonian roots” again (two of the three were born here but don’t remember much).
“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,” said Lucic.
He marveled at how far David Pastrnak has come since the days he was an 18-year-old rookie showing up at Lucic’s door for dinner on many a night.
“He’s definitely up there with the tops in the league with the McDavids, the Matthews and Draisaitls and all those guys,” he said. “You don’t score 60 goals by accident.”
And throughout the conversation with reporters, Lucic gave the sense his career was coming full circle with the move back to Boston.
Said Lucic: “It just feels like I’m home again.” …
Bruins assistant general manager Jamie Langenbrunner, who played 1,109 NHL 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 executive Brian Burke.
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