News Clips
2-8-16
FROM LA KINGS INSIDER
January 7, 2016 10:41 AM
By: Jon Rosen
Broncos Fans On The Kings/ Super Bowl Open Thread
There are a pair of Broncos fans on the Kings, and it
doesn’t take much sleuthing to blow their cover.
The team’s lone Coloradan, Nick Shore recalled
catching a game at old Mile High Stadium, the
Broncos’ base from which they launched their 1998
and 1999 title campaigns. It was the game in
which Jason Elam nailed an NFL-record 63 yard
field goal.
“Everyone’s always followed them ever since
Elway started there,” he said of his family, “so we
got to see a couple championships when we were
younger, so that was cool.”
Trevor Lewis of neighboring Utah followed the
Broncos because his father was a fan, a bond with a
team that strengthened when he spent two years
living in Colorado Springs, playing for the Pike’s
Peak Miners.
Are there any other closet Broncos fans on the
Kings?
“I think we’re the two real fans,” Lewis said of
himself and Shore. “I think some guys [on the team]
are hopping on the bandwagon a little.”
As it is in so many workplaces, the players bond
over football, and especially in the fall, it’s not a
strange sight to see New York Giants or Buffalo
Bills caps alongside the more traditional Toronto
Blue Jays lids. And even though it’s not attire he’d
wear to practice, Nick Shore does have his own Von
Miller jersey.
“When that team is doing well, the whole city is
behind it,” Shore said of the football-dominated
Denver sports scene. “Even when they’re not doing
as well, everyone still is a huge Broncos fan.”
“It’s a great sports town, and growing up, it was
awesome. I got to see them win a couple times, so
I’m hoping to see another one tomorrow.”
Related: ARE YOU READY FOR SOME (CFL)
FOOTBALL?
—–Enjoy today’s game, Insiders.
FROM LATIMES.COM
February 7, 2016 6:58 PM
By: Lisa Dillman
Kings’ Milan Lucic Fondly Recalls His Years As A Bruin On The Eve Of His Return To Boston
Without fail, Milan Lucic would know where they would be for home games in Boston at the Garden, taking
their positions through his long career with the Bruins.
He would find one woman, the "Big Looch fan," and acknowledge her presence and devotion with a tap on the
glass at the start of pregame warmups. Scruffy of the Dropkick Murphys, the former bagpiper of the Celtic punk
rock group, would salute him during the national anthem.
"There's the guy who calls himself Fat Guy Matt," Lucic said, smiling widely. "He would always yell around
six minutes left in warmup. He'd yell, 'Looch, you're an animal!' I could hear it and I'd smile back at him.
"Those are the things you remember."
They were like fixtures on the stage, only the set was a sports arena. A better analogy, this being Boston — it
was almost like "Cheers" coming to the Garden. You wanna go where everybody knows your name.
Everyone knew Milan Lucic's name.
They still will when Lucic returns Tuesday with the Kings, the first time the iconic power forward comes back
to Boston as a member of the visiting team. He was traded to the Kings in the off-season, on June 26, for
defenseman Colin Miller, a first-round draft pick in 2015, and goaltender Martin Jones, who was later shipped
to the San Jose Sharks.
"The schedule came out before the trade happened," Lucic said. "So that was one of the first things that I looked
at. It's kind of odd we haven't played them yet, considering how many Eastern Conference teams we've played.
I think it's going to be a pretty cool experience to go in there for the first time as a visitor.
"It's been awhile since I've played there. The last home game was the fourth-to-last game of the season."
Lucic took out a full-page advertisement in the Boston Globe in July to thank the fans and the Bruins
organization, from ownership to the front office to the coaches and the players, and wrote about living his
dream when the Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 2011.
Now, he is relishing the opportunity to say goodbye and thank you, in person, to all those individuals. His
mother and brother are coming in from Vancouver for the game, along with some friends from British
Columbia, as well as his wife.
The thank-you note in the Globe started by mentioning that he joined the team when he was 19. Lucic, 27,
expanded upon that theme during a conversation last week in El Segundo. The teenage Lucic joined a struggling
team in his rookie season in 2007-08 and the kid from Vancouver didn't know all the story lines of the historic,
original-six franchise.
Boston missed the playoffs in the two seasons before Lucic arrived and the Bruins got back there in his rookie
season, losing to Montreal in seven games in the first round.
"I was born in 1988. That was, what, [more than] nine years after Bobby [Orr] stopped playing," Lucic said. "To
be honest, I didn't have much knowledge of how good Bobby Orr actually was. I had no real appreciation for
him and his era, and Phil Esposito and Johnny Bucyk and after that Cash [Wayne Cashman], Ken Hodge and
[Gerry] Cheevers.
"Then the Big Bad Bruins: Brad Park, Terry O'Reilly."
He paused and smiled, again.
"It's funny. I didn't know anything about Terry O'Reilly," Lucic said. "And everyone there is comparing me to
him. We have the same birthday [June 7]. For me, it was pretty cool.
"Being on the Pacific Coast, you don't really know. We didn't have Center Ice. It was the Canucks or the Leafs
on every Saturday night. That was it. Other than Joe Thornton or Ray Bourque I didn't know much about
anything before I got there.
"The history lesson is what I got to be a part of. This is, what, the 92nd season of the Bruins and I get to say I
was part of one of the best-ever eras to be a Bruin."
The transition from Boston to Los Angeles has looked seamless from a professional level. Lucic's impact on his
new team was immediate, starting with the season opener against San Jose. He has 12 goals and 30 points and
66 penalty minutes in 50 games, missing one game because of a suspension late last month for throwing a
sucker punch in a game against the Arizona Coyotes.
The timing for the Boston homecoming couldn't be much better, Lucic thought. It kicks off a seven-game trip
for the Kings.
"It's helped that I've already played 50 games for the Kings now and I can say I feel like a King and part of
everything," he said. "Everything is starting to feel normal being around here and all those things that come
with the trade.
"It is nice that it's taken this long, so I could find myself within the team and the organization and within the
locker room before I could head back. It's nice to establish myself. The team has been on a little bit of a skid
lately, but I think a road trip like this couldn't come at a better time."
With Kings center Anze Kopitar's contract extension completed last month, the next two orders of business for
the organization are Coach Darryl Sutter's future, because his contract expires after this season, and Lucic, who
will be an unrestricted free agent in July.
Lucic said that negotiations are in the early stages.
"Nothing to get excited about," he said. "There's been two or three little talks here and there. My plan is to
remain a King and hopefully finish off my career here. Like I said, I go day by day and you never know what
tomorrow is going to bring.
"If I could look eight, nine, 10 years down the road, hopefully I play that long. I hope it is right here in L.A. and
that something can get done and conversations can get picked up in the near future because I really have
enjoyed my time this season and love being a King and living here in L.A.
"Hopefully, it can last more than one season."
FROM THEHOCKEYWRITERS.COM
February 7, 2016
By: Joe Marraccino
An Ode To Milan Lucic In Boston
The date is June 24, 2006.
The Boston Bruins come into the NHL Draft in Vancouver with four of the first 71 picks slated to be used on
the night. Boston has struggled to cope with the first season after the lockout, finishing with the fifth-worst
record in the League. This is their first attempt to reload for the upcoming season and revive their status as a
proud Original Six franchise.
Drafting sniper Phil Kessel is a good start with the fifth overall pick. Their next pick, defenseman Yuri
Alexandrov, doesn’t exactly pan out the way they wanted to. With the 50th pick, interim general manager Jeff
Gorton selects hometown winger Milan Lucic, a player described by many as a prototypical power forward. The
complete package of size, skill and grit inside of a 6’3, 18-year-old body is exactly what Boston desires.
From there, the legend was born.
The Early Years
Opting to play the 2006-07 with the Vancouver Giants in the Western Hockey League, Lucic teased Bruins
Nation with a mere preview of what he would bring to the table. He went on to score 30 goals and 68 points
with 147 penalty minutes in 70 regular-season games. The Giants captain then went on to lead his side, which
included current NHL stars like Evander Kane and Cody Franson, to a Memorial Cup championship in
Vancouver. Lucic scored 26 points in 27 total games, making him the unanimous choice as tournament MVP.
The next season, he made the Bruins roster straight out of camp and debuted in Boston’s first game of the
season in Dallas. It didn’t take long for Lucic to endear himself to the Black and Gold faithful.
His first NHL fight came against Brad Winchester before recording a Gordie Howe hat trick a week later in Los
Angeles. A first period fight against Raitis Ivanans and a primary assist on Aaron Ward’s second period goal
was topped off by scoring the eventual game-winning goal in the third period of an 8-6 victory. In his first home
game, an early first-period fight over Tampa Bay Lightning enforcer Nick Tarnasky won over the TD Garden
crowd in a heartbeat.
Lucic would go on to record 27 points in 77 games and was involved in 13 of Boston’s 52 scraps that season.
Combined with Shawn Thornton, the two would go on to become the Bruins’ feared duo of enforcers for
several years to come.
The Prime
In 2010-11, Lucic showed he was more than just a pugilist.
The 22-year-old set a career-high in goals (30) and points (62) while piling up 121 PIMs in 79 games. It had
taken four seasons but the Bruins finally had their new power forward similar to the mold of team president
Cam Neely. Lucic was beloved in Boston and feared around the League.
Boston would go on to embark on a 25-game odyssey in the playoffs that culminated in a Stanley Cup victory in
seven games over the Canucks. For Lucic, having the opportunity to hoist hockey’s greatest prize in his
hometown is a script only Hollywood could write.
As he grew into his own as an NHL player, Lucic also played a major part in resurrecting the Bruins back to the
summit of the League.
In the next two seasons, he only missed three games scoring 33 goals and 88 points while racking up 220
penalty minutes. His performance earned Lucic a three-year contract extension worth $18 million, committing
his future to the Bruins….or so it seemed.
The End
After signing the new contract, the physicality and toughness that was a staple of his NHL career dwindled and
so did his point totals.
The 2014-15 season saw the now 26-year-old score 44 points but did not bring a consistent effort to
the rinkevery night. For long stretches of time, it was hard to notice the big, bulky winger on the ice. He did
record 259 hits but something was not quite right.
The Bruins would go on to miss the postseason for the first time in nine years and general manager Peter
Chiarelli, who adored Lucic, was canned by the brass. In came Don Sweeney to rebuild the club going forward
but their number 17 wouldn’t be a part of it. Nine years after Lucic was drafted by the club, he was sent to LA
by Sweeney in exchange for Colin Miller, Martin Jones and the Kings’ first-round pick.
It was the end of an era. During his eight years in Boston, the power forward led the team in goals (139) and
penalty minutes (772) and finished in the top-five for assists (203), points (342), plus-minus (plus-94), gamewinning goals (26) and power-play goals (20). Say what you will about how he left, but make no mistake: Lucic
was a vital piece of the Bruins renaissance.
He is now working his magic in the City of Angels with 30 points in 50 games and 66 penalty minutes while
Miller shows promise to be a key player for the Bruins going forward. The rookie defenseman is holding his
own under coach Claude Julien.
When the Bruins and Kings get together for the first time since the trade on Tuesday night, it is sure to be an
emotional evening within the walls of TD Garden. Boston fans are sure to give Lucic a very warm reception for
his contributions to the Black and Gold revival.
FROM BOSTONHERALD.COM
February 7, 2016
By: Steve Conroy
Milan Lucic’s Loss Still Felt
Winger Took A Bit Of B’s Identity With Him
Milan Lucic may not have been the perfect hockey player in Boston. But even though he battled inconsistency
at times, the rugged winger was very much the quintessential Bruin in his eight seasons in a black and gold
sweater.
And of all the 2011 Stanley Cup-winning Bruins who have departed for various reasons and returned to the
Garden in new colors — Shawn Thornton, Johnny Boychuk, Gregory Campbell and even Tim Thomas — Lucic
coming back for Tuesday’s game in a Los Angeles Kings uniform will be the most jarring evidence that the B’s
most recent glory days are over.
Since the moment he surprised people by making the team as a 19-year-old rookie, brawling his way from the
fourth line to manning left wing on one of the league’s most feared lines, Lucic exuded a Bruins-like work ethic
that local fans have always loved in their team — and folks in other cities (chiefly, Montreal) feared and
loathed.
Sure, Lucic had his critics with the Bruins, too, mainly because he never developed into the Cam Neely-mode
50-goal scorer that was envisioned of him, unrealistically, when he scored 30 goals as 22-year-old. Lucic has
good hands — he’s a also an underrated passer — but was never a true sniper. There were also times when he
over-thought, which would result in his game slowing to a crawl. He hit his worst funk with the Bruins in 2013,
when coach Claude Julien dropped him to the fourth line and then scratched him late in the season.
And yet Lucic is a special player in his own way.
He combines a level of menace and skill that leaves foes wondering which quality to fear more. While that ’13
scratching might have been the low point of his career, it preceded a postseason moment that turned out to be
perhaps his best. With the Bruins down, 4-1, to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third period of of Game 7, Lucic
morphed into a wrecking ball, destroying the Leafs defense in the final 10 minutes. Patrice Bergeron scored the
equalizer and overtime winner, but it was Lucic — with a goal and assist and enough crushing hits to put the
Leafs in full retreat — that gave the comeback its liftoff. His critics would complain he didn’t do that every
night. But a player who can affect even one playoff game like that is rare.
From a sportswriter’s selfish standpoint, Lucic made for great material. In a sport that is increasingly chronicled
by charts and graphs, Lucic is heart and soul. He would beat himself up when things weren’t going well, and he
would let his euphoria show when everything came together. Players have become wary of allowing people into
their minds, schooled by team PR people and agents about saying the wrong thing. Better now to farm those
thoughts out to The Players’ Tribune to be cleansed and presented in a neat package.
Lucic, however, is often unvarnished and raw. Leave it to Lucic to admit what everyone in the Bruins room was
thinking after the Game 7 win over the Leafs — that had they lost, the whole operation was probably going to
be blown up. And his locker room soliloquy in which he briefly disowned his hometown of Vancouver after he
nearly got into a street fight there was epic.
His emotions bubbled over on the ice, too, and not always in a pretty way. He was once caught giving an
obscene gesture to the Montreal crowd. And after the Canadiens upset the B’s in Game 6 in 2014, he made
some rather threatening remarks to the Habs’ Dale Weise in the handshake line of all places. Lucic later
explained that it was part of his go-to-war attitude and competitiveness. He refused to apologize.
It is no wonder the TV series “The Road to the Winter Classic” — leading was flat, even a bit boring, without
him. Lucic was a lot of things when he was here, but boring was never one of them.
General manager Don Sweeney’s decision to trade Lucic at last year’s draft gathering was understandable,
given the team’s salary cap situation and Lucic’s pending free agency this summer. And with two first-round
picks (Zack Senyshyn from last June and San Jose’s first-round pick this June) plus two prospects (Colin Miller
and University of Miami center Sean Kuraly) being the final haul in the deal, it could turn out to be a very good
transaction.
But it has come at a big price in the short term. Without Lucic, the B’s are still in search of an identity. They are
no longer the Big, Bad Bruins. That fact is probably best reflected in their sub-.500 home record. In Lucic’s
tenure, their worst home record was 18-17-6 in 2009-10 — the season he was limited to 50 games due to a high
ankle sprain. But as in Terry O’Reilly’s days in the 1970s, and in Neely’s days in the late ’80s and early ’90s,
Causeway Street was not a fun destination for visiting teams when Lucic was marauding up and down the left
wing.
No, Lucic is not a perfect hockey player. But he’s proving to be a hockey player that is, and will be, very hard
to replace.
This week’s B’s timeline
Tuesday, vs. Kings, 7 p.m. — The B’s have not had an easy time against big, heavy teams like the Kings this
year, and LA is rolling. The return of Milan Lucic, who is having a decent year (12-18-30), should be
interesting.
Thursday, at Winnipeg, 8 p.m. — This is the start of a six-game road trip, the season’s longest. The last time
we saw the Jets on opening night, they conspired to help establish the B’s season-long difficulty in holding twogoal leads. Blake Wheeler & Co. have since gone down the tubes. Playing in the brutal Central Division,
they’ve fallen out of playoff contention.
Saturday, at Minnesota, 2 p.m. — The Wild have enough talent to be real contenders in the Western
Conference, but they are yet again a bubble team and are going through their annual midseason slump. Going
into the weekend, the Wild were 1-8-1 in their previous 10.
WIDEMAN EXCUSE PLAUSIBLE BUT NOT BELIEVABLE
Dennis Wideman’s contention that his collision with linesman Don Henderson was purely accidental is
plausible — to a point. Whether he was truly concussed, as the Flames contended after the fact, he was clearly
dealing with some aftereffects of a big hit from Nashville’s Miikka Salomaki as he slowly rose and made his
way to the Calgary bench.
FROM CAUSEWAYCROWD.COM
February 7, 2016
By: Paul Altmeyer
Boston Bruins: Milan Lucic Set For Homecoming
For eight years he embodied everything that the Boston Bruins stand for: toughness, grit, muscle and effort. He
could score, he could hit, and he could fight. Three times he had more than twenty goals, and three times he
accumulated more than 100 penalty minutes. It should be no surprise that at some point on Tuesday night when
the Bruins host the Los Angeles Kings that Milan Lucic gets a raucous ovation.
The fan favorite of the Black & Gold brotherhood saw his time in Boston come to an end on June 26th of last
year when he was shipped out to Los Angeles for goalie Martin Jones, defensemanColin Miller and a first
round draft pick in last year’s draft, which they used to select defenseman Jakub Zboril with the thirteenth
pick. Jones was then sent out west as well, to San Jose, and in return the Bruins received center Sean Kuraly
and a first round pick in this year’s draft.
To sum it up, for Lucic the Bruins received Colin Miller, Jakub Zboril, Sean Kuraly, and a first round pick this
summer. Who won that trade? While it’s still too early to tell, this could be a trade that benefits both teams.
The Kings have 65 points in 51 games, while the Bruins have 62 in 52 games. Lucic is fifth on his team in
scoring with 30 points on 12 goals and 18 assists. Five Bruins forwards have more points than that, although
nobody on the Bruins has five game-winning goals like Lucic does. He leads the Kings in that category.
When Lucic left Boston, he took with him a presence on the ice, on the bench, and even in the building that is
sorely missed. Opponents knew he was there. Even though Torey Krug admitted to starting his recent fight
with the much larger Chris Stewart, one wonders if Stewart would have obliged if Lucic was still wearing the
spoked B that evening.
The Kings recently professed their allegiance to leading scorer Anze Kopitar when they signed him to an eight
year extension that will pay him over $80,000,000. They will have young superstar Tyler Toffoli up at the end
of next season. Lucic sees his contract expire after this season and will be an unrestricted free agent. He
currently earns $3,250,000. Not so coincidentally, current Bruins winger Loui Eriksson will be a UFA at the
end of this year. He earns $4,250,000 and will be looking for a raise. If he isn’t dealt within the next three
weeks, he will most likely walk at the end of the season. That means the Bruins would free up a million dollars
more than what Lucic currently earns.Chris Kelly is on the books for $3,000,000 and will most likely not return
when his deal expires at the end of the season. If the Kings opt to spend their money elsewhere, a former fan
favorite will be available, and he’ll only be 28 years of age when next season rolls around.