As commanding a presence as Lucic would become in the NHL, he considered abandoning the sport as a teenager when hockey seemed to be giving him the brush-off.
He was not selected in the 2003 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft, for starters. Then he didn't land a roster spot with Coquitlam of the British Columbia Hockey League, which left the 6-foot-3, 233-pound Lucic playing in the Pacific Junior Hockey League.
As commanding a presence as Lucic would become in the NHL, he considered abandoning the sport as a teenager when hockey seemed to be giving him the brush-off.
He was not selected in the 2003 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft, for starters. Then he didn't land a roster spot with Coquitlam of the British Columbia Hockey League, which left the 6-foot-3, 233-pound Lucic playing in the Pacific Junior Hockey League.
Soon, though, Coquitlam called him up, and he began his climb to the NHL.
From 2004-07, Lucic played for Vancouver of the Western Hockey League, helping it win the Memorial Cup in 2007, his final year in major junior hockey. He was named the tournament's most valuable player that spring.
Selected by the Boston Bruins in the second round (No. 50) in the 2006 NHL Draft, Lucic not only made that NHL club as a 19-year-old in 2007, he seemed to have been delivered straight from central casting. He was a hulking, fearless, physical left wing with good hands who reminded Boston fans of Cam Neely, Terry O'Reilly or Wayne Cashman, depending on which generation they were part of.
Lucic was plenty rugged but also scored in the clutch for the Bruins, with whom he had three seasons of at least 24 goals. He helped Boston win the Stanley Cup in 2011, when he had five goals and 12 points in 25 playoff games, with the deciding Game 7 being played in his hometown of Vancouver.
On June 26, 2015, the Bruins traded Lucic to the Los Angeles Kings for goalie Martin Jones, Colin Miller and a first-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. Lucic had 20 goals and 55 points in 81 games during his lone season with the Kings, who were unable to agree on a contract with him in the offseason.
An unrestricted free agent, Lucic signed a seven-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers on July 1, 2016.
NOTES & TRANSACTIONS
- Traded to Los Angeles by Boston for Martin Jones, Colin Miller and Los Angeles' 1st round pick (Jakub Zboril) in 2015 NHL Draft, June 26, 2015.
- Signed as a free agent by Edmonton, July 1, 2016.
- Traded to Calgary by Edmonton with a conditional pick in 2020 NHL Draft for James Neal, July 19, 2019.
