By CJ Carlson
The Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic is currently going on an indefinite leave of absence following what is being deemed an “unspecified situation” that occurred recently. The team released a statement acknowledging his indefinite leave and that an investigation is ongoing to figure out all of the necessary details.
Lucic has been on the long-term injured reserve since October 28th due to him dealing with an ankle injury. The team’s coach Jim Montgomery announced that his recovery from this ankle injury was going a little slower than what he had been previously expecting when it first happened. In fact, he was anticipated to return to the ice sooner rather than later.
Some even thought that he’d be back out there this week, but that timetable has since been changed due to the slow rehabbing process and the new information that’s since hit the internet. What has since taken place seems to be far outside anything regarding his injury. It was reported that he’s been charged with assault and battery with an arraignment set for later this week. It’s listed as a domestic violence arrest and involved his family. Then again, not all of the details have been made available yet, which is something that everybody in Boston made sure to mention.
Montgomery said, “As an organization it’s something we take extremely seriously. Looch is taking a leave of absence from the team right now. We support the Lucic family, and we will continue to provide support and help for the Lucic family. Out of respect for their privacy, that’s all I’m going to comment on the details right now.” But it wasn’t just his coach that spoke about it. His friend and teammate Brad Marchand said that he hasn’t spoken to Lucic since the incident occurred.
When he was asked about it, he said, “We’re obviously aware of what happened last night with Looch. The biggest thing for us, we care a lot about their family. We’re a family here. We’re all very, very close. So, we’re obviously very concerned and upset for them and what they’re going through, but we have a lot of support for Brittany and the kids and for Looch himself.”
Lucic was drafted to the Bruins with the 50th overall pick in the 2006 NHL draft and played eight seasons with the Bruins, one of which saw him win a Stanley Cup in 2011. Sometime around 2015, he found out that he was being traded to the Los Angeles Kings. He played there for a few years and bounced over to the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames in the eight years that followed the trade.
At the end of this stretch, he decided to sign another one-year contract with Boston to return. He’s only played four games this season and has two assists but hasn’t played since the ankle injury came about. The thing about him signing with Boston though, is that he wasn’t brought in to play in every single game while leading the team in major statistical categories. The team brought him in for his veteran leadership and experience, something that could benefit the team long-term as they chase another Stanley Cup. Speaking of their chase for a Cup, the team currently faces a record of 13-1-2 on the season at the time of the Lucic news.
What’s odd about the situation is that nobody seems to be claiming whether or not he’s being investigated at the moment. A spokesperson for the Boston police recently announced that they wouldn’t be able to confirm or deny whether or not they were investigating into the Lucic situation, further making this situation vaguer and more confusing. If the chargers of assault and battery on a family member hold, he could be facing a max penalty of two and a half years in prison.
On top of that, he’d be hit with a fine of $5,000. Of course, though, none of that is set in stone just yet as the details are very few. Right now, it appears as though the team is fully behind him to offer any support that they can while they figure out the missing information.
