Milan Lucic Reveals How His Career Nearly Ended Prematurely

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Tom Banks
October 24, 2023 (5:18 PM)

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Milan Lucic was one of this summer's biggest pickups for the Boston Bruins, as he returns to the team he made his name on, but according to No. 17, he almost didn't make it this far.

Tough times in Alberta

As he looks to help Boston continue their red-hot start to the 2023-24 season, Lucic has now looked back on his time in Alberta with both the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames, and now, he's revealed just how bad it got at points.

According to Milan, he was close to retirement during the final years of his contract in Calgary, stating the lack of ice time made him question whether he wanted to play at this level anymore.

It was the exact opposite. There were games where I was playing four, five, six minutes. You think, This is not what I signed up for. This isn't even fun anymore.

Lucic felt lost. He contemplated walking away from the three full seasons that remained on his contract.

A return home

After years away from the team he helped to the Stanley Cup back in 2011, Lucic has now returned to Boston, and years after considering this retirement, he's looking back to his old self.

"Grateful is probably the biggest word," said Lucic, discussing his return with his wife, Brittany, and children Valentina, Nikolina, and Milan Jr. "Just being grateful for this opportunity, grateful for this chance."

"Just so I could focus on something new, something fresh," Lucic said. "Because maybe if I had gone back to Boston, it would have been a little harder to deal with. Because that's all I knew. I was used to him being around while I was a Bruin.

Ultimately, his final years in Calgary saw his on-ice effectiveness dwindle, but for a beloved veteran like this, it's surprising to hear this story, and now, he will look to continue his revival in Boston where his career began back in 2006.

As Read on MarkerZone - Milan Lucic Reveals His Career Nearly Ended Before Returning to Boston